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Standard operating procedures

Standard operating procedures — wind-component transport

1.0 · 2026-08-25

Tower sections, nacelles, hubs and blades from the import port to the turbine pad, using NoMap Sites (Plan, Manage, Journey, Tickets, Permits). Company-specific limits, contacts and forms go into the placeholders in square brackets.

1 · Transport engineering

Owner: Transport engineer · Prove, before anything is booked, that each component can physically and legally move on the intended equipment over the intended roads.

1.1 Component and equipment data sheet

  1. Collect the manufacturer transport drawing for every component type: length, width, height on the trailer, weight, centre of gravity, lifting/saddle points, tie-down points.
  2. Choose the trailer per component (blade lifter / extendable, nacelle lowbed, tower schnabel or Goldhofer) and record the loaded envelope: overall L × W × H, gross weight, axle count, axle spacings, axle loads, turning radius, ground clearance.
  3. Enter or update the vehicle profile in NoMap (Sites → vehicles) so routing and permit checks use the real envelope, not a placeholder; flag demo data as such.
  4. Sign-off: data sheet reviewed by [transport engineer] and [carrier]; version and date on the sheet.

Checklist

  • Drawing and weights from the OEM, not estimated
  • Loaded height measured with the actual trailer deck height
  • Axle loads within the trailer rating
  • Vehicle profile in NoMap matches the data sheet

In NoMap

1.2 Route engineering — highway leg

  1. Simulate the journey (port berth → gate → highway → site gate → pad) in NoMap Journey for the component's vehicle profile; note the routed highway distance and the states crossed with km per state.
  2. Check the routed highway against the permit conditions the states will impose: authority-designated routes, bridge restrictions, low clearances (height pole trigger), construction. Where the state's approved route differs, record it as the controlling route.
  3. Run the swept-path / turning analysis for every junction where the blade or tower section turns (interchanges, ramps, the last-mile county roads, the site gate): use AutoTURN or the OEM's swept-path templates; identify temporary road works (widening, signage removal, utility lifts).
  4. Produce the route survey (video/photo drive-through with GPS) where a state requires it (e.g. Minnesota route survey; Texas Route Inspection Certification above 20′ wide / 18′11″ high / 125′ long).
  5. Issue the Route Engineering Report: route, obstacles and mitigations, escorts expected per state, travel windows expected per state.

Checklist

  • Journey simulated for every component type
  • Every turn checked by swept path
  • Clearances measured for every overheight structure
  • Route survey done where the state requires it
  • Report signed by [transport engineer]

In NoMap

1.3 Route engineering — site roads

  1. Confirm the site road network in NoMap (segments, widths, surfaces, radii, gradients, GVW/axle limits) against the civil design; mark demo values that must be replaced by survey data.
  2. Route each component to each pad in Navigate for its vehicle profile; every rejected road must have an engineering answer (widen, regrade, build a crane-pad access) or a routing answer (different approach).
  3. Define the on-site plan in Plan mode: gate → laydown → pad, with the stops where the load waits (laydown slot, crane readiness) and the time windows.
  4. Publish the site road status baseline in Manage: crane pads, temporary closures and restricted classes, with from/until dates.

Checklist

  • No unresolved rejected roads for any component
  • On-site plan saved per pad
  • Road-status baseline entered with dates

In NoMap

2 · Planning and permitting

Owner: Transport planner / permit coordinator · Turn the engineered route into scheduled, permitted, escorted transports — one ticket per component move.

2.1 Campaign schedule

  1. Sequence deliveries to match erection order and laydown capacity: for each turbine, tower sections → nacelle → hub → blades, respecting the crane's window.
  2. Create one standard route per component type (berth → laydown / pad) and one transport ticket per move with the scheduled start; cargo names the component and turbine ("Blade B2 — WT-041").
  3. Recheck tickets whenever a road event or permit condition changes; keep blocked tickets visible, not deleted.
  4. Weekly: review the ticket list with the site manager; confirm laydown and crane windows for the next two weeks.

Checklist

  • Ticket per component move with cargo named
  • Scheduled start inside the permit travel windows of every state
  • Laydown capacity not exceeded
  • Blocked tickets reviewed weekly

In NoMap

2.2 State permits

  1. Open the permit manager: each state on the ticket's highway leg has a permit record defaulted from the vehicle envelope (to apply / not required) with the expected escorts.
  2. For each state 'to apply': read the Regulation tab (citations, legal limits, escort table, travel-time rules, fees) and open the Application sheet — it lists the state's application fields in the state's order, pre-filled; complete the 'to complete' items (USDOT, plates, axle spacings, insurance, overhang).
  3. File on the state portal (TxPROS, OkiePROS, K-TRIPS, NDOT, SDAPS, MnDOT, Iowa DOT, MoDOT Carrier Express, ARPARS, WisDOT OSOW) with the lead time the state needs (bridge reviews: Oklahoma ≥5 working days; superloads weeks). Set the record to 'applied' with the date.
  4. When issued: set 'approved', enter permit number and validity, attach the permit PDF and the authority's route as documents; copy any special conditions into the notes; confirm escorts required by the permit (they can exceed NoMap's defaults).
  5. If denied or routed differently: record 'denied' with the reason, revise the route with engineering, re-apply.

