O/W Permit Calculations

Hi y'all,

Just wondering - do you have a system for quickly calculating the cost of O/W permits? The company I work for is starting to haul heavier and heavier loads, so the regulations are going to get more complicated and our blanket calculations aren't going to work as well going forward.

Is there a plug in and go Excel sheet or anything you use? If so, how did you build it out? We're pretty skeptical of online services that claim they can calculate that stuff for you. We'd like to have a system to expedite the process to streamline bidding. Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Yeah, this is something my boss is trying to get together since we're newer to the super OW/OD loads. We've got a trailer that can max out at 60,000#, but are looking to get into heavier stuff. Right now, with rates being what they are, the margin's on permits are starting to matter more (for us, at least). Generally we're calculating $150 per state on OW loads, but we're thinking that we'll need to get more specific if we're going to keep things afloat.

 

That wild fluctuation is why we're looking for accurate estimates on permit costs. It's a pretty big deal, like you said, even outside of the margins, if the cost is $145 vs $40. I know that it's a total pain in the ###, and I also think the company's being a little unreasonable to expect that something like that can be built out, but hey, this is what they're asking for. I really can't imagine making a spreadsheet that can plug and go estimates for states that run per mile over however many pounds, blanket rates, etc.

We're based out of TX, but run pretty much anywhere that makes sense. We'll typically stay out of super remote areas, but sometimes bite the bullet and do it anyways.