Hauling Over Height Question

I will start saying that i dont have much experience when it comes down about OS/OD(Over Size), However as a matter of CAN , yes you can haul that BUT the million dollar question would be...what would happen IF you hit a bridge or bring down power lines? As soon as the 5-0 arrived im assuming the will see that load being over size and they will ask for 2 main things...LOG BOOK & PERMITS...remember you are the captain of the ship..therefore YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for everything...I will be more concern when the answer from dispatch starts with..."DONT WORRY WE DO IT ALL THE TIME"...i will check with the head of their safety department just to CYA... that's my 2 cents..

 

OP, check with FMCSA, but last i did, anything over 13'6" is OD no matter how you slice it. As has been said before, you are the Captain of your ship. You need marked for OD at that height, even if your weight, etc is inline with the norm. Do you tarp? Chain? What exactly are you hauling? Still, OD is Over-dimensional. I almost got screwed BAD on this last year, and learned the "almost" hard way. Four inches almost messed me up. No more OD in the winter for this cat... tooo much headache. I'm sticking to tankin-yankin.

 

Just ask them to put it in writing on their letter head
G13tomcat, better check again, lost of western states are 14' plus missouri and texas.

 

You got me prob, @Old Man ... in the East its def 13'6". Good idea to get in writing~

 

I love all the non-carhaulers in here giving noob-style advice.

OP, it really depends on where you're at... I know guys who run that tall occasionally over there, but most of them tend to run long off the back to keep the height down. I don't get that way much, so I'm not sure what you can get away with, but here in the Midwest, 14'5" is fairly common on railhead loads with the size of pickups nowadays. I always shot for less than 14'2", and knew every bridge where I ran around that was less than that. I wasn't crossing any scales to worry about height detectors, and the DOT never really seemed to worry about height, just length (and weight, of course.)

I guess the short answer is, if you're not hitting anything, it's not a problem!

 

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Tell them plenty of good car hauling jobs at companies that allow and expect the driver to run legal. They should take one off they load or replace one with a smaller unit. If they over promised to a broker or dealer that's not your problem.

 

Oh you won't knock the bridge down, you will turn something into a convertible or worst case the chains or straps break and the vehicle ends up on the road and someone hits it and dies.

That particular route you have to be very careful leaving Detroit then once you're out you're ok except the 75S bridge in Cincinatti that is marked 14'1". Take 275 around the west side and then you're good all the way to Miami.

It can be done and we all do it but I'm not sure I would want to work for a company that expects that of me every time. Especially if they're sending me to deliver in Chicago, Detroit or pretty much anywhere in the NE