Shipping Heavy Equipment from Texas to Louisiana: Routes, Permits, and Costs

Moving a skid steer, excavator, or tractor from Texas to Louisiana is not the same job as hauling a pickup. Weight, width, and height all change what you can legally put on the road. So does the route. Here is how we run it, and what it costs.

The Two Main Routes Out of Texas

Most of our Louisiana hauls leave the Dallas–Fort Worth area on I-20 East. You run through Shreveport, then pick up I-49 South toward Alexandria and Lafayette, or stay on I-20 into Monroe and down toward Baton Rouge. For the southern part of the state, I-10 East out of Houston is the other common lane.

We pick the route based on the load, not habit. A wide excavator on a lowboy needs room at the ramps and shoulders. A tall machine needs clearance under every bridge on the way. I-20 and I-49 are generally friendlier for oversize freight than the tighter two-lane roads you hit once you leave the interstate. If your machine is going to a job site off a parish road, we plan the last ten miles as carefully as the first two hundred.

Permits and Escorts

Texas and Louisiana both require oversize and overweight permits, and you need one for each state. Texas permits come through TxDMV. Louisiana runs through the state Department of Transportation. We handle the paperwork and the coordination — you do not have to chase it.

Whether you need an escort depends on the dimensions. Wider loads and longer loads trigger pilot car requirements, and some routes require a front and rear escort. Height and weight limits vary by state, so a machine that is legal in Texas may need a different configuration once it crosses into Louisiana. We build the permit package around the actual measurements of your equipment, not a guess.

If your machine is over the legal width or weight, it is an oversize load. That is normal for heavy equipment. It just means the planning starts earlier.

What It Costs

Heavy equipment hauling is priced by the mile, and the rate depends on the class of machine.

• Light equipment runs $2.50–$3.50 per mile. Think small skid steers and compact tractors.
• Medium equipment runs $3.50–$4.50 per mile. Mid-size excavators and larger tractors fall here.
• Heavy and oversized equipment is quoted custom, because permits, escorts, and route restrictions change the job.

There is also a loading and handling fee that covers driver load and unload time. Equipment minimums start at $400. If you need it moved fast, expedited service adds 25–50%. Shipping more than one machine on the same run can earn 5–15% off.

Distance matters, but it is not the only number. A 300-mile haul with a wide load and an escort costs more than a 300-mile haul of a machine that fits legal limits. Get a real quote before you budget the move.

What We Haul and How We Load It

Our Silverback 40-foot power tilt gooseneck is built for this work. It handles skid steers, excavators, and tractors. The tilt deck lets us load a machine that will not climb a ramp, and the trailers carry winch capability for inoperable equipment. If your machine died on a job site and will not start, we can still get it on the deck.

We run heavy equipment across Texas and into Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arkansas. Our base is Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, which puts us on the road toward Louisiana without a long deadhead.

Enclosed transport is available as a service tier if your equipment needs protection from weather or road debris. Ask about it when you request your quote.

Scheduling the Move

Give us the machine type, the dimensions, the weight, and both addresses. If you have the pickup location and the delivery site, we can plan the route, pull the permits, and give you a firm number. The more lead time you give us, the more flexibility we have on routing and timing.

If the machine is coming out of an auction, we can pick it up from Copart, IAA, or Manheim and run it straight to Louisiana. Same for dealer transfers.

Scott Luckie founded TWT after retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, and Kelly Luckie runs operations. We have strapped down equipment and driven these routes. You get a straight answer on what your move takes.

Ready to move a machine from Texas to Louisiana? Get a quote with your equipment details and addresses. You can also review our heavy equipment services before you call.