United States Department of Transportation
i
Overweight Divisible Loads: Permit Administration and Impact on Indiana’s Road Infrastructure and Safety
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2024-03-01
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[PDF-23.97 MB]
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:Indiana’s House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1190-2021 was implemented in January 2022 to address concerns regarding the overweight (OW) loading behavior of the freight transportation industry and OW permitting. The Act required the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to adopt emergency rules and a fee structure for the interim period. At the start of the interim period, the permit fee was increased from 7 cents/Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL)-mile to 25 cents/ESAL-mile. INDOT commissioned the current study to provide specific information about the effects of the Act on OW permit and revenue trends, infrastructure, and safety. The study results suggest that the Act caused an increase in the number of permits issued and revenue; a decline in the average Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and ESALs; but no significant impact on pavement and bridge damage or safety at the permitted routes. The Act helped to close the gap between OW-induced infrastructure consumption and tax revenues from OW-induced fuel consumption overall. It also closed the gap between OW-induced infrastructure consumption and permit revenues in the context of non-interstate OW operations. Feedback from freight transportation industry indicated a strong propensity to help protect the infrastructure via axle addition, particularly when incentivized using financial levers. Overall, the Act’s evaluation indicated no significant adverse impact on OW permit quantity and revenues, and most importantly, on infrastructure and safety. As such, the study results suggest that there is no need for any further adjustments in the OW divisible load permitting fee structure. In addition, efforts to further encourage responsible loading behavior—such as fee discounts or credits to encourage axle addition and truck load restrictions at specific road classes at certain times of the year—could be pursued.
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