What is an abnormal load?

An abnormal load is a vehicle or a load that goes beyond the ordinary limits set for using the road. Beyond those limits, moving it stops being something a haulier can simply do and becomes something that has to be notified, and sometimes agreed, in advance.

The thresholds

Three measurements decide it: weight, width, and length. Any one of them crossing its limit makes the movement abnormal, and the thresholds that are crossed determine who must be told and how much notice they need.

Why authorities are involved

A road is owned and maintained by someone, and that someone carries the consequences if a movement does damage. Notification exists so the people who carry that responsibility get the chance to look before the load moves.

What that means in practice

• Hauliers give notice ahead of a movement, with the details of the vehicle and the load.
• Authorities consider what is being asked and respond within the notice period.
• Both sides need a record of what was said, because these questions get asked again later.

The awkward part

Volume. The individual decision is usually not difficult; there are simply a great many of them, they arrive unevenly, and the notice periods are short. That is an administrative problem more than a technical one, and it is the part software should be taking off a team.