What is an Oversized Permit?
An oversized permit is a document obtained from the country, state, city, or province to allow transportation of overweight vehicles. The oversized permit mostly mentions the hauler's name, the description of the load and its dimensions, and the route description of the trucks. The overweight goods can consist of construction machinery, farmer tractors, trucks for highway use, etc. Most truckers ask if I need an oversized permit. The answer is yes if they want to carry an overweight load that exceeds in size, weight, and dimension. The violation of an oversized road permit results in the form of fines. The amount of fines also varies from state to state. For example, in California the fine is $3000-$4000, whereas in Texas, it can be $100-$150.
The States Accepting Oversized Permits:
It should be noted that every state does not accept the oversized permits. Few states accept oversized digital permits by truckers, which are mentioned below.
1. Alabama: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
2. Arizona: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
3. Arkansas: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
4. California: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
5. Colorado: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
6. Connecticut: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
7. Florida: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
8. Idaho: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
9. Illinois: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
10. Iowa: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
11. Kentucky: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
12. Louisiana: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
13. Maine: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
14. Maryland: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
15. Michigan: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
16. Minnesota: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
17. Mississippi: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
18. Missouri: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
19. Montana: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
20. Nebraska: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
21. Nevada: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
22. New Hampshire: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
23. New Mexico: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
24. North Carolina: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
25. North Dakota: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
26. Ohio: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
27. Oklahoma: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
28. Oregon: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
29. South Dakota: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
30. Tennessee: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
31. Texas: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
32. Utah: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
33. Vermont: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
34. Virginia: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
35. Washington: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
36. West Virginia: Accepts electronic permits on smartphones or tablets without any minimum screen size.
States Requiring Paper Permits:
Here are some states that may not officially accept digital oversized permits, but acceptance may vary in certain cases due to incomplete research in all states.
1. Delaware (DE): Paper permits must be used.
2. Florida (FL): Electronic permits are allowed, but blanket permits must be a paper copy.
3. Indiana (IN): Paper permits required for police escort situations.
4. Massachusetts (MA): Paper permits must be used.
5. New Jersey (NJ): Paper permits must be used.
6. New York (NY): Paper permits must be used..
7. Pennsylvania (PA): Paper permits must be used.
8. Rhode Island (RI): Paper permits must be used.
9. South Carolina (SC): Paper permits must be used.
10. Texas (TX): Electronic permits are accepted, but a paper copy is recommended.
11. Virginia (VA): Electronic permits are accepted; but paper are recommended.
12. Wisconsin (WI): Paper permits are required, except for farmers' no-cost permits which can be shown electronically.
How to Get Oversized Permits and J.J. Keller Oversized Permits?
At the beginning of the permit processing, there are 7 important questions to be answered as per J.J. Keller.
- The first one is do I need the permit? If the load being transported by the truck exceeds the load limit allowed by the government then the oversized permit is required.
- The second question is do I need a permit for every state I am travelling through? The answer is yes, oversized permits are present electronically on digital permit books. However, the rules for every state are different. The use of J.J. Keller's oversized permits can speed up this slow process.
- Thirdly the question arises of how to know what documents are required by which state? Since each state has its permitting process the tracker needs to check with each state. The trucker should contact the Department of Transportation or the police department, which can put the trucker with the appropriate contract.
- The fourth question is about the information that the trucker must provide. Since the states are different, the documents needed are also different. As per J.J. Keller, one should collect the maximum information regarding the truck, personnel, and route that will be involved in the transportation.
- The next question is how to obtain a permit, well to obtain a permit start by working with each state on your route. The task can be tough so one can also contact a compliance partner. Once the application is submitted, keep tracking its status. In case the application is rejected due to deficiencies in the plan contact the compliance expert or the state to address these areas.
- Furthermore, the question arises of what the tucker should know when he or she is moving the load. At the time of the application process, one should know about the restrictions when moving the load, and these restrictions can be different for different loads.
- Last but not least as per JJ Keller the question is whether one should acquire a permit himself. The permitting process is complicated if it is a complicated move across different states. Due to this difficulty, many truckers contact compliance specialists like JJ Keller.
Fee and Cost of Oversized Load Permits:
To get an oversize permit there is a certain amount of fee that one needs to pay. The fee cost depends upon the state for which the permit is required. Hence, there are different types of oversized permit fees for states. The estimated cost of the permit for each state includes around a $15 service fee for each state. If we talk about the total cost of an oversized permit, that cost is the sum of the service fee and state permit fee. The total cost of permits also varies from state to state. For example, the average permit cost in Illinois is $55, and for Oklahoma, it is around $50.
How to Get Oversized Permits Online:
The advancement in technology has undoubtedly augmented the technological capabilities of all fields. Similarly, the trucking industry has been able to witness this technological advancement by having access to permits electronically. The overweight permits are processed online through a program called Electronic System Network Oversize and Overweight Permit Information. The permit agents and self-issuing companies access this online program to fill in permit info. If a permit is self-issued, then the commercial vehicle service offers an online self-issuer agreement and registration process. Carriers must simply follow the rules and should complete the online form. After agreeing to all terms the user is assigned a specific ID and password through an email. Once the users are in the program they can issue permits for their fleets. The question arises of how long it takes to get an oversized permit online. So it gets received immediately and is available 24 hours a day all 7 days printed on your computer screen.
The FMCSA Oversize Load Regulations:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was established to prevent commercial vehicle-related accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Similarly, the FMCSA gave regulations for oversized load transportation to ensure safety and avoid fatal incidents and injuries during overweight load transportation. The FMCSA load regulations vary from state to state. These regulations are available for every state on the FMCSA website, which the truckers can access.
Conclusion:
Summing up all the facts and figures it can be concluded that oversize permits are not to be taken lightly in the trucking business. The overweight loads transported without the oversized permit are counted as illegal acts. Furthermore, the Digitalized oversized permitting has further made it easier for truckers to get their hands on the oversized permits. Therefore for running a compliant and successful trucking business the need for oversized trucking permits must not be neglected.
