§ 1402 - Overweight, width, height, and length permits; fees - Vermont Statutes

§ 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 his or her 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 $35.00 for each single trip permit or $100.00 for a blanket permit, except that the fee for a fleet blanket permit shall be $100.00 for the first unit and $5.00 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 $100.00 for the first tractor and $5.00 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 accident.

(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 $25.00. 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 accident.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the agency of transportation may erect signs at those locations where it would be unsafe to operate vehicles in excess of 68 feet in length.

(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) Permit for shipment of mobile or manufactured homes. The commissioner may from time to time designate a specific route as being pre-approved for the shipment of mobile or manufactured homes which are greater than 14 feet but not greater than 16 feet in overall width. Any person to whom a permit is issued under subsection (a) of this section, to transport a mobile or manufactured home which is greater than 14 feet but not greater than 16 feet overall width, over routes that have been pre-approved shall pay in lieu of the fees established in that subsection, a single trip permit fee of $40.00.

(e) Pilot project allowing annual permits for low-bed trailers.

(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) This subsection shall expire on June 30, 2010. No later than January 15, 2010, the department of motor vehicles, after consultation with the agency of transportation, Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and Vermont Truck and Bus Association, shall report to the house and senate committees on transportation on the results of this two-year pilot project. The report shall include recommendations on extending this provision on low-bed trailers, as well as other recommendations relating to longer vehicle lengths. (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.)