160,000 lb Power Transformer Delivered to Obetz, OH

Moves: Transformer, Ohio
160,000 lb Power Transformer Delivered to Obetz, OH
In December 2024 we delivered a 160,000 lb power transformer to Obetz, Ohio, in Franklin County on the southeast edge of Columbus. Our own permitting team handled the permits, and our photos from December 6, 2024 show the transformer at the Obetz site.
Gallery
Photos from the move






Quick facts
December 2024- Freight
- Power transformer
- Piece weight
- 160,000 lbs
- Delivered to
- Obetz, Ohio (Franklin County), on the southeast edge of Columbus
- Permits
- Our in house permitting team
- When
- December 2024
The challenge
160,000 lbs in one piece
Federal rules cap gross weight on the Interstate system at 80,000 lbs for the truck, trailer and load together. This transformer weighed 160,000 lbs on its own, twice that whole limit, so it could only move on an overweight permit with enough axles under it to keep every axle and axle group inside the permit and the trailer's rating.
Obetz also sits in Franklin County, one of 22 Ohio counties where ODOT keeps loads over 12'W off the road from 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Transformers are tall as well as heavy, and in Ohio a load over 14'6"H needs a lead escort with a height sensing device, while a load over 14'10"H needs a lead and a rear escort and has to be coordinated with the owners of overhead signs, signals and utility lines.
Sources: 23 CFR 658.17; ODOT OS 1A permit conditions.
How we plan it
How we plan a transformer move in Ohio
Weight first
The piece weight sets the trailer. We choose the axle count and spread so each axle and group stays inside the Ohio permit and inside the trailer's legal rating.
Permits in house
Our own permitting team files the permit and routes the load. We are a carrier with our own trucks and drivers, and we do not broker loads.
Height and wires
Transformer height decides the escorts. Over 14'6"H, Ohio calls for a lead escort with a height sensing device; over 14'10"H, the owners of overhead signs, signals and lines have to be brought in before the move.
Time of day
In Franklin County and the other 21 listed counties, a load over 12'W stays off the road during the morning and evening rush windows set in OS 1A.
Source: ODOT OS 1A.
Quote a similar load
Have a similar load?
Send the dimensions, weight, pickup and delivery, and we will plan it.

