Project cargo and over-dimensional freight
Out-of-gauge, breakbulk and heavy-lift movements, surveyed, permitted and lashed before anything is loaded.
Project cargo goes wrong in the planning, not in the lifting. A bridge that will not take the axle load, a permit that takes three weeks, a lashing plan the master rejects at the berth. We do the survey first and quote afterwards, which is slower to start and considerably faster to finish.
Route survey
Physical survey of the road route from factory to port: bridge capacities, overhead clearances, turning radii and the points where traffic has to be managed. The survey decides the equipment and the timetable, and it is what makes a project quotation firm rather than indicative.
Permits and escorts
Over-dimensional and over-weight permits for each state on the route, police escort where required, and the coordination between them. Permit lead times, not lifting capacity, are usually the critical path.
Loading and securing
Flat rack, open top, breakbulk and roll-on movements. Lashing and dunnage plans prepared to the carrier’s requirement and, where the cargo warrants it, signed off by a marine warranty surveyor before loading.
ODC transport — what makes cargo over-dimensional, and what follows
Cargo is over-dimensional once it exceeds what a standard trailer may legally carry on Indian roads: broadly, beyond about 2.5 m wide, 4.2 m high measured from the road surface, or long enough to need an extendable trailer. Past any of those, the movement stops being a booking and becomes a permitted operation.
That means an RTO permit for every state the consignment crosses, a route survey that checks bridge capacity, overhead clearance and turning radii, and in most cases a pilot vehicle and a night-movement window. Where the route passes electrified rail or a low overbridge, the utility has to be notified and sometimes the line temporarily lifted — which is scheduled in weeks, not days.
We survey the route before quoting rather than after, so the figure you get already contains the permits, the escort and the realistic window. Cargo that does not fit a box moves on flat rack, open top, breakbulk or RoRo depending on the lane, and the choice between them changes the lashing plan, the port handling and the insurance.
Project cargo — common questions
What counts as over-dimensional cargo?
Anything that will not fit within the internal dimensions of a standard container, or that exceeds the road dimension and weight limits of the states it must cross. In practice, anything over about 2.3 metres wide or 2.3 metres high starts to need special handling.
How far ahead should project cargo be planned?
Four to eight weeks for a domestic over-dimensional move, longer where multiple state permits or a chartered vessel are involved. The permits, not the equipment, set the timeline.
Do you arrange marine insurance for project cargo?
We arrange cover through insurers who underwrite project risk, and we will tell you plainly when a survey requirement or an exclusion in the policy materially changes what you are covered for.
What is the full form of ODC in transportation?
ODC stands for Over Dimensional Cargo — a consignment that exceeds the legal limits for a standard trailer on Indian roads, broadly beyond about 2.5 m wide, 4.2 m high from the road surface, or beyond the trailer's rated length. Once cargo is ODC it needs state RTO permits, a route survey and usually a pilot escort.
Ready when you are
Send us a lane and roughly what is moving. You will have a firm all-in figure inside a working day.