OAR 734-070-0020: Test Run and Exception

In order to determine whether or not a vehicle or combination of vehicles is approved to traverse a length-restricted highway, or section(s) thereof, the Department, upon request from an interested party, will conduct an evaluation of the proposed operation. The evaluation will include research of Department files to determine whether or not a previous test run for the proposed operation has been conducted. If Department records indicate that a previous test run has been conducted for the length of combination requested, and there have been no improvements to the highway since the previous test run, results of the previous test run will be used. If there have been no previous test runs for the proposed operation, the Department will coordinate with the requesting party and conduct a test run and evaluation as follows: (1) The test run vehicle(s) will be provided by the requesting party and be equal to or greater in length than the vehicle(s) in the proposed operation. (2) The Department will issue a single trip variance permit for the test run vehicle(s). (3) During the test run, Department staff will precede and follow the test vehicle(s) to observe vehicle operability and gather data used by the Department to determine if: (a) The vehicle(s) maintained its lane of travel; (b) The vehicle’s steering axle crossed the center line and the rear axle crossed the fog line at the same time. If so, how many times and at what locations; and (c) The vehicle either maintained the appropriate highway speed, or there was adequate sight distance for trailing vehicles to pass the test vehicle(s), or there was enough room for the test vehicle(s) to pull off the roadway to allow trailing traffic to pass. (4) In addition to a review of the information listed in section (3), the test run evaluation will also consider: (a) The average daily traffic flow on the highway; (b) The collision rate on the highway; (c) Pavement and shoulder conditions; and (d) Any information from the District Manager regarding proposed improvements or any peculiarities associated with the highway. (5) All information gathered in sections (3) and (4) is analyzed collectively by the Department to reach an initial determination concerning whether the highway or highway segment can safely accommodate greater vehicle length. For example: Information that the test vehicle does not always maintain its lane of travel may not necessarily result in a recommendation to deny a request; whereas if considered with information that the highway in question is heavily traveled, has deteriorating shoulders and has a history of many collisions, a reasonable recommendation would be to deny the request. (6) If the evaluation results in an initial determination that the highway can safely accommodate the greater length, Department staff provides the evaluation and makes a recommendation of approval to the Chief Engineer, or the Chief Engineer’s designee, the Administrator of the Commerce and Compliance Division (CCD). If the Chief Engineer or Administrator of CCD agrees with the recommendation, the Chief Engineer or Administrator of CCD will issue an authorization letter approving the proposal. A variance permit may be required for the approved operation. (7) If the evaluation results in a recommendation to not allow the proposed operation, the requesting party or the Department may ask for further evaluation. The Chief Engineer will formulate a multi-discipline team to perform a detailed investigation of the proposed operation and provide further evaluation that may include: (a) A more detailed analysis of average daily traffic, including traffic peak hours and volumes; (b) Road and shoulder width; (c) Review of the test run data, including any photographs or video tape; (d) Truck volume compared to total traffic volume; (e) Over-length truck volume compared to total traffic volume; (f) Stopping sight distance for legal speed; (g) Cost of spot improvements and facility improvements; (h) Collision history for highway or other similar highways; and (i) Potential risk of two trucks, or a truck and automobile, meeting in a tight spot. (8) If additional investigation as described in section (7) indicates that the determination and recommendation made after the initial test run procedure is mitigated or modified after consideration of one or more of the additional factors, and the expert opinion of the multi-disciplined team results in a conclusion that the highway can safely accommodate the longer vehicle(s) and that the proposed operation can be conducted safely, the approval process described in section (6) will follow. If additional investigation results in a conclusion that the highway cannot safely accommodate the longer vehicle(s), no further evaluation will be conducted unless improvements are made to the highway and a subsequent request is made.