Texas seeing record amount of oversized truck loads

According to a blog post from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there are a record number of trucks in Texas hauling overweight and oversize loads, due to the ease of the permitting process for these loads.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has created an automated system called the Texas Permitting and Routing Optimization System, which makes it quick and easy to obtain a permit for an oversize or overweight load, said the blog post. 

"There was a time when carriers might have waited several hours to get a permit, and for them time is money," Jean Beeman, manager of the department’s business services section, told the paper.  "Carriers can now go on at midnight and put in specifics for their load, get their permits right there and get their routes."

Despite the fact that heavier trucks benefit many companies that pay less for shipping more, the state's highways are damaged by heavy trucks, reducing trucking safety in Texas and across the United States, reported the blog.

According to Providence, Rhode Island, CBS affiliate WRNI, oversized trucking loads recently created delays on the highway between Providence and Massachusetts, as trucks transported large wind turbines from China.

Texas seeing record amount of oversized truck loads

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012