CCFB News» September 2018

Just as with any other overweight permit, it must be obtained from the highway jurisdiction on whose roads you intend to operate.  Where your route crosses several road jurisdictions (e.g.:  state, county, township) you’ll need several permits—one for each jurisdiction.

For state highways, a separate permit must be obtained for each overweight truck moving agricultural commodities at the higher weights. Unlike last year, the 2018 HSE permit issued by IDOT is valid for only two weeks at a time. At the end of those 14 days, the carrier must obtain a new “14-day route authorization” for the permit.  This periodic renewal is intended to account for any change in capacity of a road or bridge along the permitted route over that span of time.

Farmers are reminded that any weight limit postings along the route (road or bridge) supersede the terms of the overweight permit.  They are encouraged to check in frequently during those two weeks at IDOT’s online Illinois Transportation Automated Permits (ITAP) system to verify there have been no changes in route size or weight tolerances.

IDOT’s Harvest Season Emergency Permit allows travel only on state routes.  It does not cover travel on Interstates or local routes.  Separate permits may be available on local roads at the option of that local jurisdiction.  HSE permits are not available for Interstate highway travel.  Additional information regarding HSE permits is available here.

The issued permit, a copy of form OPER 993, the  bi-weekly route authorization and a copy of the Governor's Harvest Season Emergency proclamation 2018 must be carried in the overweight vehicle. The permit and bi-weekly route authorization can be carried electronically on a smart phone or tablet.

This statewide declaration allows a maximum of 10 percent above the standard limits for gross, axle and registered weights. The 10 percent limit is the maximum a jurisdiction may offer.  Any jurisdiction could, instead, issue a permit for an overweight less than 10 percent above the standard limit.

Remember, you’ll need to turn to local jurisdictional officials for information on what they will require.

IDOT’s automated system will direct a permitted load away from any weight-restricted route segments and bridges.  That could easily mean traveling something other than the most direct route to the farmer’s destination, adding miles.  If that’s the case, farmers will need to decide whether it’s more advantageous to take a heavier load the longer route or to load lighter at the standard weight and use the shorter route.

More information and IDOT’s permits for state routes are available online at the ITAP website:  https://webapps.dot.illinois.gov/ITAP/