Ames, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation says they have received many questions about a law passed in the 2022 Legislative Session related to overweight loads moving on Iowa roadways, and they’d like to clarify the situation a little.
The DOT says the new provision will allow motor carriers who need to haul loads over the legal weight limit to apply for a new annual overweight permit applying to many roads in the state beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
To clarify a few common misconceptions, the DOT tells us that all loads that exceed the current legal weight limit need a permit. Currently, overweight permits are issued for specific routes. The new statewide permits will not be available until January 1, 2023. This new law does not impact other existing overweight or oversize permit types. The permit will be valid on all state and U.S highways. It is not valid on the interstates. According to the law, cities and counties have until 2025 to determine what roads in their jurisdiction will allow permitted overweight loads.
There has been some confusion between the new permit and the emergency proclamation typically signed during harvest by the governor. This new permit is different from the emergency proclamation. The new annual overweight permit is an annual permit and is not limited to agricultural commodities, as is the case with the emergency overweight proclamation during harvest.
More details on the specifics of the statewide overweight permit will be coming in the next few months.
