"Mini excavator" covers a wider range than most equipment names. Bobcat's U.S. compact excavator line alone runs from 2,593 lb (E10) to 19,600 lb (E88), more than seven times heavier. A price for "a mini ex" means little until the model is known: one is a 1-tonne machine riding on a hotshot, the other is a 9-tonne machine on a step-deck. This guide sorts the classes by weight, collects the 2026 price ranges that public pages publish, says where each number comes from and whether it is a shipper price or carrier pay, and explains the loading and securement rules that decide which truck can legally take the machine.
Machine classes: weight and transport size
Manufacturers name most mini excavators by approximate metric tonnes (a Bobcat E35 is a 3.5 t class machine), but the number that matters for shipping is the operating weight in pounds, with every attachment that will ride along. That figure decides the truck, and at 10,000 lb it decides which securement rule applies. The transport dimensions decide whether the load is legal-size, and for minis it almost always is.
| Class | Example (manufacturer spec, opened Oct 18, 2026) | Operating weight | Transport size | Usual trailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| About 1 t | Bobcat E10 | 2,593 lb | 110 in long in travel position; undercarriage 28 in retracted, 43 in extended; 87 in high | Hotshot, often as a partial |
| About 2 t | Bobcat E20 | 4,167 lb | 38.6 in retracted, 53.5 in extended (length and height not listed on the model page) | Hotshot or partial |
| About 3.5 t | Bobcat E35 | 7,659 lb (8,362 lb long arm, 8,590 lb extendable arm) | 190 in long × 69.7 in wide × 96.2 in to the cab top | Non-CDL hotshot |
| About 4 t | Bobcat E40 | 9,180 lb | 192.3 in long × 72.8 in wide | Edge of non-CDL; CDL hotshot with attachments |
| About 5–6 t | Bobcat E55; Cat 305 CR (spec page of Wheeler Machinery, a Cat dealer) | 11,357 lb (E55); 11,016–12,688 lb by configuration (305 CR) | E55: 208.7 × 77.2 × 100.2 in (cab). 305 CR: 208.9 in long (standard stick) × 78 in track width × 100.4 in shipping height | CDL hotshot, flatbed or step-deck |
| About 9 t | Bobcat E88 | 19,600 lb | 249.6 in long × 86.6 in wide × 100 in to the cab top | Step-deck or flatbed |
Three things to take from the table. First, weight roughly doubles from one class to the next while width barely changes: even the E88 is 86.6 in wide, well inside the 102-inch federal width limit (FHWA). Second, the same model can vary by more than half a tonne: the 305 CR's published weights run from 11,016 lb (lightest canopy version) to 12,688 lb (heaviest cab version), so give the configuration, not the model name alone. Third, check what the brochure weight includes. The 305 CR page footnotes its minimum and maximum figures by configuration; use the operating weight as shipped, with the thumb, the bucket on the arm and a full tank, and add every loose attachment on top. A full 10-tonne machine is about 22,000 lb (1 metric ton is 2,204.6 lb), which is flatbed or step-deck freight.
Why 1–4 t machines fit a hotshot, and when 5 t and up do not
A hotshot is a one-ton or larger pickup pulling a gooseneck deck of about 40 ft, sitting roughly 3 ft off the ground with ramps at the rear (see hotshot freight). C.H. Robinson's flatbed group (April 6, 2026) describes it as typically suited to loads under 10,000 lb, up to about 17,000 lb, and points to construction sites and other locations without dock access. Beardown Logistics (Feb 10, 2026) puts a non-CDL hotshot's payload at roughly 9,000–11,000 lb and a CDL hotshot's at up to 16,500 lb; our hotshot page works the non-CDL figure out at roughly 8,000–10,000 lb from the 26,001 lb combination-weight CDL line. Set those against the table:
- 1–2 t (about 2,600–4,200 lb). Comfortably inside any hotshot's payload, with room for attachments or a second small machine (an E10 and an E20 together are 6,760 lb). This is also the class that can share a deck with other freight; see hotshot partials.
- 3–3.5 t (about 7,400–8,600 lb). Fits a non-CDL hotshot, but the margin is small. An E35 at 7,659 lb leaves roughly 1,300–3,300 lb against Beardown's 9,000–11,000 lb, and less against the low end of our 8,000–10,000 lb figure. A breaker and two spare buckets can use most of that.
