Maximum weight restrictions; enforcement of limits
Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), a person
may not operate or cause to be operated upon an Indiana highway a
vehicle or combination of vehicles having weight in excess of one (1)
or more of the following limitations:
(1) The total gross weight, with load, in pounds of any vehicle
or combination of vehicles may not exceed an overall gross
weight on a group of two (2) or more consecutive axles
produced by application of the following formula:
W = 500 { [(LN) ÷ (N-1)] + 12N + 36 }
where W equals the overall gross weight on any group of two
(2) or more consecutive axles to the nearest five hundred (500)
pounds, L equals the distance in feet between the extreme of
any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles, and N equals
the number of axles in the group under consideration, except
that two (2) consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross
load of thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds each, providing
the overall distance between the first and last axles of the
consecutive sets of tandem axles is thirty-six (36) feet or more.
The overall gross weight limit, calculated under this
subdivision, may not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds.
(2) The weight concentrated on the roadway surface from any
tandem axle group may not exceed the following:
(A) Thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds total weight.
(B) Twenty thousand (20,000) pounds on an individual axle
in a tandem group.
(3) A vehicle may not have a maximum wheel weight, unladen
or with load, in excess of eight hundred (800) pounds per inch
width of tire, measured between the flanges of the rim or an
axle weight in excess of twenty thousand (20,000) pounds.
(b) The enforcement of weight limits under this section is subject
to the following:
(1) It is lawful to operate within the scope of a permit, under
weight limitations established by the Indiana department of
transportation and in effect on July 1, 1956, as provided in
IC 9-20-6.
(2) It is lawful to operate or cause to be operated a vehicle or
combination of vehicles on a heavy duty highway or an extra
heavy duty highway designated by the Indiana department of
transportation if operated within the imposed limitations.
(3) Whenever any of the weight limitations provided in
subsection (a) are utilized on any interstate highway in Indiana,
the reference to weight tolerance in IC 9-20-18-2 does not
apply.
(4) Subsection (a) does not apply to any highway, road, street,
or bridge for which a lesser weight limit is imposed by local
authorities under IC 9-20-1-4 or IC 9-20-7-2. However, the local
authority may by appropriate action establish and designate a
county or city highway, road, or street or part of a highway,
road, or street as a heavy duty highway subject to the weight
limitations established under IC 9-20-5.
(5) Vehicles operated on toll road facilities are subject to rules
of weight adopted for toll road facilities by the Indiana
department of transportation under IC 8-15-2 and are not
subject to subsection (a) when operated on a toll road facility.
(c) The greater of the weight limits imposed under subsection (a)
or this subsection applies to vehicles operated upon an Indiana
highway. The weight limits in effect on January 4, 1975, for any
highway that is not designated as a heavy duty highway under
IC 9-20-5 are the following:
(1) The total gross weight, with load, in pounds of a vehicle or
combination of vehicles may not exceed seventy-three thousand
two hundred eighty (73,280) pounds.
(2) The total weight concentrated on the roadway surface from
a tandem axle group may not exceed sixteen thousand (16,000)
pounds for each axle of a tandem assembly.
(3) A vehicle may not have a maximum wheel weight, unladen
or with load, in excess of eight hundred (800) pounds per inch
width of tire, measured between the flanges of the rim, or an
axle weight greater than eighteen thousand (18,000) pounds.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.
Last modified: May 27, 2006