The transportation department's responsibility is to make sure that motorists and cyclists are safe on the road. A major contributor to highway accidents is overloading. An overloaded or large vehicle is hard to drive because the excess load compromises its center of gravity. The truck's momentum could also be very high when it is speeding, which interferes with brake efficiency. Therefore, the transportation department has limitations on the maximum truck height and weight they allow on the road.
If your truck exceeds the set limits, you are supposed to look for a vehicle permit beforehand. Here are three things that you need to know about getting an overweight permit.
Does Your Vehicle Qualify for a Permit?
Not everyone who wants to transport a few more items than is allowed can apply for a permit. To get it, you must prove that your load cannot be reduced in size or that in case it was reduced, it would no longer serve its intended service. You will also get one if it is impossible to dismantle the load in less than a day, even if you had the right tools.
You will also have permission to transport an overweight load using a permit if it becomes completely useless after you dismantle it. Ensure that you check one of these boxes before making an application.
Does a Permit Mean the Vehicle Can Have Any Dimensions?
There are still limitations about the dimensions of the vehicle together with the load. If your vehicle exceeds a certain length, width, or height when the load is added, you might not get the permit.
Second, the load should be strictly one item, and you are expected to drive as slowly as possible when navigating bridges.
What Permit Duration Do You Need?
The traffic department offers one-time project and yearly permits, depending on your intentions for it. If you need to transport something that is larger than what is allowed once, get a single permit. The project and annual permits are for repeat trips.
The project permit will come in handy when you are running a construction or other project that might take a few months. A single trip permit is ideal for a one-time trip.
Visit the traffic department to get the right permit for your trip. Remember that the movement of your load from one point to another will be smoother when you abide by the traffic law.
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