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A bridge analysis is required to determine what impact transporting excessively overweight combinations will have on routes within the state of KANSAS.
A bridge analys is requred:
- When transporting non-divisible loads that exceeding 150,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW).
- When the overall axle length (measurement between the center of the steering axle and the center of the last axle of the combination) cannot comply with the "Annual and Standard Permit Table"
- When axle groups exceed the maximum permissible limits allowed by the standard permit:
- Single 22,000 pounds
- Tandem 45,000 pounds
- Tridem 60,000 pounds
- Quads or more 65,000 pounds
Note: Wider axles may be given more allowances depending on the quality and conditions of the hisghways being traveled
It is difficult to determine how long a bridge study will take.
A number of factors need to be considered in order to make an estimate as to the duration of the analysis:
- Shorter routes that have been analyzed recently generally may be completed within one day.
- Routes from south to north or north to south may be completed in a relatively short period of time if the proposed route is in the western half of Kansas.
- Routes using only a very small portion of western Kansas may be completed in one day.
- Loads greater than 15 feet in width and/or 15 feet in height generally take longer to analyze.
- Routes having no bridges may be done within a few hours. Since there are no bridges to anayze a memo is the only thing that needs to be prepared and sent to the permitting office.
- Routes in the eastern half of Kansas generally take longer, especially if they have not been analyzed recently.
- Routes through metropolitan areas take longer, especially if the load is over 16 feet high. This is due to the fact the clearance of overhead electical lines and cable lines are very difficult to determine. The longer they have been installed the more they tend to sag with age.
- Southeast Kansas has very old roads and there exists many underground mines that need to be considered when analyzing superloads.
There are things customers may do to assist in the processing of superload requests:
- Do not wait until the last minute to request a superload study. A week or more is advisable.
- Make sure the load is non-divisible. Sand, water and grain are examples of divisible loads. Loads that can be reduced to legal weights by removing part of the load are considered divisible loads.
- Make sure you know whether the load is a superload or a large structure. Quite often, time is lost because the request is for a large structure instead of a superload. A large structure is a load that exceeds 18 feet in height and exceeds 16’ 6” in width or the axle group weights exceed what is allowed on a standard pemit.
- Make sure you have the proper form. A “Superload Application ”
 is required to begin the superload analysis.
- Make sure you have provided all the information requested on the form. The permit cannot be issued without a VIN number and start date.
It is understandable that certain information may not be available at the time the request is sent to the Kansas Trucking Connection. If this becomes the case, note this on the request form, in the applicable areas, “the omitted information will be provided later.” When the information is known, immediately contact the Kansas Trucking Connection at 271-3145 to have someone enter the date and any other pertinent data onto the request form.
If the bridge study memorandum is received from bridge design before the required information has been obtained from the customer, the memorandum and the appropriate request will be placed on hold. Upon receiving all the required information, a superload permit will be prepared and faxed to the location shown on the request form.
- Make sure the information shown on the “Superload Application ” is legible and prepared accurately.
- Make sure the fax number shown on the form is accurate. If the fax number is the same as your telephone number make sure your fax is switched to the "on" position on the date you indicated as the "start date" on the “Superload Application.”
- If a question arises about your request, a permit technician will call the company to resolve the problem. Therefore, make sure the proper telephone number and the name of the contact person is entered onto the form. It would be helpful to have a number of persons in the office become familiar with the superload process.. There have been times when the analysis was delayed simply because a “contact person” could not be reached and no one in the office could answer superload questions. If only one person knows about superloads, make sure a backup person can be contacted within a short period of time.
- Make sure all the measurements on the “ Superload Application” is accurate.
- After the application has been sent, modifying the spacing between axles, axle group weights or height or width of the load will only cause a delay in the analysis of your request. In such cases, the study will have to be restarted from the beginning.
When you receive the approved superload permit and the bridge memorandum, make sure each form is legible. If either one is illegible, call the Kansas Trucking Connection at 785-271-3145 and ask to have the information faxed again.
These two documents shall be faxed to the driver of the superload before transporting the load in Kansas. The “Bridge memorandum and the Superload permit must be in the hands of the driver in order for the permit to be valid.
The driver of the superload shall ensure that the escort driver has a copy of the valid permit and the Bridge memorandum. Law enforcement officers or KDOT officials will delay movement of the superload if one or the other of these documents cannot be produced upon request.
- Make sure you have obtained Kansas Certified escorts both front and rear for your move. If you need to locate qualified escorts check out the “contacts” page. Here you will find a listing sorted by state of all the certified escorts companies that have been certified by the state of Kansas.
- Sometimes our fax is busy and does not receive your superload request. Feel free to call the Kansas Trucking Connection at 785-271-3145 at any time to make sure we have received your request. If you wish to check on the status of your request please direct your calls to Mr. Lynn Washburn, bridge engineer. His phone number is 785-296-4434. Mr. Washburn is the supervisor of the bridge analysis unit and can tell you the most about the status of your request.
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"...to provide a statewide transportation system to meet the needs of Kansas."
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