BME/Ace Doran Now One of Largest Transporters of Wind Equipment

Ace Doran, a division of BME, has added a fleet of more than 70 tower trucks and 36 blade trucks, which complements BME’s specialization in transporting wind turbine hubs, machine heads and smaller components.

With the expansion of trucks combined with Bennett Onsite Services (BOSS), a business unit that provides crane and rigging services for wind energy, Bennett can “do it all,” notes Rob Simon, vice president of heavy haul and specialized for BME. “We can now safely transport every component of a wind tower. We can load them, transport them, and build them.”

Unique Transportation Configurations

Ace Doran’s equipment types are versatile, offering “all kinds of configurations,” says Tony Parson, who dispatches the tower and blade loads for one of Ace Doran’s largest customers, a multinational high-tech industrial conglomerate. For example, Ace Doran has invested in equipment specialized for towers and blades, including double schnabels, schnabel dollies and booster dollies.

“Our specialized equipment gives us the capacity to haul any tower that is manufactured in the U.S.,” Tony says. “This equipment is a unique value-add because it lets us go places that other types of trailers cannot go without getting special permits to meet police requirements.”

Most Experienced Drivers in the Industry

Ace Doran will not contract with owner/operators who do not have at least two years of experience hauling wind equipment. “Our drivers are some of the most experienced in the industry,” says Tony, who has been assigning loads for the same customer since 2000. “Many of them have as much as 30 years of experience with heavy haul and more than a decade of wind hauling experience.

To be a wind contractor for Ace Doran, drivers must participate in a rigorous driver qualification process and have an impeccable safety record, says Tony. ”They must have knowledge of permits and escorts and be able to order their own permits.”

Safety #1 Priority

In addition to making safety a priority and complying with all safety regulations, Ace Doran sends out a safety expert to meet with the wind drivers on the road. Ace provides this benefit because wind drivers are often gone from home for six months at a time and are challenged with being able to satisfy Bennett’s requirement that they participate in one onsite safety meeting a year.

“Our team is very close-knit,” Tony says. “We are all owner/operator-based, but we are a family type of fleet. We work with each other to make sure things get done. For instance, if we have a truck that has a problem while on route, all we have to do is make a call to another driver in the area to help our guy out and deliver his load. Our trucks are always communicating with each other and helping each other out.”

To learn more about BME/Ace Doran wind energy services, please call 800-866-5500.