The Webster County Board of Supervisors has established a detailed policy and procedure for the use of county roads and bridges by timber haulers.
As previously reported, the board adopted a resolution setting the limitations and restrictions March 19. The order establishes maximum weight limits and other restrictions regarding the hauling of wood and timber products on county roads and bridges, which includes State-Aid roads.
The policy provides for issuing written route approval, authorizing the operation or movement of vehicles hauling wood and timber products, protecting county roads and recovering reasonable damages for damage to Webster County roads and bridges.
The owner or operator of trucks and vehicles used for hauling wood products, including logs and pulpwood, must obtain a permit for “a reasonable route of transportation” from the county supervisor or supervisors of the district or districts involved before hauling on or over a county road.
“This provision specifically applies to wood products and timber that is being harvested in another county but that the transporter of the wood products wishes to haul through Webster County,” the document notes.
Anyone who has a state-issued harvest permit and wants to operate a vehicle on roads and bridges in the county at a gross vehicle weight greater than the maximum weight established for them must leave a written notice at the chancery clerk’s office. The board will have two working days to respond in writing of the routes on and along that he may operate his vehicle. Harvest permits and overload notifications must be kept in the hauler’s truck.
The harvest permit allows the operation of a vehicle over county roads only when notice is given to the board before hauling and when the permit holder complies with the route assigned by the board. The result of noncompliance is the same as if the operator has no permit, and he is subject to the weight limits set by the board and by state law.
The resolution states the board reserves the right to forbid the use of any county road of any surface when under construction or repair, or which has become dangerous to use.
Anyone who violates the provisions of the resolution will be charged with a misdemeanor and fined not more than $250, plus court assessments. Additionally, they will be responsible for any damages to public roads and bridges. Violators who have not obtained an overload permit will also be liable for any penalty for operating an overloaded vehicle.
All previous vehicle weight limits placed on roads and bridges in the county by the board are revoked when the resolution goes into effect April 11, which is the final day of its being published as a legal notice in this newspaper.
