Transporting Freight in Emergencies: A Guide on Special Permits and Weight Requirements (2024)
Chapter: Summary
SUMMARY
Transporting Freight in Emergencies: A Guide on Special Permits and Weight Requirements
Background
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, various states and federal agencies eased commercial motor vehicle (CMV) weight-limit regulations to facilitate safe and efficient emergency transportation of medical and other essential relief supplies. The federal and state agency response to the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an issue often faced by oversize/overweight truck permitting offices and CMV operators who traverse different regulating jurisdictions—there not being a high level of consistency in definition and harmonization of policies and regulations. This guide is developed as an outcome of NCHRP Project 23-13(05), “Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities,” with the intention to help decision-makers and state truck permitting agencies better coordinate and harmonize the movement of overweight loads during emergencies.
How to Use This Guide
State permitting offices and decision-makers can use this guide to gain information about rules and regulations pertaining to emergency or disaster declarations; recognize steps and actions to proactively streamline processes, collaborations, and communications; and help identify best practices during and after disasters. The guide is structured in three parts:
- Part I—Introduction to Special Permitting for Overweight Divisible Loads in Disasters and Emergencies, which focuses on the purpose of this guide, organization, and specifics of rules and regulations pertaining to emergency and disaster declarations.
- Part II—Preparing for Emergency Overweight Special Permitting, which focuses on steps decision-makers and state permitting offices can take before an emergency or disaster declaration for effective harmonization and coordination and best practices during and after disasters.
- Part III—Tools and Resources, which focuses on tools and resources that can be leveraged by state permitting offices and decision-makers to harmonize and coordinate special permits during emergency.
Appendix A provides a complete list of state permit-issuing offices, with contact details included.
Appendix B is a memorandum of understanding from the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) detailing the creation of the MAASTO emergency divisible load management strategy.
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