RoadMasters: Why Early Transport Planning is Make-or-Break in Modular Construction
In modular construction, transportation is often called the “missing link.” While it rarely stops a project outright, poor planning can trigger costly delays, rerouting, and budget overruns. “When transportation and logistics aren’t considered early,” says Jeff Bobbitt, Modular Projects Manager at RoadMasters, a Division of Bennett Truck Transport, LLC, “the chain breaks and project momentum is lost. Bringing the hauler into the conversation from day one prevents routing surprises and keeps everything flowing.”
A 47-Year Legacy in Oversized Modular Hauling
Founded in 1978 as Manufactured Mobile Home Transport, Inc., RoadMasters initially focused on manufactured homes. As the industry evolved into commercial buildings, medical clinics, hospitals, and workforce housing, the operation rebranded in 1992 to RoadMasters Transport Company. In 2019, Bennett Truck Transport acquired RoadMasters, fueling continued expansion.
What began with double-wide homes has grown into transporting modules for buildings up to seven stories tall. “Modular isn’t a niche anymore,” Bobbitt notes. “It’s mainstream—especially in dense urban areas where speed and minimal site disruption are critical.”
Today, RoadMasters operates more than 95 trucks and experienced operators, including over 20 modular trailers customized for off-frame modular buildings. The fleet routinely manages two to three major projects simultaneously or up to five smaller ones, delivering nationwide.
Early Involvement Saves Time and Money
Both Bobbitt and Teena Peaslee, Terminal Manager in Meridian, Idaho, emphasize that transportation planning must start at the design table.
“If the factory says they can build a module 16 ft wide by 80 ft long, that doesn’t mean it can reach the job site,” Peaslee explains. Larger dimensions can trigger police escorts, lengthy detours, nighttime-only travel windows, or—in extreme cases—impossibility. Bobbitt cites an eastern Idaho project where shipping dimensions required police escorts, pilot cars, and routing that increased the mileage, inflating transport costs by 300%. Earlier input from RoadMasters could have optimized the dimensions as related to the permitting requirements and ultimately the transportation costs, likely cutting the expense by 75%.
Common pitfalls include:
- Constructing the module at a shipping width that requires additional distance and pilot car costs
- Underestimating height restrictions (trees, power lines, bridges)
- Not taking into account weight limits on bridges and roads
- Overlooking rush-hour and holiday curfews—some urban areas ban oversize loads for three hours or more, or restrict travel to 2 a.m.–4 a.m. windows
- Failing to verify site access, ground conditions, and grade
Peaslee recalls a delivery where a three-foot dip in the lay-down yard nearly caused the trailer to contact the module during unloading. “We need 14–16 ft width clearance and up to 110 ft overall length, plus 60 ft of swing room to exit after positioning,” she says.
Technology and Depth of Resources
RoadMasters equips its trucks with real-time GPS, dash cameras, and advanced diagnostics. Dispatch stays in contact with drivers three to four times daily. “If something breaks, we adapt and overcome,” Bobbitt says. “We have the equipment and experienced personnel to keep the project moving.”
Advice to Developers and Manufacturers
Bobbitt and Peaslee offer the same core recommendation: involve your specialized hauler early and listen.
“Developers know how to build. We know how to move it from point A to point B, considering oversize constraints,” Bobbitt says. Provide origin and destination addresses, preliminary dimensions, and a realistic schedule as soon as possible. Experienced haulers can flag dimension or route issues before steel is cut, preventing expensive redesigns or delays.
Permitting alone can take days or weeks in some states. Route surveys, escort arrangements, and seasonal considerations (winter storms, summer road construction) all benefit from long lead times.
The Bottom Line
As modular construction accelerates—driven by labor shortages, speed-to-market demands, and urban infill projects—transportation expertise is no longer optional. Companies like RoadMasters, with nearly half a century of oversize modular experience, custom equipment, and nationwide reach, have become indispensable partners.
In an industry where every day on site costs money, the real “missing link” isn’t the truck—it’s the early phone call to the people who know how to get the module there on time and on budget.
About the Author: Dawn Killough is a freelance construction writer with over 25 years of experience working with construction companies, subcontractors and general contractors. Her published work can be found at dkilloughwriter.com.
More from Modular Advantage
T.R. Arnold: The Art of Third-Party Inspections
T.R. Arnold (TRA), a third-party inspection company in Elkhart, Indiana, contracts with modular manufacturers across the US. Manufacturers register with each state to which they intend to send their modules and may be required to hire a third-party inspection company.
Creating an ‘Ecosystem for Innovation:’ 50+ Years of Modular Construction Oversight in Virginia
Virginia’s modular building program began in 1973, with the implementation of the Virginia Industrialized Building Unit and Mobile Home Safety Regulations. Now it’s leading the country in modular code adoption.
Understanding Thermal Barriers Compliance Methods & Emerging NFPA-275 Foam Plastic Technologies
New fire barrier technologies are improving total costs and margins in major areas of construction, such as commercial, government, union and prevailing wage projects. These benefits translate into other large fringe areas, such as agriculture, commercial cold storage facilities, grow houses, outbuildings, military and aviation hangars.
Financing the Future of Modular Construction: How Better Capital Strategies Can Help the Industry Scale
The future of construction will not be solved by one product, one lender, or one financing model. It will be solved by matching the right project with the right capital strategy.
Building Customized Technical Containers for Data Centers and the Energy Sector
Modern data centers must not only be highly efficient but also flexible and secure. One answer to these core challenges is modular data centers housed in containers.
Printing the Future of Modular Construction
For the modular and offsite construction industry, 3D concrete printing should not be viewed as a competing construction method. It should be understood as a potential expansion of the industrialized construction toolkit.
Quality Control for Modular Houses Manufactured in Asia
In modular construction, prevention is far cheaper than correction. A good inspection plan protects the buyer, supports the supplier, and helps the final project succeed.
Housing Without Borders: Go Global with Haskell Modular Solutions
With the capacity to service over 15 diverse markets across multiple continents, Haskell is the reliable choice for our 80% repeat client base no matter how their needs evolve. So, when a longstanding client—typically known for their large-scale, institutional buildings—engaged Haskell with a very different need—multinational
housing projects—Haskell knew exactly what approach to take.
ProSet Co-founder Shares Expertise to Help Ensure Safe and Secure Modular Connections in Colorado
ProSet co-founder Matt Mitchell created and teaches an 8-hour course, based on Colorado’s modular installation regulations.
Women in Construction – Reflections on a Journey, Then and Now
From industry veteran Laurie Robert, a retrospective for women who are thinking about entering the modular construction industry or are looking to elevate their current position into leadership.