Introduction
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach move record cargo volumes, California's aerospace corridor generates billions in annual output, and the state's renewable-energy build-out keeps demanding more turbine and solar equipment moves. Heavy haul trucking sits at the center of all of it.
Many shippers learn the hard way that not every carrier can handle California's oversize/overweight rules. Caltrans permitting, mountain-pass restrictions, and dense urban corridors add layers of complexity you won't find in most other states. Pick the wrong partner, and you're looking at costly permit delays or, worse, a stalled project.
This guide ranks the top 10 heavy haul trucking companies serving California in 2026, plus a vetting framework to help you choose the right one for your next shipment.
TL;DR
- Heavy haul trucking exceeds California's legal weight and size limits, requiring Caltrans permits and specialized trailers
- Top carriers combine California permitting know-how, diverse trailer fleets, and real-time tracking technology
- This list mixes nationwide asset-based carriers with California-based regional specialists
- Use the vetting checklist and FAQs below to confidently choose the right carrier for your load
Overview of Heavy Haul Trucking in the California Market
Heavy haul trucking covers loads that exceed standard legal weight and dimension limits, think wind turbine blades, transformers, aerospace tooling, and industrial presses. These shipments need specialized trailers, escort vehicles, and route-specific permits before a truck ever leaves the yard.
California's industrial base makes this a year-round need, not a seasonal spike. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach process massive import and export cargo volumes, much of it destined for inland distribution centers and manufacturing plants.
Beyond port traffic, aerospace and defense manufacturers cluster around Southern California, contributing an estimated $35 billion in annual GDP output to the state economy, according to California's Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.
Add in the state's expanding solar and wind capacity, plus a steady stream of construction and agricultural equipment moves, and heavy haul demand simply doesn't let up in this market.
Why Caltrans Permitting Adds Complexity
California's Department of Transportation, Caltrans, governs oversize/overweight (OSOW) permitting. Unlike many states with simpler blanket permits, Caltrans requires:
- Route-specific approval through its CalRoute system
- Bridge and weight-chart clearance checks tied to each axle configuration
- Variance review for loads over 15 ft wide, 17 ft high, or 135 ft long
- Extended review time, often 20+ business days, for unusual equipment configurations
That complexity is exactly why carrier selection matters. The companies below are ranked on fleet capability, California-specific experience, safety record, and customer trust.
Top 10 Heavy Haul Trucking Companies in California for 2026
Rankings weigh five factors: operating experience, fleet diversity, California permitting know-how, safety record, and tracking technology.
Sims Global Solutions
Sims Global Solutions runs a hybrid model that most pure brokerages can't match: owned heavy haul assets, including RGN, lowboy, and multi-axle trailers, combined with brokerage access to a vetted network of 150,000+ carriers.
Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, SGS extends that combined capacity into California for aerospace, defense, and material handling shippers who need both flexibility and asset-backed reliability.
The company's proprietary SimsTrak platform gives shippers real-time GPS tracking and consolidated documentation, letting its heavy haul team quote, schedule, and track shipments without juggling multiple systems. As Corporate Sales Manager Billy puts it, the owned assets "have opened up countless opportunities that a traditional freight brokerage would have a difficult time tapping into."
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Fleet Model | Asset-based + brokerage hybrid with owned trucking equipment |
| Technology | SimsTrak TMS with real-time GPS tracking and integrated CRM |
| Key Industries Served | Aerospace, Defense, Material Handling, Retail, Fortune 100 clients |
Landstar Transportation Logistics
Landstar operates one of the largest over-dimensional platform networks in the country, built on an owner-operator model rather than company drivers. That structure gives it wide reach into California's industrial corridors without the overhead of a traditional company fleet.
As of its latest fiscal year, Landstar's business capacity owners supplied 8,514 trucks, with 17,426 trailers available across owned, rented, and BCO-provided equipment. Its heavy haul division offers step decks, RGNs, stretch trailers, multi-axle, and perimeter trailers for loads that need custom configurations.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Fleet Size | 8,514 trucks, 17,426 trailers available (FY2025) |
| Trailer Types | RGN, lowboy, multi-axle, stretch/extendable, perimeter trailers |
| CA Coverage | Strong presence via owner-operator network across major freight lanes |
Bennett Motor Express
Bennett's super heavy haul division, built through its West Coast agent relationship with Contractors Cargo Company, moves loads from 100,000 lbs up past the 1,000,000 lb mark. Founded in 1974, Bennett has served California's energy and industrial project cargo for decades, including wind energy components since 2004.
