Guidance

Manage abnormal load movements: guidance for police and structure owners

Use the Highways England Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads (ESDAL) system to manage abnormal load movements and notifications.

From:
Highways England
Published
12 July 2012
Last updated
28 August 2018 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on

This guidance is no longer current. For the latest information go to the National Highways’ website: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/abnormal-loads-and-the-esdal-system/

Use this guide if you are:

  • an abnormal loads police officer
  • the owner of a bridge or structure on or adjacent to the Highways England network

Vehicle or load movements that exceed standard dimensions are called “abnormal loads”. Hauliers must notify the police of their intention to move abnormal loads. They must also alert the owners of any bridges and structures that cross, or are crossed by, the route they plan to use.

You can use Highways England’s free online service: Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads (ESDAL) system to:

  • sort, manage and make deci­sions on incoming noti­fi­ca­tions quickly and easily
  • be aware of abnormal load movements in your area
  • view maps of pro­posed routes
  • iden­tify poten­tial ‘prob­lem struc­tures’ on a route
  • add con­straint infor­ma­tion to advise hauliers of restric­tions that may impact on an abnor­mal load movement
  • build a library of ‘pre­ferred routes’
  • col­lab­o­rate online with hauliers, providing feed­back on their noti­fi­ca­tions

Log in to ESDAL. You must register first.

The ESDAL team maintains details of indi­vid­ual struc­tures that cross or are crossed by the road net­work. If you own a structure it is cru­cial that you also let us know of any changes to your structure data or con­tact information to ensure the right noti­fi­ca­tions go to the right peo­ple.

Register to use ESDAL

You must be registered with ESDAL before you can start using the service.

Structure owners

You must register with ESDAL before you can start using the service. You should allow 2 to 3 working days for your application to be processed. To reg­is­ter, you need to com­plete a reg­is­tra­tion form for each mem­ber of your com­pany that is going to be using ESDAL.

You can reg­is­ter online.

Police

Abnor­mal loads police officers are pre-registered for ESDAL. To acti­vate your account, please tele­phone or email the ESDAL helpdesk.

Hauliers

Hauliers can register to use ESDAL to send abnormal loads notifications.

Contact us

ESDAL enquiries

Helpdesk: 0300 470 3733. Lines are open from 8am-6pm, Mon­day to Fri­day exclud­ing bank holidays.

Email esdalenquiries@highwaysengland.co.uk.

Highways England
Great North House
20 Allington Way
Darlington
DL1 4QB

Abnormal loads enquiries

Tel: 0300 4703004 Email abnormal.loads@highwaysengland co.uk

Postal Address:

High­ways England Abnor­mal Loads Team
9th Floor,The Cube
199 Wharf­side Street
Birm­ing­ham
B1 1RN

Published 12 July 2012
Last updated 28 August 2018 + show all updates

  1. Replaced email address for ESDAL registration and contact information for ESDAL queries

  2. Contact information updated.

  3. First published.

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