- 4 t (about 9,200–9,800 lb). At or past the non-CDL limit depending on how the truck and trailer are plated. Plan on a CDL hotshot once the thumb and any attachment are counted.
- 5–6 t (about 11,000–13,000 lb). Past any non-CDL payload and over 10,000 lb, so the 49 CFR 393.130 four-tiedown rule applies. A CDL hotshot at up to 16,500 lb can carry it; a flatbed or step-deck is the usual choice when attachments or a second machine come along.
- 8–10 t (about 19,000–22,000 lb). Over the CDL hotshot payload and C.H. Robinson's roughly 17,000 lb ceiling. A step-deck is the normal answer: a cab near 100 in on a standard flatbed deck about 5 ft up is about 13 ft 4 in (160 in) overall, legal but only 2 in under the common 13 ft 6 in state limit (FHWA's Size Regulations report puts most state limits between 13 ft 6 in and 14 ft), while a step-deck's lower main deck, about 3 ft 6 in off the ground, leaves about 10 ft of freight height (see flatbed and step-deck).
A lowboy or removable-gooseneck (RGN) trailer is rarely needed for a mini excavator. A-1 Auto Transport (Aug 2026) names flatbeds and step-decks as typical and a lowboy or RGN when height, weight or loading geometry requires it; the realistic cases are a dead machine that has to be winched onto a front-loading RGN, or a mini travelling with larger equipment. For a skid steer making the same kind of trip, the skid steer cost guide runs the same analysis, and the hotshot vs. flatbed vs. dry van guide covers the trailer trade-offs in general.
Cost to ship a mini excavator by distance (2026)
These are the ranges the sources publish, grouped by distance. Every figure is a shipper-side estimate unless marked carrier pay. Where a source publishes a per-mile rate instead of a total, the rate is shown and you multiply by your loaded miles. None of the figures is ours, and none is copied from DAT's rate tables, which DAT does not allow others to republish.
| Distance | Published total ranges (source, date) | Per-mile context | What usually decides it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 200 mi | A-1 Auto Transport (Aug 8, 2026): about $800–$1,500 for a legal-size machine. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $800–$1,500 local, flatbed or step-deck, including fuel surcharge and standard permits. | Short hotshot trips price at a flat minimum rather than per mile; the dated published minimums, shipper-side and carrier pay, are in Hotshot rates explained. | The minimum charge. A short move still takes most of a truck's day, so the per-mile math stops working. |
| 200–500 mi | No source we opened publishes a mini excavator total for this band. Fulfyld (June 2026): $1,800–$4,500 for a 500-mile move on a standard flatbed, for an 8,000–20,000 lb machine. | Beardown (Feb 2026): hotshot $1.50–$3.00 per mile. Fulfyld (June 2026): standard flatbed $2.50–$4.50 per mile. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $3.00–$4.50 per mile, quoted for RGN loads. | Truck class. A 2 t machine on a hotshot and a 6 t machine on a flatbed can differ by more than the distance does. |
| 500–1,000 mi | A-1 (Aug 2026): $2,000–$3,500. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $2,000–$3,500. Fulfyld (June 2026): $1,800–$4,500 at 500 mi. | HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $2.00–$3.50 per mile, RGN loads. Carrier-pay hotshot bands are in Hotshot rates explained. | Whether the driver can deliver on day two. A jobsite that only receives until 3 p.m. turns a two-day run into three. |
| 1,000–1,500 mi | No source we opened publishes a band for exactly this distance. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026, shipper-side) brackets it with $2,000–$3,500 for 500–1,000 mi and $3,500–$6,000 cross-country; its chart of average totals for a 1,000-mile move puts a mini excavator in the upper half of the first range. | HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $1.50–$3.00 per mile for 1,000–2,000 mi, RGN loads. | Fuel and the return load. A destination with little outbound freight is priced as a round trip. |
| 1,500+ mi | HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $3,500–$6,000 cross-country. A-1 (Aug 2026): $5,000–$6,500 around 2,000 mi. | HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026): $1.00–$2.50 per mile over 2,000 mi, RGN loads. | Per-mile rate falls, total rises. Winter on the Plains and in the Rockies adds days. |
Two cautions. A-1 and HeavyDutyYard publish identical short- and mid-distance ranges, so treat them as one data point rather than two independent confirmations. And HeavyDutyYard and Fulfyld both define a mini excavator as 8,000–20,000 lb, which is the heavy half of the class; a 1–3 t machine on a hotshot, or sharing a deck as a partial (HeavyDutyYard puts the saving from shared loads at 20–40%), can come in under the low end. A quote far below these ranges for a 5 t or larger machine usually means something has been left out: an attachment, the loading method or the truck class.