Its West Coast equipment includes dual-lane transporters, multi-axle configurations up to 55 axles, and girder systems rated to 400 tons, enough capacity for the state's largest turbine and industrial moves.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Payload Capacity | Up to 1,000,000+ lbs via West Coast super heavy haul agent |
| Equipment | Dual-lane transporters, RGN trailers, up to 55-axle configurations |
| Specialty | Super heavy haul moves; wind energy components since 2004 |
TFI International (Daseke / Lone Star Transportation)
TFI International's 2024 acquisition of Daseke made it home to one of the largest specialized open-deck and heavy haul networks in North America. The deal closed April 1, 2024, folding Daseke's flatbed and specialized fleet into TFI's broader operation.
That scale shows up in California through Lone Star Transportation, Daseke's heavy haul unit, which runs a terminal in Fontana. Combined, TFI reported 12,927 trucks and 40,687 trailers at the close of 2025.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Fleet Size | 12,927 trucks, 40,687 trailers (combined, YE 2025) |
| Divisions | Lone Star Transportation heavy haul unit (Fontana, CA terminal) |
| Market Reach | Nationwide network with established California lanes |
Anderson Trucking Service (ATS)
ATS runs in-house permitting, routing, and safety teams rather than outsourcing that work, a setup that matters when a load needs custom California route approval. Its heavy haul division reports 900+ company-owned trucks, 1,900+ trailers, and 100+ assets rated for loads over 100,000 lbs.
Shippers get a self-service customer portal for real-time load tracking, plus a single point of contact who manages the shipment from planning through execution.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Fleet Type | 900+ company-owned trucks, 1,900+ specialized trailers |
| Services | In-house permitting, escort coordination, project logistics |
| CA Presence | Established route network supporting West Coast industrial freight |
Mercer Transportation
Mercer built its OSOW business around an owner-operator fleet, now more than 1,700 strong, rather than a company-owned model. Mercer has handled industrial, construction, and military freight since its founding in 1977, and its California service page explicitly covers heavy haul and port deliveries statewide.
Equipment options include double-drop lowboy, RGN, and step-deck trailers, giving Mercer flexibility across different load profiles without sacrificing owner-operator route knowledge.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Fleet Composition | 1,700+ owner-operator tractors and trailers |
| Equipment | Double-drop lowboy, RGN, step-deck trailers |
| Specialization | Industrial, construction, and military equipment freight |
NFI Industries
NFI's 2017 acquisition of California Cartage Company added port drayage, transloading, and warehousing to its service list, concentrated around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. NFI has since run zero-emission drayage routes exceeding 100 miles out of those ports.
Combining transport and warehousing gives California shippers a single point of contact for freight moving from ship to storage to final destination, useful for renewable energy and industrial manufacturing clients with multi-step supply chains.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Services | Port drayage, warehousing, intermodal, zero-emission routes |
| CA Footprint | Strong presence around Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach |
| Industries | Renewable energy, retail, industrial manufacturing |
California Cartage Company (NFI Cal Cartage)
Now operating as NFI Cal Cartage, this carrier brings more than 70 years of Long Beach port history to California shippers. Its Customs Examination Station in Carson sits in a designated overweight corridor, a detail that matters for shippers moving oversized freight straight off the docks.
Decades of port-specific operations have given NFI Cal Cartage a level of local route familiarity that newer entrants into the California market haven't had time to build.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Long Beach-rooted operations, now part of NFI |
| Specialty | Port drayage and Carson-based overweight corridor operations |
| Regional Expertise | 70+ years of Southern California port freight experience |
Sunset Pacific Transportation
Sunset Pacific, headquartered in Chino, California, focuses primarily on partial truckload and volume LTL freight, with bulky and oversized capacity up to roughly 25,000 lbs. That makes it a fit for shippers moving heavier-than-standard freight within the state, though Sunset Pacific isn't a dedicated heavy haul/OSOW specialist in the way other carriers on this list are.
