Interview with Juan Almansa, executive director of Almansa transport of machinery

We started with the transport of cars in the year 1986 as self-employed and since 1990 we started to transport small machinery for the construction. After 7 years, in 1997, we acquired the name that we have now, Almansa transport of machinery S.L. and from there we began to carry larger machines. Today we arrived to transport machinery up to 60 tons of weight.

We mainly transport machinery for public works and mining. Less frequently we can also transport small machinery of civil works. Once we have transported trucks and occasionally some aircraft, helicopters and anything that is likely to open.

Now we have a fleet of 10 vehicles and 9 of them are heads tractors with semitrailers of various sizes, different weight and different number of axles to support weights. All our vehicles have rear ramps to give up on the gondola machinery and there are some that can disassemble the front of the nacelle for loads heavier that may not rise and can go up front which is lower.

The truth is that there are many rules. Initially, when the client demand us transport and location of origin and the destination then do is verify whether we have authorizations and additional special permits for special transport vehicles. Once verified permissions, if we have them in force and cover the area that we have to go with the machinery (the point of origin and destination) because you can proceed to carry out the transport. In some of the points, both of origin and of destination or during the journey, we do not have permission to pass through certain roads, then whether to ask for a new or additional permission to head of relevant traffic. Once we have legalized permissions we must notify it with 24 hours in advance to civil guard assuming that it is a transport without accompaniment, that means not pass 5 m width and 100 tonnes. Part of the permission we must warn that I left. They then give a code to authorize our departure and then proceed to send the truck and load the machine. Also carry the pilot car, a car Assistant to mark our presence, both front and rear, depending on the type of road that we circulemos.

Originally provided that there are a number of substantial rain, when there is a certain level of meters per litre square is forbidden to move. Also when visibility due to fog is fairly small circulation is limited. In case of any other phenomenon such as snow and strong winds likely will have to stop the special transport.

There are other problems that are more predictable than the weather as the limitations for holidays. For example, if it is festive in Soria, in the community of Soria is can not move special trucks. If a truck goes from Madrid to Barcelona and must inevitably pass through the province of Soria while he is away from the capital, could not happen until that date was completed that drive on the motorway that goes towards the province.

There are also other types of restrictions such as the days of bridge in which is strictly forbidden to lorries and there are also some limitations on weekends, for example, you can only move from Friday until one of the Saturday evening. Means that the weekends on weekends and eve of feast there is much movement on the road and transport has to be paralysed and cannot continue until the early hours of the following Sunday.

We make some inroads in the South of France and all Portugal. Once we transport to the Centre of Europe but with limitations that there is congestion in European motorways it is difficult.

For the demolition of the prison in Madrid we went to do a carriage of a 60 ton bulldozer. But the problem was that he had been an additional counterweight of some 20 tons and did not know until that we went to download. We had to organise a convoy of eight trucks to carry all the machinery to the prison to its demolition. Apart from the transport that had to be accompanied by the municipal police in the Centre of Madrid was also the disadvantage that had about 200 families who were living in prison, and there was some kind of altercation with the police when they were to dislodge the previous dayseven the same day as the transport.

The truth is that us helps a lot because we know anytime where is the vehicle. We have been using it since 1998. We have all our trucks controlled, we know any type of delay that had and if there is any kind of conflict with our client the GPS not lying ever know where exactly is every truck, whether we have been responsible for the delay has been the client that has been delayed, etc. Solve us many problems between the company and the client and avoids conflicts, bad misunderstandings and confusions.

Yes, it can act more easily if there is any problem and also greatly facilitates us the task in the field of security because you don't need to call the driver to know where. We have the knowledge of where you are, we know that it has made a break at a specific time and estimate that it will reach the destination in a given time without having to ask the driver because we see them by the GPS.

Lately with the economic crisis we have in Spain, it is exporting much machinery abroad. Therefore, now the most sought after destinations are all the ports in the Mediterranean Litoral (Barcelona, Castellón, Valencia, Almeria, Cadiz, Algeciras), Vigo, and less so in the Basque country and Cantabria.

Comprising between 10 and 25 tons are which are usually sell more. They are mainly excavators and secondly pushers of Lands (tractors).

The most difficult are far-reaching, especially by height. Unlike other countries of the European Community, here in Spain limitations on height are very small. For example in England can carry maquinara with a height of more than 5 meters and here in Spain of legally and with special permission only 4.5 meters. In the heights is where there are limitations.

Rather than expand the fleet have renewed it. We got old vehicles and we have added new. From 2007 until now we have somewhat rejuvenated fleet.