Machinery and Oversized
No matter the industry, BNSF has the equipment and expertise to ship your oversized loads safely and efficiently. From aviation parts and equipment to wind energy products and factory machinery, customers trust BNSF for heavy loads on long and short hauls.
Browse the tabs below for more details on machinery and oversized shipments with BNSF.
All dimensional shipments must receive clearance from the rail carrier(s). Clearance Requests need to be submitted to the originating rail carrier. If the shipment will originate on BNSF Railway, please login and access the Dimensional Clearance Request Form.
Once your shipment has been cleared by the rail carrier(s), you will need to receive a shipping rate. Shipping rates can be accessed by selecting the commodity, origin, and destination in the Carload Shipping Advisor tool.
Because of our public pricing our business provides a level of transparency not available with other modes of transportation. By creating a level playing field in the marketplace, we offer a price that is commensurate with the value we provide and is often a better value proposition than alternative modes and providers of transportation.
To obtain a rate for machinery and oversized, you can use BNSF's online pricing tools or contact a market manager below.
Pricing Contacts
| Area | Name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Rate requests | Aaron Self
(Machinery with wheels) |
Tel: 817-867-6539 |
| Sean Stacey
(Machinery without wheels) |
Tel: 817-867-6514 |
Pricing Tools and Resources
- Use our Carload Shipping Advisor tool to obtain a price for shipping machinery and oversized.
- Machinery and oversized are moved under various price authorities.
- Review BNSF public prices for machinery and oversized.
- A fuel surcharge is applicable on all BNSF machinery and oversized shipments:
-
Renewals are:
- Rail equipment is February 1
- Generators and transformers are March 1
- Machinery is April 1
- BNSF requires a completed and approved credit application prior to a shipment order.
Contacts
| Area | Name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| General Inquiries* | High Wide Representative | Tel: 888-428-2673 option 4, 3 Fax: 817-352-7134 |
*You need a PIN to call and inquire about oversized shipments.
Before scheduling an oversized shipment, please read the following guidelines:
Request a Heavy Duty Railcar
Heavy duty railcar requests should be submitted to the originating rail carrier once the proposed shipment has been approved/cleared by the originating railroad's clearance team. Availability of a railcar is subject to current supply conditions, so please allow for 2-4 weeks for delivery.
If the shipment will originate on BNSF Railway, please login to our website and access the Dimensional Equipment Request Form.
Note:A valid "BNSF File Number of Approved Proposal" is required on the equipment request form
Load and Secure Shipment
Load and secure railcar according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) Open Top Loading Rules. Shipments can be loaded to a specific figure or the General Rules. To obtain a copy of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual, please contact the AAR at 877-999-8824 or e-mail your request to pubs@ttci.aar.com.
Note:Please contact and schedule an inspection one week prior to loading and securing the shipment to ensure AAR and BNSF compliance (See the Receive Inspection section below for contact information).
Receive Inspection
All loaded dimensional shipments must receive securement inspection and measurements prior to shipment from the originating rail carrier. If your shipment requires an eight-axle or greater heavy duty equipment, please contact Transportation Technology Services, Inc. (TTS) via phone or e-mail for the inspection.
Transportation Technology Services
Scott Landrum, PE
(817) 421-3535
railengineering@aol.com
Otherwise, contact a BNSF General Foreman for arrangements to schedule an inspection of your dimensional load.
Note: All loads must be approved by TTS or a BNSF Mechanical Inspector before the shipment can receive final clearance and moved.
Submit Shipping Instructions
Proper shipping instructions are necessary for BNSF to provide the correct transportation services and invoice the appropriate rate.
*For all dimensional shipments, you must indicate on the Bill of Lading that the shipment is a Hi Wide.
To submit shipping instructions you must use one of the following methods:
- Electronic data interchange (EDI)
- Logon to our website
- Voice Activated: 888-428-2673
- Rail industry Web (Steelroads)
Note: For shipments moving on multiple railroads, shipping instructions are sent to the originating rail carrier.
Not Rail Served?
- If you are not directly served by a railroad and need delivery by truck, consider using one of our premier transloaders or BNSF Logistics.
- You can also work with our Economic Development team to establish or expand your next site. Talk to us today!
Please select equipment from the drop down.
Bulkhead Flatcar
We have 2,475 bulkhead flats (metal and wood decks). Some of the commodities that are transported on the 62 foot bulkhead flats are structural steel, pipe, steel plate and some lumber products.
