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All cargo shipments moving overland within North America are governed by weight restriction laws established by both federal and local government agencies. The consequences of exceeding the legal limit are fines, liability claims, equipment damage and/or extra costs such as transloading.
Beginning April 9, 1997 all containers moving by truck over US highways exceeding 29,000 lbs. of gross cargo weight must be certified. Certification must be passed to the carrier prior to tender of the load for intermodal transport. The certificate must include the following items:
- Certifying party
- Date of certification
- Commodity
- Container number
- Gross cargo weight including pallets and dunnage
Failure to comply with federal law can result in the delay of the shipment. The law now gives the trucker, if fined for an overweight violation due to incorrect or missing information from the issuing party of the container, the right to lien the load to collect the amount of the fine. The liable party is the party that provides false or erroneous certification information, violates state highway weight law or fails to pass on certification information.
Maximum Payload (USA & Canada)
To prevent the stressing of Federal Highway Bridges, the Federal Bridge Formula uses the spacing of axles on vehicles to help identify the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight. Various factors such as type of cargo, distribution of cargo within the container and different types of equipment (e.g. steel vs. aluminum containers, flush vs. slider chassis, tractor weight/type, gensets for reefer) will affect the determination of an absolute maximum cargo payload.
Due to the variety of variables that factor into the bridge formula calculation, we offer the following recommended guideline for the average maximum container payload weights.
NOTE: Strict adherence to reefer weights. Limit of tare weight shown on container may never be exceeded.
In the U.S.
March 1 - May 1
Suggested Weight Maximum Weight Spring Thaw
20' dry container 39,500 lbs. (17.92MT) Maximum varies by state N/A
40' dry container 44,500 lbs. (20.19MT) Maximum varies by state* N/A
45' dry container 42,000 lbs. (19.05MT) Maximum varies by state N/A
20' reefer cntr 36,500 lbs. (16.56MT) Maximum varies by state N/A
40' reefer cntr 41,500 lbs. (18.82MT) Maximum varies by state N/A
*Montreal gateway to/from USA maximum = 42,000 lbs (or 19.05MT)
In Canada
20' dry container 40,000 lbs. (18.14MT) 46,000 lbs. (20.87MT) 42,000
40' dry container 44,500 lbs. (20.19MT) 55,000 lbs. (24.95MT) 52,000
45' dry container 43,000 lbs. (19.50MT) 53,500 lbs. (24.20MT) 50,500
20' reefer cntr 37,000lbs. (16.89MT) 43,000 lbs. (19.50MT) 39,000
40' reefer cntr 41,500 lbs. (18.82MT) 52,000 lbs. (23.59MT) 48,000
Intermodal Loading Guide
Click here
Weight Limitations by State/Province
Special equipment is available in some North American locations for overweight containers to be handled legally.
Some states have higher weight limitations with permits. See grid below:
- Additional weight permits are for 40s only where available.
- All states are 80,000 G.V.W. except those where Permits are available up to a specified weight limit. Note - G.V.W. means Gross Vehicle Weight and is the weight of the container, cargo and tractor.
- Any Permit requests are required to be submitted through the Exception Handling Process and an SSR secured for additional costs and special handling.
| State/Province |
G.V.W. * |
G.V.W. w/ Permit |
Single Axle |
Tandem Axle |
|
Alabama
|
80,000
|
100,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Alaska
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Alberta
|
86,000
|
n/a
|
56,000
|
86,000
|
|
Arizona
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Arkansas
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
British Columbia
|
86,000
|
n/a
|
56,000
|
86,000
|
|
California **
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Colorado
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Connecticut
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Delaware
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
22,000
|
34,000
|
|
Florida
|
80,000
|
95,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Georgia
|
80,000
|
100,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Idaho
|
80,000
|
105,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Illinois
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Indiana
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Iowa
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Kansas
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Kentucky
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Louisiana
***50 mile radius of port
|
80,000
|
95,000
|
n/a
|
40,000
|
|
Maine
|
80,000
|
99,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Manitoba
|
82,700
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
35,000
|
|
Maryland
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
22,000
|
40,000
|
|
Massachusetts
|
80,000
|
99,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Michigan
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Minnesota
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Mississippi
|
80,000
|
95,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Missouri
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Montana
|
80,000
|
105,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Nebraska
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Nevada
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
New Brunswick
|
97,000
|
n/a
|
19,900
|
39,700
|
|
Newfoundland
|
97,000
|
n/a
|
19,900
|
39,700
|
|
New Hampshire
|
80,000
|
99,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
New Jersey
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
New Mexico
