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1. Background
Information
All cargo shipments moving overland
within North America are governed by weight restriction laws
established by both federal and local government agencies. The
consequences of exceeding the legal limit are fines, liability
claims, equipment damage and/or extra costs such as transloading.
Safe Container Act
Beginning April 9, 1997 all
containers moving by truck over US highways exceeding 29,000
lbs. of gross cargo weight must be certified. Certification must
be passed to the carrier prior to tender of the load for
intermodal transport. The certificate must include the following
items:
- Certifying party
- Date of certification
- Commodity
- Container number
- Gross cargo weight including pallets and
dunnage
Failure to comply with federal law can
result in the delay of the shipment. The law now gives the
trucker, if fined for an overweight violation due to incorrect
or missing information from the issuing party of the container,
the right to lien the load to collect the amount of the fine.
The liable party is the party that provides false or erroneous
certification information, violates state highway weight law or
fails to pass on certification information.
2. Maximum Payload (USA &
Canada)
To prevent the stressing of Federal Highway
Bridges, the Federal Bridge Formula uses the spacing of axles on
vehicles to help identify the maximum allowable gross vehicle
weight. Various factors such as type of cargo, distribution of
cargo within the container and different types of equipment
(e.g. steel vs. aluminum containers, flush vs. slider chassis,
tractor weight/type, gensets for reefer) will affect the
determination of an absolute maximum cargo payload.
Due to the variety of variables that factor
into the bridge formula calculation, we offer the following
recommended guideline for the average maximum container payload
weights.
NOTE: Strict adherence to reefer weights.
Limit of tare weight shown on container may never be exceeded.
In the U.S.
-
37,000 lbs. (16.8MT) per 20-foot
container
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44,000 lbs. (20.0MT) per 40-foot
container
-
33,000 lbs. (15.0MT) per 20-foot reefer
container
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40,000 lbs. (18.1MT) per 40-foot reefer
container
In Canada
-
44,000 lbs. (20.0MT) per 20-foot
container
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48,000 lbs. (21.8MT) per 40-foot
container
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40,000 lbs. (18.0MT) per 20-foot reefer
container
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44,000 lbs. (20.0MT) per 40-foot reefer
container
Note: Toronto - Montreal corridor can
accommodate following:
-
47,000 lbs per 20' dry. 44,000 lbs per
20' rfr.
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58,000 lbs per 40' dry. 57,000 lbs per
40' rfr
Spring Thaw limits between 20 March and 12
May 1999, the weight limits for over the road trucks will be
reduced as follows:
| 20'GP |
39,000 lbs |
| 40'GP |
48,000 lbs |
| 40'HQ |
48,000 lbs |
| 45'HQ |
48,000 lbs |
| 40'RF |
48,000 lbs |
| 40'RQ |
48,000 lbs |
* Above weights are for cargo weight only
and only for truck moves out of Montreal. Any containers
that require to be trucked and are over this weight will incur
extra costs that will need to be guaranteed prior to the truck
being dispatched. The additional costs will range from extra
miles run to partial destuffing to bring the container within
weight restrictions.
3.
Exception Handling - General Comments
Special equipment is available in some NAT
locations for overweight containers to be handled legally.
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Some states have higher weight
limitations with permits. See grid below:
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Additional weight permits are for 40s
only where available.
-
All states are 80,000 G.V.W. except
those where Permits are available up to a specified weight
limit. Note - G.V.W. means Gross Vehicle Weight and is the
weight of the container, cargo and tractor.
-
Any Permit requests are required to be
submitted through the Exception Handling Process and an SSR
secured for additional costs and special handling.
| State/Province |
G.V.W. * |
G.V.W. w/ Permit |
Single Axle |
Tandem Axle |
Route Specific |
Permit Cost |
| Alabama |
80,000 |
100,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Alaska |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Alberta |
86,000 |
n/a |
56,000 |
86,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Arizona |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Arkansas |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| British Columbia |
86,000 |
n/a |
56,000 |
86,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| California ** |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Colorado |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Connecticut |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Delaware |
80,000 |
90,000 |
22,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
USD50 |
| Florida |
80,000 |
95,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Georgia |
80,000 |
100,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Idaho |
80,000 |
105,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
FED BRIDGE |
USD 25/YR |
| Illinois |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Indiana |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Iowa |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Kansas |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Kentucky |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
Louisiana
***50 mile radius of port |
80,000 |
95,000 |
n/a |
40,000 |
n/a |
500 annual |
| Maine |
80,000 |
99,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
Na |
VARIES |
| Manitoba |
82,700 |
n/a |
20,000 |
35,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Maryland |
80,000 |
90,000 |
22,000 |
40,000 |
|
NO FEE |
| Massachusetts |
80,000 |
99,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Michigan |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
Plate Required |
n/a |
| Minnesota |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Mississippi |
80,000 |
95,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Missouri |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Montana |
80,000 |
105,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Nebraska |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Nevada |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
FED BRIDGE |
N/A |
| New Brunswick |
97,000 |
n/a |
19,900 |
39,700 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Newfoundland |
97,000 |
n/a |
19,900 |
39,700 |
n/a |
n/a |
| New Hampshire |
80,000 |
99,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| New Jersey |
80,000 |
88,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
USD50 |
| New Mexico |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| New York |
80,000 |
88,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
USD50 |
| North Carolina |
80,000 |
94,000 |
94,500 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| North Dakota |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Nova Scotia |
97,000 |
n/a |
19,900 |
39,700 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Ohio |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Oklahoma |
80,000 |
95,000 |
20,000 |
40,000 |
n/a |
20 usd +
5 per 1000 |
| Ontario |
97,000 |
n/a |
19,900 |
39,700 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Oregon |
80,000 |
105,000 |
22,400 |
36,000 |
FED BRIDGE |
VARIES |
| Pennsylvania |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Prince Edward Island |
97,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
40,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Quebec |
90,961 |
n/a |
39,682 |
46,296 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Rhode Island |
80,000 |
99,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Saskatoon |
86,000 |
n/a |
56,000 |
86,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| South Carolina |
80,000 |
90,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| South Dakota |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Tennessee |
80,000 |
90,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
Yes |
VARIES |
| Texas |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Utah |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
FED BRIDGE |
N/A |
| Vermont |
80,000 |
99,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| Virginia |
80,000 |
88,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
USD50 |
| Washington |
80,000 |
105,500 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
VARIES |
| West Virginia |
80,000 |
88,000 |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
USD50 |
| Wisconsin |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Wyoming |
80,000 |
n/a |
20,000 |
34,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| * Gross Vehicle Weight
in lbs. |
| ** see the chart for
Long Beach/Los Angeles Maximum Weight |
| *** within 450 miles
radius of the ports you can run heavier but outside
the 50 mile radius, GVW is 80,000. |
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