Alberta farmers will be exempt from vehicle weight restrictions on provincial highways when hauling grain starting Tuesday.
The provincial government released the details of a plan outlined two weeks ago by transportation minister Wayne Drysdale during a meeting of Alberta’s rural municipalities.
Free permits will be available for grain trucks to travel at full axle weight on banned roads, so long as those roads are not damaged, said a government news release.
“We’re doing all we can to support Alberta farmers and keep grain moving, even on banned roads when possible,” Drysdale said in the release.
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“Relaxing road ban limits at a time when our farmers need some flexibility is the right thing to do.”
Grain shipping backlogs due to transportation issues and a large 2013 crop have resulted in large amounts of grain still sitting on farms. However, grain shipping by rail shows signs of improvement just when road bans were due to be implemented.
To obtain a permit, farmers must get a permit request form from Alberta Transportation and provide details of trip origin, destination, route, requested weights, number of loads needed and contact information.
Engineers and regional maintenance staff will determine whether the exemption can be granted without significant road damage.
Local municipalities must be contacted directly for permits to haul on municipal roads.
Special permits will be in effect from April 1 to June 30. Alberta Transportation staff will check roads and may suggest alternate routes to protect highway infrastructure.
Permit request forms are available by calling the central permit office at 800-662-7138, from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
