III. Overdimensional Vehicle Policy Manual

Purpose:

  • To establish guidelines when permits will be issued for vehicles or loads exceeding legal size and/or weight for movement on the City streets.

Policy Statement:

  • As authorized by section 8-0922 of the City of Fargo Municipal Code, the City will issue single trip permits, when good cause is shown, for the movement of oversize and/or overweight vehicles and loads.
  • The following procedures outline the requirements and methods for issuing permits for oversize and overweight vehicles.

Procedure:


A.   Permit Requirements


1. Permits must be in possession prior to starting any movement. 

  • They shall designate the route to be traveled and may contain such other restrictions as deemed necessary by the City engineers.  The City has the authority to revoke permits when the holder violates or abuses the privilege or conditions of the permits. 

2. General travel restrictions.  

  • Single trip permits shall not be issued for overdimensional movements between sunset and sunrise, unless approved by City Engineering.
  • Single trip permits for over width exceeding 16 feet or over length exceeding 88 feet shall not be issued authorizing movements on Saturday after 12 noon, all day Sunday, and on holidays of New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

    When any above named holiday is on Sunday, the following Monday shall be the holiday

    When any above named holiday is on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be the holiday.

No over width permit exceeding 16 feet or over length permit exceeding 110 feet will be valid from 12 noon the day before the holiday until sunrise the day after the holiday.

  • Single trip permits shall not authorize movements when inclement weather prevails, highways are slippery, or when visibility is poor.
  • Single trip permits do not authorize travel on shoulders of road
  • Single trip permits shall apply to movement of one vehicle or one vehicle combination only.
  • All permits shall require a minimum distance of 1,000 feet between vehicles in a convoy of two or more vehicles.
  • Single trip permits will be for the duration of one movement.  Movement of a fixed load during a 24-hour period shall be considered one movement.  When a piece of equipment is unloaded at a project site and then reloaded to go to its next destination, a new permit must be obtained.

    Special mobile equipment such as: work over rigs, truck cranes, self-propelled scrapers, rubber-tired dozer's and rubber-tired loaders, permits are good for multiple movements during the date of movement as noted on the permit.

3. General safety requirements.

  • All overdimensional vehicles and loads shall have minimum 18 inch by 18 inch red or bright orange flags displayed on the traffic side front and rear.
  • When the overall length of an overdimensional movement exceeds 75 feet in length, there shall be at least an 18 inch by 84 inch OVERSIZE LOAD sign on the rear.  The lettering shall be black on yellow background.  Letters shall be at least 10 inches high with 1.41 inch brush stroke. when the movement is over length only, exceeding 75 feet in overall length a LONG LOAD sign that is a minimum 12 inches by 60 inches in size may be used in lieu of OVERSIZE LOAD sign.  The lettering shall be at least 8 inches high with 1-inch brush stroke.  The sign shall be covered or removed when the movement is not overdimensional.
  • All motor vehicles when transporting loads must be loaded and secured to prevent the shifting or falling of the load.  Loads such as a hydraulic backhoe or crane must be secured to prevent the accidental lifting of the bucket or boom.
  • Towing vehicle must have two mirrors to reflect a rear view of 200 feet to the driver.
  • All commercial oversize vehicles must be equipped in accordance with the requirements and specifications of Parts 393 and 396 of 49CFR.

