08.08.2015   Fertilization

Regulatory Considerations

In most places, regulations govern on-road trucking and limit vehicle dimensions and gross vehicle weight (GVW). Different laws may apply to different road segments along a route depending on local, state, provincial, and federal jurisdictions. For example, in some US states maximum GVW may be set at 45 360 kg, but vehicles greater than 36 290 kg are prohibited from traveling federal interstate highways, requiring smaller payloads or sub­optimal truck routing onto high GVW roads. Overweight and over-dimensions exemption permits are generally available but many jurisdictions bar such permits for cargo that can practically be divided into smaller loads, such as biomass. Even if overweight permits for divisible cargo are allowed, permit fees and transaction costs may exceed added revenue associated with larger payloads. In addition to GVW restrictions, seasonal road closures related to mud and snow conditions can limit transportation at certain times of the year. In general, these types of regulations have a direct influence on transportation options for both individual harvest sites and facility-specific transportation logistics systems.