For hotshot pricing in general, by distance and urgency, see the hotshot rates guide; for transit times by distance, the nationwide hotshot page.
How the price moves by region
Region acts on price through diesel, carrier density and whether the destination offers the driver a load home. HeavyDutyYard's April 2026 regional per-mile table (it assumes an oversize load on an RGN in the 500–1,000-mile bracket, so it shows the ordering between regions, not a mini excavator price) is printed on the skid steer guide, and EIA's regional diesel table, with the week it is for, is in Hotshot rates explained. Neither is repeated here. What this page adds is what regional diesel does to the fuel line of the worked example further down: the same 405 miles at 9 mpg, priced in five EIA regions.
| EIA region | Diesel, week of October 19, 2026 (EIA) | Fuel for 405 miles at 9 mpg |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Atlantic | $5.740 | $258 |
| Gulf Coast | $5.903 | $266 |
| Midwest | $6.352 | $286 |
| West Coast | $7.394 | $333 |
| California | $8.242 | $371 |
The U.S. average is $6.276 a gallon for the week of October 19, 2026 (EIA), which is $282 for the same miles. The spread between the cheapest and dearest region in the table is about $113 on this move, against published totals of $800 and up in the distance table above. For the week-to-week direction of the open-deck market, DAT Trendlines publishes a free weekly snapshot, and our Freight Market Pulse summarises what moved each week.
What raises or lowers the price
- Attachments. A thumb adds to the machine's weight; spare buckets, a breaker or an auger are separate articles that each need a declared weight and their own securement. On a 3.5–4 t machine they are what pushes the load from a non-CDL hotshot to a CDL one.
- Configuration: cab or canopy, stick, tracks. The Cat 305 CR's published weights span 1,672 lb across its configurations (Wheeler Machinery spec page); a long-arm or extendable-arm E35 is 703–931 lb heavier than the standard machine (Bobcat). Steel tracks need more care on the deck than rubber; say which the machine has.
- Non-running. A dead tracked machine does not roll. Beardown (Feb 2026, shipper-side) lists $100–$500 for winch or forklift loading help on non-running equipment; HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026, shipper-side) lists $500–$1,500 for crane loading. The 305 CR comes with a certified lifting eye as standard (Wheeler Machinery spec page), which makes a crane lift straightforward if one is on site.
- Jobsite access. A pickup and a 40-foot gooseneck need room to turn and a firm surface for the ramps. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026, shipper-side) lists pickup-access charges of $200–$1,500 where extra equipment or rerouting is needed, and Fulfyld (June 2026, shipper-side) lists $500–$2,000 for offloading equipment at difficult sites.
- Tarps. Rarely needed for an excavator; a new machine with an open canopy sometimes gets one. Beardown (Feb 2026, shipper-side) lists tarping at $100–$200.
- Urgency and timing. Expedited work prices above standard in every source that splits it out (Hotshot rates explained). Beardown (Feb 2026) recommends a 3- to 5-day pickup window. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026) puts May–August rates 30–45% above winter lows and says the November–February off-season saves 15–20%.
- Fuel. EIA's U.S. average on-highway diesel price is $6.276 a gallon for the week of October 19, 2026. HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026) put surcharges at 15–22% of linehaul when diesel averaged $3.80–$4.30 a gallon, and at 20–25% when diesel spikes; set the $3.80–$4.30 that first figure describes against the $6.276 national average for the week of October 19, 2026. Fulfyld (June 2026) gives 15–30% of the base haul rate.
Worked example (illustrative arithmetic on published ranges; not a price)
The load: one Bobcat E35-class machine at 7,659 lb operating weight (Bobcat spec), standard arm, rubber tracks, bucket on the arm, no loose attachments; 190 in long, 69.7 in wide, 96.2 in to the cab top. Running. Atlanta, GA to Jacksonville, FL, about 345 interstate miles. Ramps on the trailer, a yard at each end, pickup can float by two days.
