Irish Policy for Abnormal Load Movements

Currently in Ireland, any vehicle that falls outside the limits of the Road Traffic (Construction & Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003 must obtain a permit for its movement. Depending on the vehicle configuration and the proposed route, hauliers may be required to apply for permits from the national police (An Garda Síochána) and one or more Local Authorities. There is no requirement for the haulier to liaise with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (the National Road Authority in Ireland); the Department of Transport; relevant maintaining organisations such as Motorway Maintenance Contractors and/or PPP Companies; or the Road Safety Authority. There is currently no single management framework in Ireland to control and record the issuing of permits or the movement of abnormal loads across the network. Given an increasing demand to transport heavy loads, risks to infrastructure are increasing and need to be considered when deciding if a permit should be granted.
The authors are carrying out a study on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) which utilises knowledge of international best practice to develop an appropriate Policy, Strategy and Framework for the management of abnormal loads within the Irish context. The aim is to deliver a unified approach to abnormal load management which considers the resources required as well as potential impacts to infrastructure. This paper describes the national and international practices in abnormal load management as well as the results of stakeholder engagement and user needs analysis carried out in order to develop an abnormal load management policy for the future of abnormal load movement in Ireland.