14-26.00411. Procedure for Issuance of Permits

(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule chapter is to protect the public safety, to reduce interference with traffic flow on state owned highways and structures, and to preserve the state’s transportation facilities by providing standards and procedures to govern issuance of permits for overweight and overdimensional vehicles and loads operating over state owned roadways and structures. Travel authorization and/or permits for travel on local roadways must be obtained from local authorities. The rules of this rule chapter apply to all persons or entities operating overweight and overdimensional vehicles and loads over state maintained roads, which are not specifically exempt under Chapter 316, F.S.

(2) Intent. It is the intent of the Department to require that all reasonable steps be taken to reduce the vehicle load to legal limits of weight and dimensions. Permits for overweight and overdimensional vehicles and loads are intended for a single item load which cannot reasonably be dismantled or disassembled and which cannot reasonably be shipped by rail, water, or air.

(3) Administration. The administration of these rules is assigned to the Department’s Permit Office, located in Tallahassee, Florida, whose mailing address is:

Florida Department of Transportation

Permit Section

605 Suwannee Street, MS #62

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450

(4) Permitting Process. Payment for permits shall be in cash, by cashier’s check, personal or company check, money order, or credit card. Permit requests must be received at least ten business days before scheduled movement for non-routine permits. The applicant must complete all fields on Form 850-040-02, Request for Special Road Use Oversize/Overweight Permit Application rev. 6/16 incorporated herein at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-07283, or complete an online Application at www.fdotmaint.com/permit, and provide the following:

(a) Total gross weight of vehicle/vehicle combination to include permitted load if over legal weight. Otherwise, the applicant must state that the gross weight is legal.

(b) External bridge and individual axle spacings of vehicle/vehicle combination (center of hub to center of hub) if over legal weight.

(c) Total number of axles and total weight on each axle of vehicle/vehicle combination if over legal weight. Otherwise, the applicant must state that the axle weights are legal.

(d) Total width of vehicle and/or load at widest point.

(e) Total length of the vehicle/vehicle combination and/or load from front to rear to include front and rear overhang. If there is any overhang, separate measurements are to be provided in addition to the total length.

(f) Total height of the vehicle and/or load from the pavement to the highest point of the vehicle and/or load.

(g) Description of load to be transported.

(h) Requested route of travel containing detailed information including origin, destination, physical addresses, mile markers, or intersections. This applies to trip permit applications only.

(5) The Department is responsible for verifying the load carrying capacity of the route (bridges and similar load bearing structures). The applicant is responsible for verifying adequate vertical (height) and horizontal (length and width) clearances exist on route. No movement shall be made under any permit until the route has been surveyed to verify that the route can accommodate the vehicle and load. A survey letter must be maintained with the load during movement and produced to law enforcement and weight inspectors upon request. The survey letter must be on the hauler’s letterhead and include a signed statement verifying that the route has been surveyed, and that clearances exceed the requested permitted dimension by a minimum of 6 inches for height greater than 15 feet and 2 feet on each side for width greater than 16 feet. The surveyed route and the route shown on the permit must match. Surveying a route prior to movement of the load does not exempt the hauler from being required to obtain a permit prior to any movement. In addition, applications for permits for vehicles and loads with a height greater than 18 feet and/or width greater than 22 feet shall be supported by a survey letter from the hauler.

(6) Structural Evaluation. In addition to the information required for issuance of a permit, a schematic of the vehicle showing all longitudinal and transverse spacings, axle weights and dimensions must be provided at least ten business days before a proposed move when any axle exceeds 30,000 pounds, or when the vehicle’s gross weight is 300,000 pounds or more. Applicants, whose vehicles gross vehicle weight is less than 300,000 pounds, will be required to provide a schematic as well when an Engineer of the Office of Maintenance, Bridge Section, determines that a structural analysis is needed.

Rulemaking Authority 316.550, 334.044(2) FS. Law Implemented 316.515, 316.535, 316.550 FS. History–New 8-26-82, Formerly 14-26.06, Amended 9-15-87, 7-21-91, 6-23-96, 11-10-98, Formerly 14-26.006, Amended 2-1-10, 10-4-10, 2-5-13, 8-23-16, 3-9-17, 4-24-18.