Industrial Machinery & Process Equipment
Reactors, pressure vessels, production line components, and process skids, cargo that demands careful bracing, lift planning, and often first-of-a-kind handling.
End-to-End Project Logistics Solutions.
We provide comprehensive logistics solutions for large-scale, non-standard shipments, from industrial machinery and construction equipment to energy infrastructure components.
With a focus on precision, safety, and transparency, we coordinate every phase of your project cargo movement, delivering on time and within budget, no matter how complex the job. That means everything from route surveys and permitting to secure handling and multimodal transportation, planned before a single piece leaves the factory floor. As a licensed U.S. customs broker and freight forwarder in one, W.M. Stone clears the cargo it moves. Oversized and heavy-lift shipments often carry complex, multi-line HTS classifications and cross more than one mode on the way to the job site, and a single missing permit or misfiled entry can hold a high-value module at the port. We put 250+ years of industry experience behind solving that kind of problem before it becomes your problem.
One load, one teamPlanning through delivery, coordinated end to end
The Project Cargo We Move.
From factory-fresh machinery to fabricated steel that never sees the inside of a container, every category of oversized and high-value cargo, handled with the planning and documentation each one demands.
Construction & Heavy Equipment
Excavators, cranes, dozers, and drilling rigs, moved as breakbulk or roll-on/roll-off cargo for infrastructure, mining, and industrial projects.
Energy Infrastructure Components
Turbines, generators, transformers, and other power-generation and grid equipment, among the heaviest, most schedule-critical pieces in any project.
Breakbulk & Out-of-Gauge Steel
Girders, tanks, and fabricated structural steel that exceed container dimensions and move on flat racks or heavy-lift vessels.
Modular & Pre-Fabricated Skids
Pre-assembled process modules and skid-mounted systems built offsite and shipped complete, where a single unit can represent months of fabrication.
High-Value Manufacturing Lines & Tooling
Production equipment, tooling, and specialized machinery for plant relocations and new facility builds, cargo where damage or delay carries outsized cost.
The Compliance Side of Moving Heavy Cargo.
A single project cargo shipment can carry more classification lines, and more duty exposure, than an entire container program. This is where a licensed customs broker earns its keep.
Classification
HTS Classification for Multi-Part Equipment
A single piece of process equipment or a modular skid can bundle steel, electronics, motors, and control systems into one shipment, and each component may carry its own tariff classification.
How we help: classify every line correctly, document the reasoning, and pursue binding rulings where a project's duty exposure justifies it.
Section 232
Steel & Aluminum Content
Structural steel, aluminum housings, and fabricated metal components in heavy machinery and energy infrastructure can fall under Section 232 duties on top of the base tariff.
How we help: identify where Section 232 applies to a shipment's steel and aluminum content and factor it into landed cost before you commit to a schedule.
Section 301
China-Origin Components
Machinery and energy equipment increasingly ships with China-origin subassemblies, and Section 301 tariffs attach based on where a part was substantially transformed, not where the finished unit was assembled.
How we help: trace origin down to the component level and make a defensible, documented determination for every classification on the entry.
Bonds & filing
Customs Bonds, ISF & ACE
A single project cargo shipment can carry more value than a standard annual bond covers, and ocean moves still require an Importer Security Filing at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded.
How we help: size the bond to the real value of the shipment and file ISF and entries through ACE so a paperwork deadline never becomes a berth delay.
This page is general information, not legal, tax, or customs advice; trade measures change and vary by product, origin, and destination, so we verify the rules in force on each shipment.
One Partner, From Origin to Job Site.
Every stage of a project cargo move, coordinated by a single team so nothing is lost between the factory and the site.
Ocean & Breakbulk Freight
Heavy-lift and breakbulk vessel bookings for out-of-gauge cargo that does not fit inside a standard container. Ocean freight
Air Freight for Time-Critical Parts
When a single missing component can idle a project, we move it by air. Air freight
Customs Brokerage & Clearance
Entry filing, classification, and origin determinations, handled by a licensed broker who clears what it moves. Customs brokerage
Warehousing & Transloading
Staging, inspection, and transloading so equipment is ready when, and only when, the site is. Warehousing & transloading
Inland & Permitted Transportation
Route surveys, permitting, and oversized inland moves from the port of entry to the final job site. Inland transportation
Cargo Insurance
Coverage sized to the real replacement value of high-value, single-shipment cargo. Cargo insurance
Why Importers Choose W.M. Stone.
The expensive risks in project cargo live in the planning and at the customs border. We are built to handle both.
A Broker, Not Just a Forwarder
Only a licensed customs broker is authorized to clear your entry before CBP. On project cargo, that means one team plans the move and clears it, instead of two vendors passing the file back and forth.
250+ Years of Combined Experience
Our team has planned and cleared nearly every kind of oversized, heavy-lift, and high-value shipment the Port of Virginia sees, and knows how to solve a routing or documentation problem before it delays your project.
One Plan, Every Mode
Ocean, air, and inland moves are planned together from the start, so a heavy-lift vessel booking, a permitted truck route, and a customs entry all point at the same delivery date.
Built for the Job That Doesn't Fit a Container
Route surveys, permitting, and secure handling are standard practice for us, not exceptions, on cargo that most carriers have to stop and figure out.
Project Cargo FAQs.
The questions shippers ask us most before moving oversized, heavy-lift, or high-value cargo.
What counts as project cargo?
Project cargo is any shipment too large, heavy, or valuable to move as standard containerized freight, industrial machinery, construction and mining equipment, energy infrastructure components, and modular process skids are common examples. These shipments typically require route surveys, permitting, and specialized handling that a standard container move does not.
Do you handle both the freight and the customs clearance?
Yes. W.M. Stone is a licensed U.S. customs broker and a freight forwarder, so the same team that books your heavy-lift vessel or permitted truck route also files the entry and clears it with CBP. You are not coordinating separate vendors for transportation and compliance.
How far in advance do you need to plan an oversized or heavy-lift move?
Route surveys, permitting, and vessel or equipment booking all take lead time, and it grows with the size and weight of the cargo and the number of jurisdictions a permitted inland route crosses. We plan every phase of the move, transportation, permitting, and clearance, before the cargo leaves origin, so timing questions surface in planning rather than at the port or on the road.
Are there extra duties on the steel or China-origin components in my equipment?
Possibly. Structural steel and aluminum content can fall under Section 232 tariffs, and components sourced from China are subject to Section 301 tariffs based on where they were substantially transformed, not simply where the finished unit was assembled. We review the classification and origin of every component in a shipment and factor the real duty exposure into your landed cost before you commit to a schedule.
What documentation does a project cargo shipment typically need?
Beyond the standard commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading, most project cargo needs correct HTS classification for every component, a customs bond sized to the shipment's real value, a timely Importer Security Filing on ocean moves, and any permits required for oversized or overweight inland transport. We assemble that package before the cargo moves so clearance is not where your project stalls.
Can you store or stage equipment before it goes to the job site?
Yes. We warehouse and transload project cargo so equipment is inspected, staged, and ready to move the moment the site can receive it, rather than sitting in a stack of containers at the port.
Credentialed to Move Complex Cargo.
Here to Drive Your Business Forward.
Leave your logistics challenges to us so you can focus on growing your business. Let us provide the reliable support your operations need.