FAQS

Roads are posted to help keep them from being destroyed as the frost is coming out of the ground. Typical costs to fully repair and/or rebuild a road range from $300 K to over $1 M per mile. The total cost to reconstruct all posted roads is beyond DOT's budget.

• View a graphic showing why posted roads are needed (JPEG)

When a road is posted, the weight limit is 23,000 pounds. See question 9 for exceptions.

View the "Tentative Posted Roads" Section and the "Locally Posted Roads" section on the Posted Roads home page.

You can apply for an “Limited Load Permit” for some commodities by filling out the application, and for certain perishable goods, you can request a trip ticket from the MaineDOT region office that covers the area you will be traveling in.

Qualifications for either a “Limited Load Permit” or a trip ticket are spelled out in the rules and regulations that restrict travel on posted roads.

The “Limited Load Permit” is good for the length of vehicle ownership, as long as the vehicle continues to carry the commodity listed on the Permit.

No, the “Limited Load Permit” issued by DOT is only good for DOT- maintained roads. It is important to contact municipalities to see what they have for seasonal weight restriction exemptions. 

It depends on how quickly the frost goes out of the roads. Typically, it can last until mid-May each year. 

The allowable weight is based on vehicle and load combined. So, if your registered vehicle weight is for more than 23,000 pounds, then the truck should not be on the posted road. However, in early 2017, any two axle truck between 23,000 and 34, 000 lbs carrying a reduced load of a listed “special commodity” can travel without a permit.

The Department of Transportation does not determine if the road is frozen solid. Weather conditions can obviously vary significantly from region to region, so the state police trooper who is conducting the enforcement is the one who makes that determination at the time of the stop. A general guideline is that, if the air temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is no standing water on the road, then the road should be frozen and therefore passable.

Typically, once the road is improved the likelihood of it's being posted is small. However environmental conditions along with pavement conditions will ultimately dictate whether a road is posted.

Visit the New England 511 web page, and look at the region in question. This will provide a good reference map to determine alternative routes.

Contact the region office nearest you for more information.