§ 1402. Overweight, width, height, and length permits; fees
(a) Overweight, overwidth, indivisible overlength, and overheight permits. Overweight, overwidth, indivisible overlength, and overheight permits shall be signed
by the Commissioner or by the Commissioner’s agent and a copy shall be kept in the
office of the Commissioner or in a location approved by the Commissioner. Except as
provided in subsection (c) of this section, a copy shall also be available in the
towing vehicle and must be available for inspection on demand of a law enforcement
officer. Before operating a traction engine, tractor, trailer, motor truck, or other
motor vehicle, the person to whom a permit to operate in excess of the weight, width,
indivisible overlength, and height limits established by this title is granted shall
pay a fee of $48.00 for each single trip permit or $135.00 for a blanket permit, except
that the fee for a fleet blanket permit shall be $135.00 for the first unit and $8.00
for each unit thereafter. At the option of a carrier, an annual permit for the entire
fleet, to operate over any approved route, may be obtained for $135.00 for the first
tractor and $8.00 for each additional tractor, up to a maximum fee of $1,000.00. The
fee for a fleet permit shall be based on the entire number of tractors owned by the
applicant. An applicant for a fleet permit may apply for any number of specific routes,
each of which shall be reviewed with regard to the characteristics of the route and
the type of equipment operated by the applicant. When the weight or size of the vehicle-load
are considered sufficiently excessive for the routing requested, the Agency of Transportation
shall, on request of the Commissioner, conduct an engineering inspection of the vehicle-load
and route, for which a fee of $300.00 will be added to the cost of the permit if the
load is a manufactured home. For all other loads of any size or with gross weight
limits less than 150,000 pounds, the fee shall be $800.00 for any engineering inspection
that requires up to eight hours to conduct. If the inspection requires more than eight
hours to conduct, the fee shall be $800.00 plus $60.00 per hour for each additional
hour required. If the vehicle and load weigh 150,000 pounds or more but not more than
200,000 pounds, the engineering inspection fee shall be $2,000.00. If the vehicle
and load weigh more than 200,000 pounds but not more than 250,000 pounds, the engineering
inspection fee shall be $5,000.00. If the vehicle and load weigh more than 250,000
pounds, the engineering inspection fee shall be $10,000.00. The study must be completed
prior to the permit being issued. Prior to the issuance of a permit, an applicant
whose vehicle weighs 150,000 pounds or more, or is 15 or more feet in width or height,
shall file with the Commissioner a special certificate of insurance showing minimum
coverage of $250,000.00 for death or injury to one person, $500,000.00 for death or
injury to two or more persons, and $250,000.00 for property damage, all arising out
of any one crash.
(b) Overlength permits. Except as provided in subsections 1432(c) and (e) of this title, it shall be necessary
to obtain an overlength permit as follows:
(1) For vehicles with a trailer or semitrailer longer than 75 feet, anywhere in the State
on highways approved by the Agency of Transportation. In such cases, the vehicle may
be operated with a single trip overlength permit issued by the Department of Motor
Vehicles for a fee of $34.00. If the vehicle is 100 feet or more in length, the permit
applicant shall file with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles a special certificate
of insurance showing minimum coverage of $250,000.00 for death or injury to one person,
$500,000.00 for death or injury to two or more persons, and $250,000.00 for property
damage, all arising out of any one crash.
(2) [Repealed.]
(c) Prepayment of permit fees. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may accept prepayments of fees under section 1400 of this title. A prepayment shall be credited to the account of the person making the prepayment
and the account shall be reduced to the extent of any fees due from that person under
this section; provided, however, fees may not be charged to the account in excess
of the account balance. Upon oral application of any person having prepaid fees, the
Commissioner may issue a permit with an identifying number, and the permit shall become
effective immediately. Upon application, the Commissioner shall return any unused
portion of the prepayment to the person originally making the prepayment.
(d) [Repealed.]
(e) “Low-bed” trailer permit.
(1) The Commissioner may issue an annual permit to allow the transportation of a so-called
“low-bed” trailer. A “low-bed” trailer is defined as a trailer manufactured for the
primary purpose of carrying heavy equipment on a flat-surfaced deck, which deck is
at a height equal to or lower than the top of the rear axle group.
(2) A blanket permit may be obtained for an annual fee of $275.00 per unit, provided the
total vehicle length does not exceed 75 feet, does not exceed a loaded width of 12′6″,
does not exceed a total weight of 108,000 lbs., and has a height not exceeding 14
feet.
(3) Warning signs and flags shall be required if the vehicle exceeds 75 feet in length
or exceeds 8′6″ in width.
(4) [Repealed.]
(f) Single trip permit; duration. A single trip permit issued under this section shall be valid for seven business days. (Amended 1959, No. 106, eff. April 14, 1959; 1969, No. 212 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 25, 1970; 1987, No. 95, § 2, eff. June 23, 1987; 1989, No. 51, § 44; 1995, No. 47, §§ 11, 12, eff. April 20, 1995; 1995, No. 183 (Adj. Sess.), § 18m, eff. May 22, 1996; 1997, No. 46, §§ 1-3; 1999, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 15, eff. Aug. 1, 2000; 2003, No. 70 (Adj. Sess.), § 30, eff. March 1, 2004; 2007, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), § 8; 2009, No. 50, § 52; 2009, No. 123 (Adj. Sess.), § 56; 2013, No. 189 (Adj. Sess.), § 19; 2015, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 43; 2017, No. 71, § 15, eff. June 8, 2017; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 204; 2023, No. 78, § G.136, eff. January 1, 2024.)