TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE^*

OFFICERS

CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston

VICE CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC

MEMBERS

Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI

James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ

Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City

Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL

Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul

Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany

Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington

Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA

Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX

Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre

Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames

Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA

Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta

Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley

Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC

Shailen Bhatt, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC

Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento

Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC

LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD

William H. Graham, Jr. (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC

Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Sue Lawless, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC

Niloo Parvashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council

Sophie Shulman, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC

Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC

Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

___________________

^* Membership as of May 2024.

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Transporting Freight in Emergencies

A GUIDE ON SPECIAL PERMITS
AND WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS

Sushant Sharma
Bradley Trefz
David Bierling
Jeffery Warner
Curtis Morgan
Jack Merritt
TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
College Station, TX

Subscriber Categories
Motor Carriers • Freight Transportation • Security and Emergencies

Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.

Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agreement No. 693JJ31950003.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.

The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB.

The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.

NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1115

Project 23-13(05)
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-71002-2
Library of Congress Control Number 2024942073

© 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.

Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.

NOTICE

The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.

The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.

The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

Published research reports of the

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

are available from

National Academies Press
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and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
https://nap.nationalacademies.org

Printed in the United States of America

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1115

Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs

Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Trey Joseph Wadsworth, Senior Program Officer

Mazen Alsharif, Senior Program Assistant

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

Kristin C. Sawyer, Editor

NCHRP PROJECT 23-13(05) PANEL
Field of Administration—Area of Agency Administration

Scott Singer, Michigan Department of Transportation, Chesterfield, MI (Chair)

Evangelos I. Kaisar, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Geno P. Koehler, Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield, IL

Jonathan Nicastro, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany, NY

Diana Gineth Ramirez-Rios, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY

Thomas Mark Schriber, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA

John H. Berg, FHWA Liaison

FOREWORD

By Trey Joseph Wadsworth
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board

NCHRP Research Report 1115: Transporting Freight in Emergencies: A Guide on Special Permits and Weight Requirements provides a guide to state departments of transportation (DOTs) to consider options to better anticipate and respond to state and federal emergencies, specifically related to the movement of overweight commercial vehicles carrying emergency commodities within a state or across a region. The guide documents (1) current legal requirements on emergency declarations and options for state DOTs to address emergency movement of commodities, (2) options to prepare for emergency overweight special permitting, and (3) tools and resources. The guide identifies the challenge of navigating the overlays of federal, state, and local laws and regulations on truck movements during emergencies. The guide will be of interest to elected officials and permitters at state DOTs and other public agencies.

Commercial vehicles delivering consumer goods must observe the applicable size and weight requirements and seek permits for oversize loads. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes accelerated in commerce, adding pressure for the freight community to deliver goods directly to consumers in an environment of uncertainty where consumers were buying in bulk, exhausting supplies of common and necessary goods. On top of consumer disruptions to the freight system, truckers urgently had to make deliveries of much-needed pandemic-related supplies. Several actions were needed to facilitate the continuity of freight flows. For example, the states increased allowable weight limits for vital health supplies, food deliveries, and other emergency commodities transported on commercial vehicles.

Under NCHRP Project 23-13(05), “Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities,” the Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to develop a practitioners’ guide for DOTs to (1) achieve consistent definitions for emergencies and emergency commodities; (2) identify successful practices, procedures, and processes for increasing weight limits during emergencies, including coordination and harmonization with neighboring jurisdictions; and (3) develop a decision framework that considers different emergency scenarios that are linked with successful practices, procedures, and processes.

In addition to the guide, published as NCHRP Research Report 1115, the following deliverables can be found on the National Academies Press (nap.nationalacademies.org) web page for NCHRP Research Report 1115 under “Resources.”

1. A research results presentation [“TRB Webinar NCHRP 23-13(05): Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities”]; and

2. An implementation memo (“Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities: Implementation of Research Findings and Products Technical Memorandum”).

The conduct of research report, which is the research agency’s report documenting the development of the guide and the entire research effort, is available on the National Academies Press (nap.nationalacademies.org) web page for NCHRP Web-Only Document 397: Developing a Guide for Transporting Freight in Emergencies: Conduct of Research.

CONTENTS

Summary

PART I Introduction to Special Permitting for Overweight Divisible Loads in Emergencies and Disasters

Chapter 1 Introduction

Background

Guide Purpose

Guide Application and Organization

Chapter 2 Special Permitting for Overweight Divisible Loads in Emergencies and Disasters

Introduction

Understanding Legal Citations

Federal Emergency and Disaster Declaration Legal Framework

State Disaster and Emergency Declarations

Divisible versus Nondivisible Loads

Exemptions to Federal Weight Limits Not Requiring Special Permits

State Systems of Special Permitting for Overweight Divisible Loads

Special Permit Validity

PART II Preparing for Emergency Overweight Special Permitting

Chapter 3 Emergency Preparedness Planning

Introduction

Mitigation

Preparedness

Response

Recovery

Prevention

Chapter 4 Harmonization and Coordination of Special Permitting for Overweight Divisible Loads

Introduction

Development and Evaluation of Emergency Commodity Lists

Considerations for Harmonization and Raising Weight Limits During Emergencies

Developing MOUs

Chapter 5 Best Practices for Coordination and Harmonization of Overweight CMV Special Permits During Emergencies and Disasters

Introduction

Best Practices for Routing of Overweight CMVs During Emergencies

Communications and Coordination

CVSA Emergency Declarations Portal

PART III Tools and Resources

Chapter 6 Tools and Resources for Implementation During Emergencies

Introduction

CVSA Emergency Declarations Portal

FMCSA Emergency Declarations, Waivers, Exemptions, and Permits Website

AASHTO Committees

Additional Resource Documents

Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities—Final Report

References

Acronyms

Appendix A Contacts of State Permitting Authority (2023)

Appendix B MAASTO Memorandum of Understanding