Heavy road transport loads surpassing allowed limits – or abnormal loads – constitute an economically important segment of commercial road haulage.
They include anything from wind turbines and bridge beams to exceptionally large and heavy indivisible loads such as pre-built homes, electric transformers, chemical reactor vessels and airplane fuselages or wings.
Abnormal road transports often need to travel considerable distances, in many cases, across national borders. As they do not comply with the general European legal requirements on vehicle weights and dimensions, an exemption or permit is needed prior to carrying out an abnormal road transport operation.
Length
Maximum permitted length of standard vehicle and load is:
- 12.00 m for the truck (solo vehicle)
- 16.50 m for truck with a semi-trailer
- 18.75 m for a truck with a trailer (road train)
Width
Maximum permitted width of the standard vehicle and load is 2.55 m
Height
Maximum permitted height of the standard vehicle and load is 4.00 m
Total weight
Maximum permitted gross weight of the standard loaded vehicle is 40 t (on 2+3 axles)
Axle Weights
Maximum permitted axle weight of the standard trucks and trailers:
- 10 t on a single axle
- 8 t per axle for multiple axles trailers
- when axial distance between two neighboring axles exceeds 2.00 m, axles are considered to be single
All transports that exceeds any of particularized measure are considered as abnormal transports.
EXPERTISE OF "THE HIGHWAY INSTITUTE"
Expert's opinion (expertise) of ''The Highway Institute" is necessary for:
- transports whose gross weight exceeds 80t
- transports whose width exceeds 5.00 m
- transports whose height exceeds 4.30 m