Checklist

  • Every state on the leg has a permit record
  • Application sheet completed before filing
  • Permit number, validity and PDF on the record
  • Special conditions copied to notes
  • Escort count matches the permit

In NoMap

2.3 Escorts, police and utilities

  1. Book certified pilot/escort operators per state (certification required in e.g. Minnesota, Oklahoma for-hire; KDOT registration in Kansas); height-pole car where the state's threshold is exceeded.
  2. Arrange police escorts where required (e.g. Oklahoma Highway Patrol contract for loads over 20′ wide; Minnesota peace-officer lead when crossing the centerline).
  3. Notify utility and railroad owners along the route for overheight loads (required in Oklahoma and Wisconsin conditions) and arrange line lifts.
  4. Enter escort provider and contacts in the permit record's escort notes.

Checklist

  • Escorts booked per state with certificates on file
  • Police escort contract where required
  • Utility notifications sent and acknowledged

In NoMap

2.4 Dispatch readiness

  1. Run the readiness check on the ticket: every state approved or not required, escorts assigned, ticket approved, on-site journey found; resolve blockers before the departure day.
  2. Check permit validity against the scheduled departure and arrival; the manager warns on expiry within 48 h and on permits that start after departure.
  3. Issue the Journey Management Plan (JMP) to the driver, escorts and site: route, states, permits, escorts, travel windows, stops, contacts.
  4. Only then: 'Transport start'. An override is possible with a logged reason — use it only with the transport manager's approval.

Checklist

  • Readiness shows 'dispatchable'
  • JMP issued and acknowledged
  • Departure inside the permit windows
  • Override, if any, approved and logged

In NoMap

3 · Operation

Owner: Transport manager / site logistics lead · Execute each move safely on the permitted route and windows, react to changes, and keep the record complete.

3.1 Pre-departure

  1. Toolbox talk with driver and escorts: JMP, route and turn-by-turn per state, stops and waiting times, communication plan, weather limits (states suspend permits in fog, wind, ice).
  2. Vehicle and load check: dimensions re-measured and compared with the permit, securing, signs/flags/lights per state rules, height pole set to permitted height + 3″ where required.
  3. Documents in the cab: permits for every state, JMP, escort certificates, insurance, carrier registration.
  4. Confirm the site: laydown slot and crane window as planned; road status on site unchanged (Manage → blocked list).

Checklist

  • Measured dimensions = permit dimensions
  • All permits and JMP in the cab
  • Site laydown/crane confirmed
  • Weather within limits

In NoMap

3.2 En route

  1. Follow the permitted route and the turn-by-turn; stop at planned holds; observe state travel windows (daylight, metro curfews, weekend/holiday bans) and speed limits for wide loads.
  2. At each state line: confirm the next state's permit is valid for that day/time and the escort configuration changes if the state requires it.
  3. Deviations (closure, breakdown, weather): stop in a safe place, call [transport manager]; re-route only with engineering and the permit office (some states allow a permit suspension, e.g. Oklahoma up to 2 weeks); record the event on the ticket.
  4. Report position and ETA at agreed intervals to the site.

Checklist

  • No off-permit movement
  • Holds observed
  • Deviations reported and recorded

In NoMap

3.3 Site arrival and delivery

  1. Gate check-in against the JMP; site induction; confirm the on-site plan (Plan mode) and any road-status changes since departure.
  2. Move to laydown or directly to the pad on the planned route with site escort where the site rules require it; respect stop/waiting times for crane readiness.
  3. Unload per lifting plan; record delivery time and condition (photos, damage report if any).
  4. Mark the ticket completed; note any road or plan issues for engineering.

Checklist

  • Gate check against JMP
  • Planned on-site route followed
  • Delivery recorded with photos
  • Ticket completed

In NoMap

3.4 Records, lessons and change control

  1. Keep the permit records, JMPs, route surveys, escort certificates and delivery records on the ticket; road events keep their history in Manage.
  2. After each week: review incidents, near-misses, permit issues and route deviations; feed changes back into the engineering data sheets and the state registry (verify and date any regulation change).
  3. Change control: any change to component dimensions, trailer, route or schedule re-triggers engineering (1.2/1.3), permit recheck (2.2) and readiness (2.4).

Checklist

  • Records complete per ticket
  • Weekly review held
  • Changes re-run through the SOP

In NoMap

Background

The reasoning behind these procedures — what makes blade, nacelle and tower moves different and where the tooling stands — is in the repository document docs/wind-transport-management-review.md.

These SOPs organise the work in NoMap; they do not replace the state permit's printed conditions, the carrier's safety management system or the site's HSE rules.