Does My Load Require Overweight Permits?
Permits must accompany loads heavier than the weight the department of transportation allows. Sometimes, a single pilot car or more must lead the way to help clear the roads. The Federal government allows 80,000lbs gross vehicle weight, 20,000lbs single axle weight, and 34,000lbs tandem axle weight. Overweight permits are acquired from the state’s department of transportation at a fee. Using a professional like Wide Load Shipping will save you the trouble of acquiring overweight permits, and the price is included in the final shipping estimate.
Why Do You Need Overweight Permits?
By acquiring overweight permits, you notify the state’s department of transportation about your shipment. That means they recommend the best highway to avoid damaging roads and remove all the hindrances along the way. Your load must be accompanied by the overweight permit to show the highway patrols when stopped. Failure to have one will lead to fines. The Federal bridge weight formula is used to determine if commercial vehicles are complying with the rules. The formula used is W=500(LN/N-1 + 12N + 36). W is the overall gross weight of two or more consecutive axles to the nearest 500lbs, L is the distance between two extreme or more axles in feet, and N is the number of axles in the group.
Information Needed When Acquiring Overweight Permits
Your transportation company should help you acquire overweight permits before the transport date. To facilitate the process, provide accurate information about your load to acquire tight permits. We provide the following information to the department of transportation to acquire overweight permits.
- US DOT number
- Year, make, and model of the equipment
- Unit number
- Type of trailer and number of axles
- Overall dimensions (L, W & H) of the trailer
- License number and state
- Description of the load
- Load dimensions
- Origin and destination
- Routes to be used
- Serial number
- Overall weight (truck, trailer, and load)
- Overall length (truck and trailer or load), whichever is longer
- Overall width (truck and trailer or load), whichever is wider
- Overall height (from ground to the load)
- Individual axle spacings
- Individual axle weight when loaded
Contact us today to help you acquire overweight permits and haul your load anywhere in the country or world at (877) 792-5056.
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