The truck: 7,659 lb against Beardown's non-CDL hotshot payload of 9,000–11,000 lb leaves 1,341–3,341 lb of margin, so a non-CDL hotshot works. Loaded height is 96.2 in plus about 36 in of deck, or about 132 in (11 ft), well under every state height standard.
The published ranges, applied: Beardown's hotshot rate of $1.50–$3.00 per mile (Feb 2026, shipper-side) multiplied by 345 loaded miles gives $518–$1,035. A-1 Auto Transport (Aug 2026, shipper-side) publishes about $800–$1,500 for hauls under 200 miles and $2,000–$3,500 for 500–1,000 miles, so 345 miles falls in the gap between its two bands, which the source does not cover; its $800 floor sits above the bottom of the Beardown product. These are cited figures and their arithmetic, not a price from Averstone Logistics, which does not quote shipments. Neither source speaks to a flatbed-only or fixed-date move, and a published range is not a recommendation for a particular load.
Why a $500 price would be a warning sign: assume the truck deadheads 60 miles to the pickup, so 405 miles in total, at 9 miles per gallon loaded (an assumption for illustration, not a measured figure). That is about 45 gallons; at EIA's $6.276 for the week of October 19, 2026, fuel alone is about $282, or 27–35% of any total between A-1's $800 floor and $1,035, the top of the Beardown arithmetic. On the carrier side, O Trucking's standard $1.00–$2.00 per mile (Oct 2026, carrier pay; applied to loaded miles) is $345–$690 gross to the truck before that fuel is paid. At the bottom of that band, $345 less $282 of fuel leaves about $63 for the driver, insurance and the truck; at the top, $690 leaves about $408. A $500 total would sit inside that thin band before any broker margin, which is why A-1's $800 floor looks like the more realistic bottom of the range.
The chains: at 7,659 lb the machine is under the 10,000 lb line, so 393.130's four-tiedown minimum is not mandatory. Under 393.110(b) a 190-inch (15.8 ft) article needs two tiedowns for the first 10 ft plus one for the remaining 5.8 ft: three at minimum. Under 393.106(d) the aggregate working load limit must be at least half of 7,659 lb, or 3,830 lb. Four 3/8-inch grade 70 chains (6,600 lb each under 393.108) running from the machine to the deck count at half their limit, 4 × 3,300 = 13,200 lb, so the usual four chains plus one over the bucket clear both rules with room to spare.
| Line | Illustrative figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Per-mile math, 345 loaded mi | $518–$1,035 | Beardown hotshot $1.50–$3.00/mi (Feb 2026) |
| A-1's published floor for hauls under 200 mi | $800 | A-1 Auto Transport (Aug 2026); its next band, $2,000–$3,500, starts at 500 mi |
| Fuel, 405 total mi at an assumed 9 mpg | ≈ $282 | EIA U.S. average $6.276/gal, week of October 19, 2026 |
| Carrier gross, 345 loaded mi | $345–$690 | O Trucking standard $1.00–$2.00/mi (Oct 2026, carrier pay) |
| If non-running | + $100–$500 winch, or $500–$1,500 crane | Beardown (Feb 2026); HeavyDutyYard (Apr 2026); both shipper-side |
| Minimum tiedowns / AWLL | 3 / 3,830 lb (four chains give 13,200 lb) | 49 CFR 393.110(b), 393.106(d), 393.108 |
Which trailer, and how each is priced
| Trailer | Fits | Price basis (source, date) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-CDL hotshot | 1–3.5 t machines, or two of the smallest; roughly 9,000–11,000 lb payload (Beardown, Feb 2026) | $1.50–$3.00 per mile shipper-side (Beardown); carrier-pay figures and minimums are in Hotshot rates explained |
| CDL hotshot | 4–6 t machines with attachments, up to about 16,500 lb (Beardown) | Same per-mile basis as above (Beardown, Feb 2026); confirm the truck's rated payload against the weight with attachments |
| Flatbed or step-deck | 6 t and up, a 9 t machine, or a mini with other freight; a step-deck when height is close | Fulfyld (June 2026): standard flatbed $2.50–$4.50 per mile. Beardown (Feb 2026): step-deck $2.00–$2.50 per mile. Both shipper-side. |
| Lowboy or RGN | A dead machine that must be winched on, or a mini travelling with larger equipment | Beardown (Feb 2026): lowboy $3.00–$5.00 per mile, $4.00–$8.00+ with permits, shipper-side |
Loading, unloading and the tie-down rules
Ramps, travel position and the deck
A running mini excavator walks on and off. Hotshot goosenecks carry their own ramps; a standard flatbed usually does not, so a flatbed delivery to a site with no loader needs ramps brought along. Before loading:
- Check the ramp rating against the operating weight with attachments, and set the ramps to the width of the tracks.
