Barnhart was awarded an emergency job to haul a 597,000-pound transformer to a nuclear plant in Louisiana. Although it was originally awarded to another company, the customer came back to Barnhart when that company was unable to perform the work due to bridge crossing permitting requirements. Time was of the essence because the plant was offline and needed to get back online as soon as possible.
While it was a straight shot to the plant, obstacles along that route meant the 18' wide x 21' tall cargo had to travel on a longer, alternate 33-mile route. The dolly transporter, plus transformer, weighed approximately 1.2 million pounds and was 335' long, but its design helped distribute the weight to meet Louisiana Department of Transportation permit requirements.
Along the way the convoy faced challenges including lifting 17 signal arms and 24 power lines. Other challenges included multiple railroad tracks to be crossed, tight turns, coordination with local and state police, and a contraflow system for a stretch of the highway.
With a top speed of 25 mph and an average speed of two, the trip took 12 hours and the transformer was successfully delivered to the plant.