Borough announces early truck weight limits

WASILLA — Construction contractors — and heavy truck drivers generally — could have to adjust their equipment a little earlier this year while driving on borough roads.

Spring weight restrictions mean vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds will not be permitted to exceed the legal maximum axle limit, with no overloads. The gross vehicle weight is the total weight the vehicle is rated to carry. The axle limit is the weight measured directly over a particular axle. In the case of many pickup trucks, the rear axle has a larger axle limit.

The restriction announced this week is set for 100 percent, and excludes only overloaded trucks (manufacturers recommend avoiding overloading trucks to avoid damaging the suspension). However, operators should be aware that restrictions of up to 50 percent of the maximum legal axle limit could soon be placed in effect for borough-managed roads, and those restrictions could remain in effect through June, according to a borough public announcement.

The gross vehicle weight rating — abbreviated to GVWR — is found on a sticker on the inside of the driver-side door of most cars and trucks.

Weight limits on local roads primarily focus on the transitional spring season, as frozen ground begins to soften underneath the roadbed, creating the potential for cracks under the wheels of heavier trucks, said borough public works director Terry Dolan. On state-managed roads, the public notices for weight restrictions start on the Kenai Peninsula and move further north, following the retreating winter.

“The ground underneath the asphalt can become saturated with water, and that makes it soft,” he said.

Newer publicly constructed roads, particularly those constructed in the 1990s and 2000s, have material underneath the pavement better able to handle the wild swings in temperature that come with the spring thaw. While the restrictions are hardly new, the timing on them is, Dolan said.

“This is a little earlier than normal, because of how warm it’s been,” he said.

Roads built by the borough’s numerous contractors also vary in quality, Dolan said. While borough roads are built to meet state standards, roads leading into and out of the numerous (and increasing) subdivisions sometimes don’t pass muster, Dolan said.

“The quality of the material they use depends on what’s available and it depends on what the developer wants to do,” he said.

You might expect weight restrictions to slow down construction projects, fuel hauling services, or other large industrial equipment. However, contractors and fuel haulers, like Lenny Hettrick, who retired from 40 years driving fuel trucks Crowley’s Wasilla Fuel Delivery two weeks ago, said most equipment operators have workarounds. Vehicles with more axles or a wider wheelbase can sometimes carry more weight while damaging the road less, Hettrick said. Heating oil trucks are exempt from state weight limit restrictions, though gasoline and diesel deliveries are not, Hettrick said. Fuel haulers will sometimes deliver multiple smaller loads during the weight restriction period in order to avoid citations for running over the weight limits.

“Most of the time, you’re not delivering a whole truck,” he said.

The restriction can vary depending on the road you drive, said Lucas Ax, who currently works at Crowley.

“Normally when they do weight restrictions, it’s 80 percent of axle weight,” he said. “Some get up to 75, even 50.”

If all else fails, contractors take vacation during the restriction period, Hettrick said.

“Spring is usually going to be a lull, anyway,” he said.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.