- Follow the operator's manual for the direction of travel and the boom position on the ramps. Travel straight on in the low travel range (the E35's low range is 1.6 mph per Bobcat), with no steering or swinging on the ramp.
- Put the machine in its transport position on the deck. Swing the upper structure to the manual's travel position, curl the arm and bucket, lower the bucket to the deck and lower the dozer blade. The 305 CR spec page lists a boom height in shipping position of 71.7 in (standard stick) against a 100.4 in shipping height, so in transport the cab, not the boom, is the tallest point.
- Lock and shut down. Engage the swing lock if fitted, shut the engine off, take the key, close the cab door and windows.
- Mind the tracks. Steel tracks slide easily on a steel or wet wood deck, so drivers often lay rubber mats under them. Chains go to the designed tie-down points, not across rubber tracks where a tensioned chain can cut the lugs. The 305 CR spec page lists tie-downs on the track frame as standard equipment, and Bobcat's model pages advertise a simple machine tie-down feature.
The tie-down rules: 49 CFR 393.130 and 393.110
The federal rule for wheeled and tracked equipment is 49 CFR 393.130. It applies to machines that individually weigh 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) or more, which in this guide means the 5 t class and up:
- Accessory equipment such as hydraulic shovels must be completely lowered and secured to the vehicle (393.130(b)(1)). For an excavator that means the bucket on the deck, chained, and the boom down.
- A minimum of four tiedowns, restraining the machine against lateral, forward, rearward and vertical movement (393.130(c)(1)).
- Each tiedown as close as practicable to the front and rear of the machine, or at mounting points designed for the purpose (393.130(c)(2)).
Under 10,000 lb, which covers the 1–4 t machines, 393.130(a) lets the machine be secured under that section or under the general cargo rules at 49 CFR 393.100–393.114. The general count is in 393.110: an article that is not blocked against forward movement needs two tiedowns if it is over 5 ft and up to 10 ft long, plus one more for each additional 10 ft or fraction. An E10 at 110 in (9.2 ft) needs at least two; an E35 at 190 in needs at least three. On top of the count, 393.106(d) requires the tiedowns' aggregate working load limit to be at least half the machine's weight, with a chain from a deck anchor to a point on the machine counting at half its working load limit. Working load limits for chain not marked with one are in the tables at 393.108 (6,600 lb for 3/8-inch grade 70); chain with no grade or limit marking at all counts as grade 30 proof coil (2,650 lb at 3/8 in) under 393.108(d). Loose attachments are separate cargo under the same general rules.
Where these numbers come from
The ranges on this page are not a rate quote and were not built by us. We opened five public pages that publish mini excavator or hotshot pricing in 2026 (A-1 Auto Transport, HeavyDutyYard, Fulfyld, Beardown Logistics, O Trucking), kept only dated figures and labelled each as a shipper price or carrier pay. A-1, HeavyDutyYard, Fulfyld and Beardown write for shippers. O Trucking writes for operators, and its per-mile bands are gross truck revenue, so a shipper's all-in price sits above them. All five are commercial sites with an interest in the business, which is one more reason to describe the machine precisely and compare like with like. Machine weights and dimensions come from Bobcat's U.S. model pages and the Cat 305 CR spec page published by a Cat dealer, opened on October 18, 2026.
Where this applies
Hotshot and flatbed freight nationwide (lower 48). Dry van truckload across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. USA only — no cross-border, no drayage, no rail, no temperature-controlled freight. A mini excavator moving from a dealer, a rental yard, an auction or a jobsite anywhere in the lower 48 is in scope for the day our registration is active. Have one coming up? Tell us about your freight, including the model, the weight with attachments, whether it runs and how flexible the dates are. We answer every message within 30 minutes, Mon–Fri 8am–5pm ET, and within 6–12 hours at other times.
Related guides and tools
Run your own ZIP codes in the hotshot estimator, see how the number is built in hotshot rates explained, and read how hotshot shipping works. For other equipment, see the cost to ship a skid steer, cost to ship a generator and cost to ship motors and switchgear guides.