Moving freight by truck is one of the most common ways to move many things, but when you have large items that you need to move, using a truck to do it may be the only option. If you need to move an over-size or over-weight load, you need to make sure you are following all the guidelines and rules of the city, state, or territory you are moving the load through.
Oversized Load Permits
Moving a large load over the road requires the load to have the proper permits before you move it. The truck may be loaded and ready to go, but without the proper permits, the driver can not move the load without risk of fines and penalties. Most drivers will not take a chance of moving freight that requires a permit without one.
Getting the right permits is not always straightforward, but there are permitting services that can help you get oversize permits or overweight permits for the load. The trucking company or the dispatcher can contact the permit service, give them all the load details, and the service will arrange the permits for you.
Multiple Jurisdictions
When you are dealing with multiple jurisdictions, you may need to have permits in each one of them. For the driver, it means dealing with a considerable amount of paperwork, but if you are working with a company or service to help put the permits in place, they will know that you need multiple permits.
Often planning the route and permitting the load need to happen at the same time because there may be towns or cities that will not let you move the load through the area or require you to do it during specific hours of the day to avoid traffic congestion issues.
It is critical that the trucking company, the business they are hauling the load for, and the permitting company all work together to plan the trip far enough in advance that they can make changes to the route if necessary.
Escort Vehicles
In some states, the truck carrying the load may require an escort to pass through the area with the oversize cargo. The escort vehicles have rules and regulations that are required to follow as they guide the truck and load along the road. If your load is going to require an escort, you need to make arrangements for the escort service to be in place before the load arrives.
If you are passing through a state that an escort is needed, arrange to have the escort service on the state line with enough time to meet the truck if it is running ahead of schedule. If the truck arrives and the escort is late, the truck will have to stop and not move until the escort, and the terms of the permit are in place.
For more information on overweight permits, contact a permit service.