Just keep reading, you’ll see what I did there…
When most people think of freight and shipping they probably think of the solid color shipping containers seen piled on boats or in shipyards on TV, or just the back of an 18-wheeler barreling down the interstate next to them. They probably think of those containers as filled with cardboard boxes packed with nameless, typical consumer goods. What they probably don’t think of is giant caterpillars or UFOs being driven across the country.
Hauling America’s Amusement Rides
Here at Lync we haul all sorts of freight, and that includes hauling carnivals, getting amusement companies from one fair to the next. Fixer Justin Badgett coordinates these loads for us and explains that despite its challenges, this seasonal freight is filled with nostalgia.
Everything in a carnival must travel; from the rides that fold up and back down, the ticket booths, living quarters for crew, to a reefer truck full of chicken drums. Every part of the carnival travels together. That means a lot of freight moving at once and some companies are putting on several fairs at a time throughout the country. The rides and games are typically built on custom trailers, so Lync is generally providing just the tractor or hot-shot moves, as the fairs aren’t usually traveling very far.
How do you haul a Caterpillar?
In addition to the high volume of freight moving all at once, the other tricky aspect of hauling carnival freight is the sometimes just crazy loads. Justin has had carriers nervous of certain loads simply because they’ve never hauled anything that looks like a giant spaceship, even if it is legal. Some of these loads also have a really high cargo value, so we make sure each shipment is completely covered. We had the honor of shipping the largest portable Ferris wheel ever made; can’t mess that one up!
It’s not always just convincing carriers to accept a load, sometimes it’s making sure a load is safe to be carried. A ride was shipped in from Italy but when the driver arrived at the port to load it, nothing was to U.S. code, everything had to be shifted around to make it work. But, as fixers, we made it work and our customer was pumped.
What do you need to haul?
At Lync, we don’t worry about what kind of load you’re asking us to transport. We’re always up for the challenge and we’ll always treat it like it holds the sweet memories of our childhood.