Overweight container drayage with the right chassis and the right permits.
Overweight drayage isn't just a heavier load — it's a different equipment configuration, a permit, and sometimes a route restriction. Cate Freight runs tri-axle chassis, pulls state permits where required, and routes around the bridges and roads that don't accept the weight.
What "overweight" means in Charleston drayage
A standard 5-axle tractor-chassis combination in South Carolina is legal up to 80,000 lb gross — translating to roughly 44,000 lb of payload in a 40' container. Anything above that gross is overweight, and most 20' containers loaded to international spec end up there.
Tri-axle chassis push the legal weight up to roughly 60,000 lb of payload with state permits, depending on configuration. We carry tri-axle equipment specifically because Southeast manufacturing flows (paper, metals, ceramics, food ingredients) regularly run heavy.
Permits, routes, and the boring details that matter
- South Carolina overweight permits — pulled by us, billed pass-through
- Bridge restriction awareness on heavy lanes (we route around weight-restricted bridges)
- Tri-axle availability scheduled in advance, not at the gate
- Driver match — overweight runs go to the drivers used to handling the equipment
Out-of-gauge (OOG) containers
OOG cargo — loads that exceed the standard container's internal dimensions and ride flat-rack or open-top — need extra coordination: tarping if open-top, tie-down inspection on flat-rack, sometimes pilot car or escort if oversized. We handle the equipment match and the route plan, and we'll tell you upfront when escort costs are on the bill.
Common questions