4. Escort requirements. 

  • All movements exceeding 14 feet 6 inches in width, 18 feet in height, and 120 feet in overall length are required to have official escort or approved pilot cars (see Pilot Car Policy).  In lieu of the pilot car requirement for movements not exceeding 16 feet in width, the over width vehicle itself, or vehicle towing or hauling an over width load, may be equipped with a lighted rotating or flashing amber light or lights that are visible from front and rear for a minimum 500 feet.  On four-lane divided highways, there are no pilot car requirements for movements not exceeding 16 feet in width.  Movements exceeding 18 feet in width will be required to have an official escort unless exempted by the City engineers.
  • Exceeding 16 feet in overall width
    1. One pilot car is required to precede each movement at a distance of 300 to 700 feet and one pilot car is required to follow each movement at a distance of 300 to 700 feet on two-lane highways.
    2. One pilot car is required to follow each movement at a distance of 300 to 700 feet on four-lane divided highways.
  • Pilot car requirements.
    1. The vehicle must be a passenger vehicle or two-axle truck only and must be operated as a single unit only.
    2. The vehicle must have on the highest part a sign that is minimum 12 inches in height and 60 inches in length with the words OVERSIZE LOAD on it.  The sign shall be yellow with black lettering.  The lettering shall not be less than 8 inches high and 1-inch brush strokes.  In addition, flashing amber lights shall be mounted on both ends of the sign.  In place of the two alternating lights, there can be one centrally mounted revolving amber light on the top of the sign.  There shall be radio communication between the pilot car(s) and the vehicle being escorted.

5. General size limitations.

  • Construction and building contractors' equipment and vehicles used to move such equipment are exempt from width limitations not to exceed 10 feet in width when being moved by contractors or resident carriers. ' vehicles and equipment and specialized oil field vehicles commonly referred to as rig up trucks or trucks are considered construction equipment.
  • Single trip permits shall not be issued for movements exceeding the vertical clearance under structures.  If there is a bypass or exit ramp around structures permits may be issued directing the movement around the structure.  All movements exceeding 18 feet in height must have written authority from utility companies to travel under overhead wires.  All vertical clearances shall be the responsibility of the permitted.
    1. The City of Fargo list of bridges with vertical clearances will be referred to when issuing all over height permits and may cause over height movements to be given special route restrictions.
  • Towed vehicles, such as rock crushers or conveyors, are subject to single trip permits if the length of the towed vehicle exceeds 60 feet.
  • Road construction may limit over width movements to 12 feet in width, or less, on some highways Contact City Engineering to obtain width restrictions.
  • If an over width trailer or semitrailer is needed to transport an oversize or overweight load, only one single trip permit will be required for the round trip movement.  If an over length, modular type, semitrailer is needed to transport an overweight load, only one single trip permit will be required for the round trip movement.  An over width farm implement trailer is defined as a farm implement and may also be permitted, empty or loaded.

6. General conditions for all overweight movements.

  • No permit shall be issued for an overweight vehicle unless the vehicle is registered for the gross weight which the vehicle can legally carry without a permit, nor issued for loads that can be reasonably made to conform to legal limits.  Overweight permits will be issued for hauling one piece of equipment only.  A dozer with blade attached is considered one piece.  If the blade is detached, it cannot be hauled on the same load.
  • The rate of speed shall not exceed 25 mph if any axle grouping gross weight exceeds legal weight limits by more than 5,000 pounds, or if the gross vehicle weight is more than 120,000 pounds.  City engineers may require a speed reduction on some structures.
  • Overweight permits are not valid for movement on flexible pavements when the atmospheric temperature is 85 F or above.
  • State issue permits will be honored on the City truck route system provided:
    1. Loads are in compliance with City of Fargo Overdimensional Vehicle Policy.
    2. You are utilizing the services of any truck stop adjacent to the interstate system.
    3. Load stays off of the residential street system.
    4. The origin of the load is the owner's primary place of business (i.e. shop/office) and the load has a destination outside the City of Fargo and the load remains on the City Truck Routes
    5. The origin and destination of a load is outside the City of Fargo and the load remains on the City Truck Routes.
    6. The origin of the load is outside the City of Fargo and the loads destination is the owner's primary place of business (i.e. shop/office) within the City of Fargo and the load remains on the City Truck Routes.

7. Additional conditions for all overweight movements.

  • Loads would have to broken down as follows if requested routes of travel cannot be approved by the City Engineer.
    1. Blades and ripper must be remove from dozer and hauled separately.
    2. All scrapers must be split and hauled separately.
    3. Counterweights must be removed from cranes and hauled separately.
    4. Self-propelled truck cranes shall be allowed a maximum of 550 lbs. per inch width of tire without an additional overweight fee, up to maximum gross vehicle weight of 150,000 lbs, anything over 150,000 lbs, anything over 150,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight will be charged at $5/1000 lbs.

