21
SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
SEPTEMBER 2013
ACT
One-stop-shop
Steven Todd
discusses progress in the oversize/overweight permitting process.
all 87 counties and many cities from one
portal. Polk County Engineer Richard
Sanders credits SC&RA members bringing
industry concerns forward as well as
the initial idea of combining all local
jurisdictions into a single site.
SC&RA recently brought to the attention
of Illinois authorities that carriers were
being required to obtain separate permits
for crossing dozens of Illinois Tollway
Authority structures while traveling on
State of Illinois highways. As a result, the
Illinois DOT will soon issue one permit
for both the roadway and the structure,
saving carriers time and resources.
Illinois Truck Enforcement Associations’
Bryce Baker issues and enforces permits
through his local police department. “At
times, there is too much bureaucracy on
the local side of permitting as to control of
process, inability to provide effective and
timely technological solutions and a lack
of communication between departments,”
Baker says. “Easy application, quick
turnaround and fair pricing ideally should
be the goal of all local governments.”
A common denominator is the recent
technological advancements in the field
of automated oversize/overweight routing
and bridge analysis. Center stage at many
such projects is Bentley Systems, a global
software solutions company with 22 state-
level users of its systems.
“Due to many local governments’
insufficient budgets and limited
staff, Bentley has integrated multiple
jurisdictions into one system, such as
West Virginia, where carriers submit
one application for both state and West
Virginia Turnpike permits,” says Bentley
Systems Director Dan Vogen.
The most powerful outcome may
be the recognition that government
officials, law enforcement, carriers, etc.
are not ordained adversaries destined
to undermine the effectiveness of other
stakeholders.
■
The benefits
■
Increase in contingency responsiveness,
future planning and engineering.
■
Increased communication across all
stakeholders.
■
Fair, consistent pricing and
enforcement.
■
Increase in safety and compliant travel
across all jurisdictions decreasing delays
and unnecessary penalties.
■
Increase in trust, cooperation and
respect among stakeholders by decreasing
acrimony, confusion and disputes over the
dynamic reality of regulations.
L
ocal Permits. Perhaps no two
words in the world of oversize/
overweight permitting cause
more consternation to carriers and local
officials. Thanks to persistence and
innovative thinking among the carrier
industry and state and local officials,
a more efficient process is developing
allowing for the possibility of pain free,
seamless carrier travel across the nation.
Diverse organizations – ranging from
carriers and law enforcement to utility
contractors and permit officials – have
been collaborating and tackling issues of
joint concern. Prevailing themes include
equity and harmonization of regulations,
pricing, enforcement and improved
technology, as well as centralization and
uniformity in permit issuance.
Combined objectives
A 2011 law directed then Director of
Virginia Motor Carrier Services Director
Ken Jennings to form the Permit Equity
Study Task Force giving the group the
combined objectives of developing a
uniform system of permitting as well as a
comprehensive, tiered schedule of fees.
A key member was Dean Godwin, a local
law enforcement and permit official.
“When the state became motivated by
the need to make the Virginia Ports more
accessible, we saw this as an opportunity
to bring all the parties together to achieve
something unique in the permitting
world,” Godwin says.
From the Permit Equity Task Force came
legislation coupling the permit fee increase
with the inauguration of one-stop-shop
permitting. Today, carriers may apply for
local annual permits through Virginia’s
automated permitting system.
Wayne Davis, Deputy Director of Motor
Carrier Size & Weight Services, believes
more permits, including some single trips,
will be added as more local jurisdictions
climb on board.
SC&RA Vice President and Permit
Equity Task Force member Doug Ball
says, “We cannot forget transportation of
over-dimensional cargo is a partnership
between government, enforcement
and industry and you can’t have a true
partnership without trust, respect for each
other and meaningful dialogue.”
Improving commerce, customer service
THE AUTHOR
Steven Todd
is
director of advocacy for
the Specialized Carriers &
Rigging Association based
in Centreville, VA.
Continuous harmonization is making the
process for obtaining oversize/overweight
permits easier.
and continuous harmonization of city and
state processes led the state of Maryland
and the city of Baltimore to expand the
issuance of all permits within the states’
automated permit system. Officials
anticipate this “one stop shop” will be
available for customers by the end of 2013.
“Making it easy for customers to comply
is a win-win for everyone as it keeps the
companies compliant and the roads safer,”
says Maryland Motor Carrier Division’s
Tina Sanders. “Many concerns are brought
to our attention at conferences such as the
SC&RA Transportation Symposium. We
sat down with groups including SC&RA
to find a solution that now benefits the
industry as a whole …once we brought
all stakeholders to the table we found a
beneficial solution for all.”
Similar discussions are taking place
across the country, including in Minnesota
where the County Engineers Association
is progressing on an innovative one-
stop-shop permitting solution in which
carriers could access local permits for
