Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 73 - WEIGHTS, MEASURES AND STANDARDS › Part I - Weights and Standards › Chapter 7 - Oversize and Overweight Permit Laws and Regulations › Section I-719 - Exceptional Loads Exceeding 18 Feet in Height in the New Orleans Area

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Beginning
				September 1, 1994, exceptional loads exceeding 18 feet in height in the New
				Orleans area must contact the department's district maintenance engineer before
				movement begins.
B. The purpose of
				this contact will be to obtain district authorization for the use of state
				highways. The following procedures must be followed before final approval is
				given and the truck permit office notified that the oversize/overweight permit
				can be issued.
1. Utility companies and DOTD
				will not charge trucking companies for any adjustments required to move lines
				that are below the height approved by the department at the time of their
				installation. Old utility lines may be set at a lower vertical clearance than
				currently required, and in these cases the requirement at the time the line was
				installed will govern. In instances where the load being moved exceeds the
				required vertical clearance, the trucker will be required to pay in advance for
				any adjustments or removal that is required.
2. If an estimate of cost is desired prior to
				movement, it will be necessary for DOTD and the utility companies to be given
				four working days notice, unless unusual conditions are involved, in order to
				have sufficient time to survey the route and prepare the estimate.
3. When proper notice is given, DOTD and the
				utility companies will not charge the trucker for checking the route and
				preparing a cost estimate. Only one free estimate will be given for each route
				approval requested.
4. Each cost
				estimate and final billing will be itemized. Escort fees will be shown as a
				separate charge on the itemized bill.
5. When moving loads over 18 feet in height,
				the trucker is to contact the district maintenance engineer requesting a
				district authorization number. The district maintenance engineer will maintain
				a list of contacts with each utility company having lines crossing the proposed
				route. The mover is to call each company, give them the district authorization
				number, and request clearance to move. When the utility company has completed
				its investigation of the route involved, it will call both the company
				requesting clearance and the district maintenance engineer and give their
				approval. When all the companies involved have given their approval, the
				district maintenance engineer will call the truck permit office giving the
				company name and authorization number signifying that all the proper approvals
				have been received. The truck permit office will issue the permit to use the
				state highways only after a call has been received from the district
				maintenance engineer or his representative.
6. At no time, unless unusual conditions are
				involved, such as the physical relocation of lines or emergencies, will the
				movement of any load be delayed more than seven days from the point of their
				first contact by the mover.
7.
				Utility companies will provide the District 02 district maintenance engineer
				with the names of one authorized representative and one alternate who can
				approve routes for their companies.
8. The present procedure involving loads that
				exceed 18 feet in width will still apply even though the height is 18 feet or
				less.
9. Lack of cooperation on the
				part of any utility company will result in DOTD re-evaluating its position on
				applications for right-of-way permits with regard to that particular company
				and could ultimately result in their permits being denied.
10. If any trucker fails to follow the
				adopted procedures by falsifying dimensions to circumvent these procedures, the
				trucker will be fined if caught, and continual disregard of the policies will
				result in their being denied permits to move.