| Specifications Table | Diagram (56ft) | Diagram (60ft) | Diagram (62ft) | Diagram (66ft) | Diagram (70ft) | Diagram (85ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Length | 56.8 ft | 60.8 ft | 62 ft | 66 ft | 70 ft | 85.4 ft |
| Inside Width | 9.3 ft to 10.5 ft | 8.2 ft to 10.3 ft | 9.3 ft to 10.5 ft | 10 ft | 8.8 ft | 8.7 ft |
| Lading Capacity | 143,500 to 196,000 lbs | 178,500 to 186,000 lbs | 163,400 to 205,100 lbs | 183,500 to 188,600 lbs | 173,800 to 181,200 lbs | 173,600 to 178,100 lbs |
| Fleet Size | 443 cars | 371 cars | 1,583 cars (most TTX Leased) | 119 cars | 49 cars | 33 cars |
Chain Tie-Down Flatcar - 60 ft
| Specifications Table | Diagram (HTTX) | Diagram (OTTX) | Diagram (TTHX) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Length | 60 ft | 60 ft | 60 ft |
| Deck Height - ATR | 3.9 ft | 3.9 ft | 3.9 ft |
| Deck Width | 10.6 ft | 10.6 ft | 10.6 ft |
| Deck Type | Wood | Wood | Wood - with stake pockets |
| Deck Fittings | Chains in 4 longitudinal channels, stake pockets | Chains in 4 longitudinal channels, stake pockets | Chains stored in side stake pockets (9 per side) |
| Chain Count & Size | 38 ea 1/2 inch heavy duty chains, 12 ft in length | 48 ea 3/8 inch alloy chains, 8 ft in length | 18 ea 1/2 inch heavy duty chains, 8 ft in length |
| Lading Capacity | 152,600 lbs (avg) | 153,800 lbs (avg) | 155,400 lbs (avg) |
| Plate | B | B | B |
| Fleet Size | 187 | 361 | 49 |
Chain Tie-Down Flatcar - 68 ft
| Specifications Table | Diagram (ATSF/BNSF) |
|---|---|
| Deck Length | 68 ft |
| Deck Height - ATR | 5.3 ft |
| Deck Width | 9.6 ft |
| Deck Type | Wood - with stake pockets |
| Deck Fittings | Chains in 4 longitudinal channels, stake pockets |
| Chain Count & Size | 40 ea 1/2 inch heavy duty chains, 9 ft in length |
| Lading Capacity | 231,500 lbs (avg) |
| Plate | B |
| Fleet Size | 60 |
Chain Tie-Down Flatcar - 89ft
| Specifications Table | Diagram (ITTX) | Diagram (ITTX) | Diagram (TTDX) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Length | 89 ft | 89 ft | 89 ft |
| Deck Height - ATR | 3.10 ft (Max. 7.8 ft including top-mounted hand brake) | 3.9 ft | 3.9 ft |
| Deck Width | 8.6 ft to 9 ft | 8.6 ft to 9 ft | 8.6 ft to 9 ft |
| Deck Type | Steel | Wood | Steel |
| Deck Fittings | Chains in 2 longitudinal channels | Chains in 4 longitudinal channels | Chains in 2 longitudinal channels |
| Chain Count and Size | 32 ea 3/8 inch alloy chains, 10 ft in length | 40 to 56 ea 3/8 or 1/2 inch alloy chains, 10 ft in length | 16 ea 1/2 inch heavy duty chains, 9 ft in length |
| Lading Capacity | 149,500 lbs (avg) | 142,000 lbs (avg) | 148,300 lbs (avg) |
| Plate | B | B | B |
| Fleet Size | 137 | 200 | 47 |
Private Equipment Policy
If you own your own equipment and plan to ship it on BNSF Railway, your equipment must be registered via the OT5 process that is administered by Railinc. To register, you will need your CIF number, proper UMLER information and the car numbers to be registered. For more information, please contact BNSF Private Equipment Management Team.
Helpful Links
- Carload Reference Guide
- Carload At A Glance Guide
- Standard Carload Policies are under BNSF 6100-A
- Loading & Shipment Safety
- Extended Equipment Use and Services
- Weight Restriction Maps
- Oversized Shipments Reference Guide
- Oversized FAQs
- Approved Interchange Points for positive handoff of TIH/PIH commodities
- Hazardous Waste Manifest
Sign up for BNSF Customer Updates to receive information regarding:
- Service advisories: Temporary changes to service, including derailments, weather and holiday interruptions.
- Network overviews: Information on the overall BNSF network and regional maintenance of way projects.
- Facility updates: Information related to specific facilities.
- Marketing news: New service or product offerings or permanent changes to existing service.
- Web updates: Information about new or changes to existing Web-enabled tools at bnsf.com.
- Pricing updates: Changes to existing private or public price authorities for both intermodal and carload traffic.
- Customer letters: Customer letters are sent via U.S. Mail from various Marketing groups on a variety of marketing and service-related topics.
Become a New BNSF Customer
|
Begin shipping with BNSF quickly and easily. We will need the following information to get you started with BNSF:
|
817-867-6223 or customer.development@bnsf.com |
Pricing/Rates
| Get a rate quickly with our easy online price lookup tool | Price Lookup tool | |
| If no rate available via Price Lookup tool, contact a BNSF representative via phone or email | Aaron Self | Tel: 817-867-6539 |
| Sean Stacey | Tel: 817-867-6514 | |
| General Inquiries* | High Wide Representative | Tel: 888-428-2673, option 4, 3 Fax: 817-352-7134 |
*You need a PIN to call and inquire about oversized shipments.
Shipping Questions
| Our Customer Support team will answer questions about your shipment, including billing, service, etc - specify what kind of questions go to Customer Support |
Customer Support 888-428-2673, option 4, 3 |
| Our Equipment team will help answer your questions regarding equipment-maybe also specify some of the commonly asked questions | 888-428-2673, option 4, 4 |
Helpful Links
| Quickly find out who is served by BNSF | Switching Information |
| Easily locate a transloader on BNSF network | Premier Transloader Directory |
| Locate your new site near BNSF or have your existing site served by BNSF | Economic Development |
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