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
New York
|
80,000
|
88,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
North Carolina
|
80,000
|
94,000
|
94,500
|
34,000
|
|
North Dakota
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Nova Scotia
|
97,000
|
n/a
|
19,900
|
39,700
|
|
Ohio
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Oklahoma
|
80,000
|
95,000
|
20,000
|
40,000
|
|
Ontario
|
97,000
|
n/a
|
19,900
|
39,700
|
|
Oregon
|
80,000
|
105,000
|
22,400
|
36,000
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Prince Edward Island
|
97,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
40,000
|
|
Quebec
|
90,961
|
n/a
|
39,682
|
46,296
|
|
Rhode Island
|
80,000
|
99,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Saskatoon
|
86,000
|
n/a
|
56,000
|
86,000
|
|
South Carolina
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
South Dakota
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Tennessee
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Texas
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Utah
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Vermont
|
80,000
|
99,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Virginia
|
80,000
|
90,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Washington
|
80,000
|
105,500
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
West Virginia
|
80,000
|
88,000
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Wisconsin
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
|
Wyoming
|
80,000
|
n/a
|
20,000
|
34,000
|
| * Gross Vehicle Weight in lbs. |
| ** see the chart for Long Beach/Los Angeles Maximum Weight |
| *** within 50 miles radius of the ports you can run heavier but outside the 50 mile radius, GVW is 80,000. |
Customer Advisory: Export Intermodal cargo moving over Los Angeles/Long Beach Gateway
In order to ensure over the road safety on OOCL export containers, rail billing requests received that exceed the following cargo weight limitations will be subject to rejection:
a) 20' (general purpose) in excess of 44,000 cargo weight lbs
b) 20' (reefer) in excess of 41,500 cargo weight lbs
c) 40' (general purpose) in excess of 44,500 cargo weight lbs
d) 40' (reefer) in excess of 41,500 cargo weight lbs
e) 45' in excess of 41,500 cargo weight lbs
Rail billing request must be made at least two business hours prior to delivery to rail ramp. Please email rail billing request containing cargo weight details as follows:
For dry cargo email: railbill@oocl.com
For hazardous cargo: hazbill@oocl.com
For refrigerated cargo: rfrbill@oocl.com
Any rail bill request received in excess of OOCL’s allowable weight limit will be rejected and message sent back to sender within one hour of email receipt advising of our inability to process.
Should you have any questions or require assistance with regards to this advisory or your shipment needs, please do not hesitate to contact OOCL Customer Service in USA or Canada at 1-888-388-6625.
Prohibited Hazardous Intermodal Shipments
Please be advised that BNSF has a new listing of prohibited commodities that cannot be accepted by BNSF. The listing includes poisonous gas, flammable, non-flammable tank commodities that will no longer be accepted with or without Department of Transportation exemption or Federal Railroad Administration approval. There are different categories for Trailers and Containers, and Tank Containers. This new ruling is effective July 1st, 2008.
Please find below a link to the BNSF site showing the list of prohibited hazardous Intermodal shipments
http://www.bnsf.com/customers/how-can-i-ship/ocean-containers/prohibited-commodities.html
BNSF Container Blocking and Bracing Guidelines
When shipping intermodal on the BNSF, the shipper has certain obligations to safely load contents, as stated in BNSF Intermodal Rules & Policies Guide.
BNSF Container Blocking and Bracing guidelines may be found at:
http://www.bnsf.com/customers/support-services/loading-and-shipment-safety/
For Canada, the guideline may be found at:
http://www.cpr.ca/en/customer-centre/shipping-guides/loading-guides/Pages/intermodal.aspx
Quebec Spring Thaw **QUEBEC SPRING THAW PERIOD FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE FROM MARCH 21, 2011 TO MAY 17, 2011** http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/entreprises_en/camionnage/charges_dimensions/periode_degel/zones_periodes_degel#zone3
DURING THIS PERIOD, THE MAXIMUM PAYLOAD MUST BE REDUCED FOR ALL SHIPMENTS MOVING BY TRUCK
a) CPRR & CNRE ALSO RESTRICT ACCEPTANCE OF RAIL SHIPMENTS WITH MONTREAL DESTINATION TO THE MAXIMUM HIGHWAY WEIGHT LIMIT DURING SPRING THAW PERIOD.
BETWEEN QUEBEC AND ONTARIO (INTRA-CANADA TRUCK MOVES) (NOTE 1)
|
20'GP
|
42,000 lbs
|
|
20'RF
|
39,000 lbs
|
|
40'GP
|
52,000 lbs
|
|
40'HQ
|
52,000 lbs
|
|
45'HQ
|
52,000 lbs
|
|
40'RQ
|
48,000 lbs
|
BETWEEN QUEBEC AND UNITED STATES (TRUCK MOVES) (NOTE 1)
|
20'GP
|
36,000 lbs
|
|
20'RF
|
33,000 lbs
|
|
40'GP
|
38,000 lbs
|
|
40'HQ
|
38,000 lbs
|
|
45'HQ
|
38,000 lbs
|
|
40'RQ
|
35,000 lbs
|
NOTE 1: Above are cargo weight limits for truck moves ex-Montreal. Loads exceeding the above weights may incur extra costs that will need to be guaranteed prior to the delivery. The additional costs may include extra miles driven, partial de-vanning to reduce load to legal weight limits and/or fines. Also note that delays may be experienced should weight exceed legal limits.
Note: The following cargo weight can be handled by Highland Transport (HITD) during the Quebec Spring Thaw period:
BETWEEN TORONTO AND MONTREAL (INTRA-CANADA)
|
20'GP
|
43,000 lbs
|
|
40'GP
|
54,000 lbs
|
|
40'HQ
|
54,000 lbs
|
|
40'RQ
|
48,000 lbs
|
Intra-Canada, Refrigerated shipment cargo weight needs to be reduced to 48,000 lbs to accommodate the weight of clip-on genset (w/fuel) equipment.
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