Poland is one of the most important heavy haulage neighbours for German industry: mechanical engineering, battery production, energy and construction projects send oversize and overweight loads across the Oder continuously. The EU single market saves you the customs clearance – but not the permit requirement. A heavy transport from Berlin to Warsaw or Poznań needs authorisations on both sides of the border, and that is exactly where many projects lose their schedule. Oversize Transports plans and runs these movements as one continuous project: one feasibility study, one fixed price, one point of contact.
The route: Berlin – Frankfurt (Oder) – Poznań – Warsaw
The main axis for heavy cargo towards Poland runs along the A12 to the Frankfurt (Oder)/Świecko border crossing and continues on the Polish A2 to Poznań (around 280 km from Berlin) and Warsaw (around 580 km). For abnormal loads, however, the motorway is only half the story: what really counts is the first and last mile to the plants, bridge loads on secondary roads, roundabouts and village throughroads. We survey the complete door-to-door route – including headroom, load-bearing capacities and pinch points – before we issue a quotation.
Permits: StVO §29 in Germany, GDDKiA in Poland
German section of the route
In Germany a transport requires a permit as soon as it exceeds the statutory limits – as a rule from 2.55 m width, 4.00 m height, 16.50 m length (articulated vehicle) or 40 t gross weight. The permit under German road traffic regulations (StVO §29) is issued route-specifically; on a run starting in Berlin, both Berlin and Brandenburg are involved. We file the applications, supply the technical documentation and agree conditions such as night-travel windows.
Polish section of the route
In Poland, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) issues special permits in several categories, graded by dimensions and gross weight. The conditions differ from the German ones: separate escort vehicle rules, separate driving windows, separate fees. Oversize Transports applies for the Polish permit in parallel with the German one, so that no waiting time arises at the border.
Escorting: BF3/BF4 with handover at the border
Depending on dimensions and weight, the transport runs in Germany with BF3 or BF4 escort vehicles, and with police escort where required. At the border, it switches to the escort prescribed under Polish law. We coordinate both teams so that the handover happens without standing time – on multi-day runs including agreed parking and overnight locations for the heavy haulage combination.
Equipment for industrial heavy cargo
- Semi low-loaders for machinery and plant components with excess height
- Low-loaders with low-bed for presses, transformers and compact heavy pieces
- Modular trailers for single pieces up to 200 tonnes
- Crane and loading coordination at the dispatching and receiving plant
How your project runs
You send us dimensions, weight, centre of gravity and the loading/unloading location. We check the feasibility of the route, calculate permits and escorting and quote you a fixed price. Once the order is placed, the applications start in both countries; in parallel we plan loading and delivery with your plants. During the run, the project management is reachable around the clock. As a matter of principle we only quote costs after the feasibility study – credible benchmark figures depend heavily on route, weight and permit situation.
These details speed up your quotation
The more complete the cargo data, the faster the feasibility study is done. Ideally:
- Dimensions (length × width × height) and weight of the piece
- Centre of gravity and lifting points, ideally with drawing or data sheet
- Exact loading and unloading address including access situation
- Preferred date and possible time windows at the receiving plant
- Particulars such as crane requirements, sensitive surfaces or accompanying documents
Recurring traffic and return loads
Anyone regularly moving similar pieces on the same lane – for example series machinery to a Polish plant – benefits from established procedures: surveyed routes can be reused, applications filed faster, and for certain configurations long-term permits are an option. We also think about the return leg: Polish manufacturers increasingly deliver steel structures, vessels and machinery to Germany, which allows empty kilometres to be reduced. Talk to us about framework planning – especially for project business with several pieces spread over months, a bundled permit and transport strategy pays off.
Are you planning a heavy transport to Warsaw, Poznań or another Polish site? Call us on +49 (0)30 2000 8 49 49 or write to hsnk@zammad.com – we will come back to you with a concrete assessment.