Oversized and Heavy Haulage; Applying for a Permit or an Exemption

Section 29(3) of the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) stipulates that vehicles and trains whose dimensions, axle loads, or total masses actually exceed the generally permitted legal limits require a permit. This also applies to vehicles whose design does not allow the driver a sufficient field of vision. If, however, the dimensions (length, width, height) are exceeded solely due to the load, a special permit is required under Section 46(1), sentence 1, no. 5 of the StVO.

A permit for oversized and heavy transports (special transports) can only be granted if a technical exemption for the vehicle or vehicle combination in question has been issued pursuant to Section 70(1)(1) or (2) of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO).

Permits are granted upon application and depending on the circumstances of the individual case, for a maximum duration of three years, as a single-trip permit, short-term permit, or permanent permit. Permanent permits may be issued for specific routes or for the entire area. They must always be issued subject to revocation.

The basis for the official decision is generally a hearing process, during which, in particular, the road authorities responsible for the roads along the planned transport route are consulted. This serves to assess the risks posed by, for example, an exceptionally wide or heavy transport to other road users or the road infrastructure (especially bridges) and, if necessary, to address these risks through official requirements and conditions.

To the extent that traffic safety or order, or the protection of the road infrastructure, so requires, the permits are subject to conditions and requirements. This may involve, for example, imposing time restrictions (e.g., transport during off-peak nighttime hours) or requiring the applicant to ensure the safety of the transport by providing private escort vehicles (e.g., type BF-4).

Police escorts for special transports shall be arranged by the permitting authorities only in cases where securing the transport through private escorts is deemed insufficient.

In particular, a permit may be granted only if

• transportation by rail or water is not possible—at least for the majority of the route—or if transportation by rail or water would result in unreasonable additional costs, and
• if roads are available for the entire route, the structural condition of which is not impaired by the traffic and for the protection of which no special measures are required, or if, at least, the subsequent restoration of the roads or the implementation of such measures would not be too time-consuming or too extensive, particularly for traffic-related reasons.

Furthermore, a permit may only be granted for the transport of the following cargo:

• for the transport of an indivisible load; a load is considered indivisible if its disassembly is impossible for technical reasons or would entail unreasonable costs; the accessories of a crane and the weight blocks of a calibration vehicle are also considered indivisible;
• for the transport of a load consisting of more than one part, if the parts cannot be transported as individual items for structural reasons and are indivisible (this must be verified by a certification from an officially recognized expert, inspector, or test engineer from an officially recognized monitoring organization, each of whom must have additional qualifications for assessing oversized and heavy transports as well as knowledge of load securing);
• Accessories for indivisible loads; these must not exceed 10% of the total mass of the load and must be listed with a precise description in the accompanying documentation;
• for the transport of multiple individual indivisible parts, each of which, due to its length, width, or height, and are indivisible, provided that the total mass and axle loads permitted under § 34 StVZO are not exceeded;
• a divisible load during empty runs en route to or from a large-volume or heavy transport, provided that the loading area used by the vehicle combination complies with the permissible dimensions (partial lengths, length, width) and the limits permitted under § 34 StVZO are not exceeded;
• during empty runs, parts of the approved vehicle combination as cargo.

If the applicant or the person carrying out the transport has previously, intentionally or through gross negligence, carried out a transport requiring a permit without the necessary permit or has violated the conditions and requirements of a permit, no further permit shall be granted to him or her for a reasonable period of time.

If the shipper and consignee have rail sidings, a permit may only be granted if it is demonstrated that rail transport is not possible or unreasonable. This requirement may be waived only in urgent cases.

A permit under § 29(3) of the StVO is not required if vehicles and vehicle combinations exceed the dimensions specified in the StVO solely due to their load. In such cases, an exemption permit under § 46(1)(5) of the StVO must be applied for. The same authority that would be responsible for granting the permit under § 29(3) of the StVO is also responsible for granting this exemption.

The licensing authorities responsible for issuing permits are the lower-level road traffic authorities. In Bavaria, these are the district offices and independent cities. In addition, the major county seats also perform this function. The competent licensing authority is the one in whose district the transport requiring a permit begins, or the licensing authority in whose district the transport company has its registered office or a branch office that is subject to the requirement to be entered in the commercial, cooperative, or partnership registry. If the registered office is located abroad, the authority with jurisdiction is the one in whose district the permit is first used (e.g., at a border crossing).

Permits for special transports may only be issued upon application. The application must specify the intended route and, in particular, the following actual technical data:

• length, width, height,
• actual gross weight, actual axle loads,
• number of axles, axle spacing, number of wheels per axle,
• type and description of the load and information regarding the indivisibility of the load, dimensions and weight of the load,
• maximum design speed of the transport,
• license plate numbers and vehicle identification numbers of towing vehicles, trailers, and individual vehicles.

Applications may be submitted either in writing to the permitting authorities (application form) or online via the browser-based, nationwide VEMAGS® internet platform “Procedure Management for Oversized and Heavy Haulage” (see “Online Procedures”).

Based on the application, the competent authority conducts a consultation process. As part of this process, it involves all authorities within Germany affected by the transport route and compiles their statements regarding the application (e.g., rejection, approval subject to conditions) into a single permit decision.

Because various government agencies must be involved, the permit application should be submitted as early as possible. 

Processing applications typically takes two weeks once a complete and error-free application has been submitted. However, a longer processing time may be required for structural analysis of bridge structures or for procedures that are particularly complex for other reasons.

• The application must specify the intended route and at least the following actual technical data:
  

   

  • Length, width, height, 
  • actual gross weight, actual axle loads,
  • number of axles, axle spacing, number of wheels per axle,
  • type and description of the load and information regarding the indivisibility of the load, dimensions and weight of the load,
  • maximum design speed of the transport,
  • license plate numbers and vehicle identification numbers of towing vehicles and trailers, as well as individual vehicles.
    
    Information regarding the axle configuration is not required if the gross weight, axle loads, and wheelbases do not exceed the limits specified in § 34 of the StVZO.
• Attachments and appendices should be included only if they are necessary for the review of the application.
• Exemption under Section 70 of the StVZO

For decisions made under the Road Traffic Regulations, fees are charged in accordance with the Schedule of Fees for Road Traffic Measures (GebOSt). For decisions regarding permits or exemptions for metropolitanor heavy transports pursuant to Section 29(3) or Section 46(1), first sentence, item 5 of the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO), the GebOSt stipulates a base fee of 40.00 euros and a maximum fee of 1,300.00 euros.

The fee is calculated uniformly throughout Germany in accordance with the appendix to fee number 263.1.1 of the GebOSt (Decision on a permit or exemption for oversized and heavy transports pursuant to Section 29(3) or Section 46(1), sentence 1, item 5 of the StVO).