      Weights in excess of 550 lbs. per inch width of tire shall be assessed a $5/1000 lbs. of additional weight per axle configuration on self-propelled truck cranes.
    5. During spring weight restrictions, all truck cranes shall follow the standard overdimensional policies.
  • All movements are subject to City Engineer approval.

8. Additional conditions for movement of overweight self-propelled earthmoving equipment such as scrapers, rubber-tired dozer's, and loaders.

  • The maximum permissible axle weight when loading earthmoving equipment is 36,000 pounds per axle except as authorized by the City engineers.
  • City engineers may authorize permits when the axle weights exceed 36,000 pounds.
  • Earth moving equipment is not allowed to be loaded with material when loading.
  • Maximum speed for movement is 20 mph and a pilot car is required to follow for this purpose.
  • All general travel restrictions and requirements of this permit policy apply to self-propelled earthmoving equipment movements.

9. Government and emergency vehicles.

  • Governmental road maintenance equipment, North Dakota National Guard equipment, and emergency vehicles will be permitted on individual specifications or where emergencies necessitate.

10. Liability of permitted.

  • The applicant or permitted, as a condition for obtaining an oversize and/or overweight permit, shall assume all responsibility for accidents, damage, or injury to any persons or damage to public or private property caused by the movement of any oversize and/or overweight vehicle or load covered by the permit while upon public streets of the City of Fargo
  • The applicant or permitted agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the City of Fargo, their officers and employees from any and all claims resulting directly or indirectly from the movement of an oversize and/or overweight vehicle or load on any public street of the City of Fargo.

11. Special mobile equipment. 

  • For the purpose of this policy, special mobile equipment shall mean every non-registered, overweight, self-propelled vehicle that is only incidentally operated or moved over a highway.
  • Special mobile equipment shall include the following vehicles:
    1. rigs
    2. Truck cranes Self-propelled scrapers
    3. Self-propelled scrapers
    4. Rubber-tired dozer's
    5. Rubber tired loaders

B. Application Procedure

1. Single trip permits can be obtained from the City Engineering Department.

  • Applications may be made in person, via mail, or fax.
  • The applicant must read and sign the reverse side of the receipt/permit acknowledging the movement restrictions and requirements.
  • Permits will be in written form and must be in possession prior to entering City limits or starting movement.
  • Information required to obtain permits.
    1. Company name and address.
    2. Description of power unit: year, make , capacity, serial number, license number and state, tire sizes, and number of axles.
    3. Description of towed unit: type unit, make, tire sizes, and number of axles.
    4. Overall dimensions of vehicle and load.
    5. Axle weights and gross weight of vehicles and load if overweight is requested.
    6. Dates of travel, point of origin and destination, and desired route to be traveled.
  • Overdimensional movement call-ins.
    1. When a situation arises that a permit form can not be filled out before the movement of an overdimensional load, you may call-in the movement of the load, stating the Name of Company, Description of Load, Origin of Load, Destination of Load, Streets Used, Axle Weights and Gross Vehicle Weight.  A permit for this load must then be filled out and faxed to the City of Fargo Engineering Department by 9:00 A.M. the following morning or the City of Fargo will treat it as a failure to obtain a permit.

2. Permit fees.

  • $20 for each single trip permit.
  • Overweight fees as per the overweight fee schedule. (See Appendix C)

3. Single trip movement permits can be obtained from the City of Fargo Engineering Department, 200 N 3rd Street, Fargo ND 58102.  (701) 241-1545 

4. On-site weight verification/escort service.

  • Upon request, the City enforcement officer will provide escort services and the on-site weight verification service prior to entering City streets to ensure the load is in compliance with the City of Fargo Overdimensional Policy.  The cost for these services shall be $30 per hour.