Permit for transportation of oversized or heavy freight is granted only to certified carriers for a specific vehicle composition.  The Law states that the permit is for one time of carrying indivisible freight along a specific route.  It is required if the freight, due to its mass or size, cannot be transported in accordance with the requirements of the Road Traffic Regulations. 

The preparation of the documents to be submitted takes time and extensive knowledge, and the coordination process is often complex, as it depends on the size and mass of the freight, the preferred route, the planned transportation time and other factors beyond our control.

Equally important is the fact that almost every European and world country has different regulations on transportation of heavy and oversize freight, and there is no uniform regulatory framework for permissible weight and dimensions of the freight. For these reasons, the organization of a single transportation is a set of several measures, dealing of which may involve one or several dozens of different types of permits and approvals.

What types of documents may be required for non-standard freight transportation?

Permits. The most important document without which such transportation is not allowed in Latvia is the Large Dimension and Heavyweight Carriage Permit issued by VAS Latvijas valsts ceļi. In order to receive it, you must provide all technical information on the planned route, the freight dimensions and weight, and other relevant information regarding the planned transportation. There are no standards in the non-standard freight transportation industry, so each transportation is an individual case and requires specific knowledge when preparing the documents.

Approvals. In case of local transportation, the most difficult part of obtaining a permit is getting various types of approvals from infrastructure and network holders. If the non-standard freight is particularly large, the transportation route must be coordinated with the holders of all roads and streets, owners of the areas the freight road passes through, railway holders, and the communications and power supply services and others.

Documents, licenses, certificates. Before thinking about oversized freight transportation, you should understand that only companies with the appropriate license for commercial freight transportation with trucks in Latvia may do that; besides the service provider must be certified. Freight always requires shipping documents recognized by the country in question, for example, most EU countries accept waybills supported by the CMR Convention. Oversized and heavy freight industry have many examples like these and similar ones.

Oversized and heavy freight transportation requires serious planning. The length of time it takes to process all documents depends on the specifics of the freight, and in this process we often depend on state and local authorities and other organizations. Coordination can take one day, but it should be taken into account that in case of large projects it can take several months. Therefore, we encourage you to contact our specialists in a timely manner, so that we can be confident about successful outcome within the term you desire.