For California businesses that need regional bulky-item coverage alongside a primary heavy haul partner, Sunset Pacific's in-state presence is a useful supplement.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Chino, California |
| Fleet Focus | Partial truckload and volume LTL, bulky freight up to ~25,000 lbs |
| Best Fit | Supplemental regional coverage for bulky (not extreme OSOW) freight |
XPO Logistics
XPO has built a large asset-based network across North America, with a strong California footprint tied to its LTL operations. Its legacy digital freight-matching technology, XPO Connect, pioneered load visibility tools in specialized freight before XPO spun off its truck brokerage arm, RXO, in November 2022.
For shippers evaluating XPO today, confirm current flatbed and heavy haul capacity directly, since much of that specialized brokerage functionality now runs through RXO rather than XPO itself.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | Nationwide LTL network with California hubs |
| Technology | Legacy digital freight-matching heritage (now largely under RXO) |
| Services | LTL-focused; confirm current flatbed/heavy haul capacity directly |
How We Chose the Best Heavy Haul Companies in California
We evaluated each carrier against fleet capability, years of California-specific operating experience, safety and compliance record, and tracking technology. No single factor decided a ranking. A company with a massive fleet but no California permitting history scored lower than a smaller regional specialist with deep Caltrans knowledge.
The same weighing of trade-offs applies to cost: a common shipper mistake is picking a carrier based on price alone. A cheap quote that doesn't account for Caltrans variance review, route surveys, or escort coordination can turn into a multi-week delay or a fine that erases any savings.
Beyond price, several California-specific factors carried real weight in our evaluation:
- Caltrans permit knowledge and CalRoute familiarity
- Port and drayage access for cargo moving through LA/Long Beach
- Route experience across mountain passes and dense urban corridors
- Track record moving equipment tied to aerospace, energy, and construction projects
We also factored in customer references and publicly available safety metrics, including CSA scores where accessible, alongside raw fleet size and equipment diversity. A carrier with a smaller fleet and a clean safety record can outperform a much larger operation with compliance issues on a specific California lane.
Conclusion
Picking a California heavy haul partner comes down to operational fit. Fleet capability, deep Caltrans permitting know-how, and a record free of safety violations matter far more than a familiar logo on the side of a truck.
Before committing to a long-term partner, request quotes from at least two or three carriers and verify references. Ask specifically about their California permitting experience and how they've handled routes similar to yours.
If you're ready for a heavy haul quote backed by owned assets and real-time tracking, Sims Global Solutions can help. Its asset network paired with SimsTrak technology keeps your California shipment visible from pickup to delivery. Reach out for a customized quote before your next oversized load hits the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered a heavy haul load in California?
A heavy haul load exceeds California's standard legal limits, generally 80,000 lbs gross weight, 8'6" width, and 14 ft height, depending on axle configuration. Loads beyond these thresholds require special permits and often specialized trailers.
How much does heavy haul trucking cost in California?
Cost depends on load weight, distance, permit fees, and escort requirements. Because pricing varies so much by route and configuration, it's best to request quotes from multiple carriers before committing.
What permits are required for oversized loads in California?
Caltrans issues OSOW permits through its CalRoute system, with fees outlined in its permit fee schedule ranging from a $16 single-trip permit valid for 7 days to a $90 annual permit. Requirements vary by route, weight, and dimensions.
How do I choose the right heavy haul carrier in California?
Look for fleet capability matching your load, verifiable California permitting experience, a strong safety record, and technology for real-time tracking. Price alone shouldn't drive the decision.
What is the maximum weight limit for heavy haul trucking in California?
Standard legal limits apply unless a permit is obtained. With proper Caltrans permitting, super heavy haul carriers can move loads well beyond 200,000 lbs, some exceeding 1,000,000 lbs with specialized multi-axle equipment.
How far in advance should I book a heavy haul shipment in California?
Book at least one to two weeks ahead for standard oversized loads. Complex moves needing route surveys or unusual equipment review may need 20+ business days for Caltrans approval alone.
