Commentary: State OS/OW Laws Get GAO's Attention
April 7, 2015 - In late February, the U.S. General Accounting Office published a recommendation that the federal DOT conduct a study on states’ oversize- and overweight-permitting practices to identify areas of best practice and share the results with states. That’s good news for the transport and heavy-haul sector. Even better is the fact that DOT agreed with GAO’s recommendation.
In addition to interviewing DOT and state officials, GAO collected info on the permitting practices of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and found that the vehicle size and weight limits vary by state, although they are within the parameters of federal requirements.
GAO also found that permitting practices for oversize vehicles often vary by state. In some cases, states follow similar practices; however, other permitting practices vary by state. State officials GAO interviewed did not always agree on the benefits of the various permitting practices, and some spoke of the need for more information on this topic.
According to GAO’s findings, FHWA has established some federal vehicle size and weight requirements, and oversees some state activities. Based on current legislation, FHWA has established rules and regulations for vehicle width (8’6”), truck trailer length (48 ft.), and vehicle weight standards (80,000 lbs.) for certain federal-aid highways aimed at protecting highways and bridges from damage while providing a safe and efficient highway network. FHWA does not, however, have the authority to establish a height requirement, going back to the 1950s and the Interstate System’s construction, when height clearances already varied from state to state.
FHWA also oversees states’ processes for enforcing these standards by reviewing documentation of enforcement operations. However, FHWA has more limited involvement in individual states’ permitting processes and requirements, which the agency considers largely a state matter. State laws and regulations set varying size and weight limits and permitting requirements for vehicles that exceed these limits and that operate on highways and bridges.
While FHWA is (1) conducting some research on the potential effect of changes to truck size and weight limits and (2) working with the trucking industry to update a best practices guide on escort vehicle operations, according to GAO, it has not studied permitting best practices across states due to lack of authority over state permitting. In GAO’s prior work on improving agency performance, the agency found that identifying best practices can help identify changes that might be needed to improve performance. By conducting this type of research, FHWA would be better positioned to help states make sound decisions to improve safety and protect infrastructure, GAO believes.
All of this concern over uniformity among state practices came about after a May 2013 accident in which a truck carrying an oversize load crashed into an interstate bridge in Washington State causing it to collapse. This crash raised issues about oversize vehicles and public safety. The Joint Explanatory Statement of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014 required GAO to review the role of federal and state agencies in overseeing oversize vehicles.
What comes of GAO’s recommendation that DOT study the inconsistencies among states is anybody’s guess. Uniformity could be a longshot for those who deal daily with the headaches of permitting oversize/overweight loads. But at least somebody’s listening to a part of the transport industry that has struggled for decades to simply do its job, and do it safely.
