Minnesota Truck-Weight Education Program
Overview | Workshops | Workshops for Enforcement Staff | Weight Charts & Other Resources | Videos & Presentations | County Weight Information
About the Program
Each year, truck traffic is increasing in Minnesota. Recent legislation has changed some longstanding truck-weight laws. Additional gross weights are possible for several commodities provided the trucks are configured correctly and the additional weight is authorized by the governing road authority. The 2017 Minnesota legislature made changes to increase weights in the dairy industry; effective in 2018, legislative changes will allow additional weight for the transportation of construction materials.
The Minnesota Truck-Weight Education Program addresses issues and concerns from state, county, city, and township transportation authorities regarding truck weight. Information is provided that explains road weight regulations during various times of the year, including the winter load increase and spring load restrictions. The program promotes voluntary compliance to reduce damage to public roads and highways from overweight vehicles. The program goal is to provide information and explanations to attendees on how to haul the greatest legal weight, without violating the truck-weight laws. How you configure your truck, with proper axle spacing and tire size, makes a difference.
Features
- A clickable, county-level Minnesota state map for finding basic county-level truck weight information, including restrictions for bridges and seasonal loads
- A schedule for upcoming Minnesota Truck-Weight Compliance Training workshops
- Links to key resources for state and national information on load restrictions, permits, and regulations
- Sample truck-weight calculations
- Training videos Roads and Loads: Finding a Balance and How Heavy Is Too Heavy
- Minnesota educational presentation (1.30 MB PDF) to safeguard public roadways through voluntary vehicle weight compliance
The resources found here may be especially useful to trucking entities, scale operators, farm truck owners and operators, aggregate haulers, truck manufacturers, township and county authorities, new truck dealers, out-of-state companies bound by Minnesota’s legal weight limits, and truck driving students.
Course Instructor
Greg Hayes is a retired state patrol regional supervisor, focused on truck weight enforcement and education. He worked with bordering states and provinces on weight-related issues and has been the the developer and coordinator of the Minnesota Statewide Truck-Weight Education Program since 2001. He currently works with road authorities, enforcement, and industry to gain mutual understanding of the very technical truck weight laws. For questions about the program or course content, please contact Greg at 218-684-1764 or GAHayes@gmail.com.