My first OD load.

What do you normally pull with your truck? Where is your home base?

 

You got it. Be professional. I loaded with a LS guy who ran without flags on a 9'6" load . Lazy and selfish.

Got caught and fined. Could have ruined it for the rest of LS that day had it been IN. Idiot.

 

Since I missed it on my first post - congratulations on your your first "legal" OD move, it's an addiction and downhill from here.

Now lets save your engine and your wallet so you can pull many more!
I assume you have a smart phone so first things first, get an app from the app store called Torque. There's a free version and with this app you can watch any parameter in real time that is reported to the on board computer. I have this and use it religiously on every vehicle I own. The added benefit, you can scan for codes, check them and clear them. There are pages upon pages of threads with 1,000's of ways to modify and use this app over on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forum. I bought a cheap android tablet off Amazon that is my Torque gauges but a smart phone works just fine.

You'll need a Bluetooth/OBD2 adapter, again lots of expense here (tongue-in-cheek), This is the one I use, have had it for a few years now and works perfectly. For $12.99 it's a huge investment to make in keeping your money maker running healthy.

Again I have used this combo since I got my first 6.0 and it saved me $1,000's in repair bills by being able to see problems developing before they became a failure. Most recently my 350Z started having an intermittent quitting/no-start problem, I was able to clear the codes each time so that it would run without all the lights on AND was able to see it was one of the cam position sensors acting up which saved me a few hundred dollars at the dealership trying to figure out the problem. Changed the right cam position sensor, cleared the codes again then laid a 1/8 mile long 11 in front of my house, made me a happy driver again!!

Now as for the OD signs, I see your using "D" boards so assuming your in Canada. I know some provinces require overhead signs and there are as many options for mounting those as there are pilot cars/trucks. My personal pilots had those but for front mounted OD signs they went to a sign shop, had the signs printed on sign-board (reversible "D"/Oversize Load) then ran two bolts through their bumpers from the back side with long threads, drilled holes in the signs, slid them over the bolts and used fender washers with wing nuts to secure the signs. In all honesty, they had these made for just about the same price as the regular signs. Two quick wing nuts and the signs were on then two quick wing nuts again and the signs were off.

 

If you plan on doing more OD loads, I would encourage you to get a height stick. You can usually find them for about $175. I always measure a load myself. I never take the shippers word for the dimensions unless I have done business with them for a while and know that their measurements are accurate. I always measure the height and width. I also wait to order my permits until I actually measure the load. Shipper measurements are not always accurate. If your permit is for 9 feet and the actual load is 9 feet 1 inch, your permit is not valid. If you are stopped and the officer measures the load, they will shut you down, void your current permit, require you to purchase a new permit with the right dimensions and give you a big fine. In fact, I often add a couple of inches to any load just in case I make a mistake in my measurements. I have rarely had the DOT measure my load, but it has happened. Besides, there could be route restrictions on loads over a certain height or width. It is easy to route around those areas when you know the correct dimensions.

 

A tape measure is not as accurate when calculating height. A tape measure can work well doing width. Whatever clearance height is on road signs should be the clearance that will clear. If you have a load that is 13'6" and the road clearance says 13'6", then you should not have a problem clearing the bridge or overpass. The exception is in New York. Their signs show a lower clearance that is actually correct. When you haul OD loads, you need to make sure to follow the route exactly. Getting off route will result in a fine, cancellation of your permit and require you to purchase a new permit. In addition, you could find yourself on a road with low clearances.