Barnhart Wins International Transport Award

Barnhart received the Overland Transport Provider of the Year at the Heavy Lift global competition on Oct. 15 in Antwerp, Belgium.  The award was not given for a specific project, but for Barnhart’s transportation solutions on a variety of projects.

An example was a multi-modal solution for transporting an oversized reformer vessel from Tulsa, Okla. to Lima, Ohio. The vessel was 73’1” long, 17’8” wide, 18’4” tall and weighed 425,000 pounds. Barnhart assembled its longest and widest dolly transport ever – a 300’ long, 24’4” wide and 18’9” tall permitted load with a gross weight of 885,000 pounds – to accommodate its size. Due to several factors, the team determined that a haul-barge-haul approach was the best way to transport the vessel.   

After hauling the vessel from the fabricator in Tulsa to the Port of Catoosa, the transporter rolled on to a deck barge using the port’s low water wharf. But first there was the challenge of squeezing a 300’ long transporter onto a 200’ long barge. The team removed the front prime mover and drawbar, reducing the length of the transporter, and pushed it onto the barge. 

Between the Port of Catoosa and Burns Harbor, Ind., the low-lying Lemont Bridge offered only 19’ of clearance from the bottom of the bridge to the water’s surface. Our barge needed 22’ of clearance. This required us to ballast the barge within 2’ of freeboard. 

The final stage of the journey was an over-the-road transport 235 miles to Lima, which included traveling through two states, four districts and two townships. The team spent over a month gathering field measurements and evaluating turns and clearances and coordinating with local and state authorities. These preparations enabled the transporter to successfully navigate utility lines, railroad crossing overhead signage and, working with state and regional authorities, allowed for the installation of a median crossing to avoid a low overpass.

The Heavy Lift awards are given by Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International, a worldwide media company for professionals involved in the logistics of over-dimensional and heavy cargo.