Special routes in places like St. Joseph County and LaPorte County come with unique risks of a serious truck crash.
Extra heavy-duty highways allow commercial trucks (and other vehicles with a special permit) to move through the Hoosier State with their huge or oversized loads; massive materials; or heavy equipment. Despite the size of the usual semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, or big rigs seen on the roads and interstates of Indiana, not all commercial trucks are capable of heavy-duty hauling. Not all truck drivers are heavy haulers.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (“INDOT”) provides an online map of the Extra Heavy Duty Highways in Northwest Indiana. These include route restrictions for 134,000 lb. limits on US20 and State Road 39 in St. Joseph County and LaPorte County.
That is 67 tons, by the way. In comparison, a fully loaded large garbage truck weighs approximately 64,000 lbs.
Obviously, these truck routes come with special risks and dangers for the truckers, rig occupants, and all who share these roadways with them.
What is a Heavy-Duty Highway?
Portions of various truck routes in Indiana are deemed to be capable of handling this special type of traffic. They will have things like reinforced pavement; special infrastructure on bridges; and frequent maintenance and repair.
State law defines which roadways are classified as “heavy duty highways.” In IC 9-20-5-4, our heavy duty highways are as follows:
(1) Highway 41, from 129th Street in Hammond to Highway 312.
(2) Highway 312, from Highway 41 to State Road 912.
(3) Highway 912, from Riley Road in East Chicago to the U.S. 20 interchange.
(4) Highway 20, from Clark Road in Gary to Highway 39.
(5) Highway 12, from one-fourth (1/4) mile west of the Midwest Steel entrance to Highway 249.
(6) Highway 249, from Highway 12 to Highway 20.
(7) Highway 12, from one and one-half (1 1/2) miles east of the Bethlehem Steel entrance to Highway 149.
(8) Highway 149, from Highway 12 to a point thirty-six hundredths (.36) of a mile south of Highway 20.
(9) Highway 39, from Highway 20 to the Michigan state line.
(10) Highway 20, from Highway 39 to Highway 2.
(11) Highway 2, from Highway 20 to Highway 31.
(12) Highway 31, from the Michigan state line to Highway 23.
(13) Highway 23, from Highway 31 to Olive Street in South Bend.
(14) Highway 35, from South Motts Parkway thirty-four hundredths (.34) of a mile southeast to the point where Highway 35 intersects with the overpass for Highway 20/Highway 212.
(15) State Road 249, from U.S. 12 to the point where State Road 249 intersects with Nelson Drive at the Port of Indiana.
(16) State Road 912, from the 15th Avenue and 169th Street interchange one and six hundredths (1.06) miles north to the U.S. 20 interchange.
(17) U.S. 20, from the State Road 912 interchange three and seventeen hundredths (3.17) miles east to U.S. 12.
(18) U.S. 6, from the Ohio state line to State Road 9.
(19) U.S. 30, from Allen County/Whitley County Line Road (also known as County Road 800 East) to State Road 9.
(20) State Road 9, from U.S. 30 to U.S. 6.
(21) State Road 39, from Interstate 80 to U.S. 20.
(22) State Road 3 north, from U.S. 6 to U.S. 20, U.S. 20 west from State Road 3 to State Road 9, State Road 9 north from U.S. 20 to the Michigan state line. However, the total gross weight, with load, of a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated with a special weight permit on these highways may not exceed ninety thousand (90,000) pounds.
(23) Highway 912, at an intersection approximately thirty hundredths (.30) of a mile southwest of the intersection of Dickey Road and Riley Road in East Chicago. The total gross weight, with load, of a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated with a special weight permit on this highway may not exceed two hundred sixty-four thousand (264,000) pounds.
The Indiana Department of Transportation will provide special weight permits pursuant to IC 9-8-1-12. The vehicle with this special permit can drive a single trip on the extra heavy duty highway, and the permit is valid for a single calendar day. There is no federal permit process for oversized or overweight vehicles.
GVWR and Indiana Heavy Duty Trucks
Certain commercial vehicles are considered to be “heavy duty trucks” under the law. These are classified as “Class 8” rigs, with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (“GVWR”) over 33,001 lbs. or higher. They include construction work vehicles (think cement trucks or dump trucks), as well as semis built by well-known manufacturers like Freightliner or Peterbilt.
But those hauling loads on our Extra Heavy Duty Highways are carrying weights that may be triple this amount. Remember, their load limit in Northwest Indiana is 134,000 pounds.
These are breathtakingly big loads. Consider this: there are trailer trucks with seven or more axles, in the Class 13 category defined by the Federal Highway Administration. The Federal Motor Carrier Authority provides the following calculation for vehicle load capacity: trailer capacity + trainer weight = GVWR.
From the FMCA:
Trailer capacity refers to what the truck can safely hold, while the trailer weight is the weight of everything you haul in the vehicle. The latter also includes added truck accessories.
GVWR is vital for safety. No truck should ever be loaded over its listed GVWR. If the rig exceeds it GVWR, then dangers skyrocket for serious or fatal accidents:
- brakes may fail
- brakes may malfunction (where the vehicle does come to a stop eventually)
- suspension may break
- suspension may malfunction
- tires may blow
- tires may slip
- loads can shift, causing a rollover or jackknife
- loads can fall from the truck into the roadway.
Heavy Hauling in Northwest Indiana
Just like there are designated routes here for extra heavy loads, there are specific truck drivers that undertake heavy hauling. It’s a specialized area within the trucking industry, where a driver may start out in something like open deck vehicles and then move into multi-axle work.
Heavy haulers deserve much respect. These are experts at their craft. Heavy hauling is dangerous work. There’s no rule that a trucker cannot add another flag or over-secure that heavy load with just one more chain. There’s no law that says the trucker can’t stop to check that load every hour or two (that’s not paranoia; that’s being smart).
The savvy trucker with expertise in heavy hauling understands the risks that come with the job. So does the truck driver in the push truck, if there is one.
Trucking companies have a responsibility to make sure they have expert drivers behind the wheel for these heavy duty loads. And they also have the duty to make sure the load is done right and that the vehicle is in good and proper condition to drive.
The condition of roadways is important, too. Just a little thing like a small bump in a roadway; having to cross railroad tracks; or turning a corner may be a massive undertaking for the heavy hauler. Particularly if it’s a hazmat load.
Property and premises owners; as well as shippers, carriers, and other parties have special duties of care to make sure that the heavy hauler is on a route without dangers like bad pavement; traffic issues; or insufficient support (push trucks, escorts, etc.).
For more, read: Semi-Truck Crashes in Chicago: When are Trucking Companies Liable for Big Rig Accidents? and Liability for Chicago Semi-Truck Crashes Other Than the Trucker or the Carrier.
Truck Crashes & Complexities of Indiana’s Heavy Duty Highways
These specific truck routes are understandably complex. First of all, these trucks must meet certain standards to handle this type of load, from design on the drawing board, to manufacture, repair, and maintenance. Each heavy duty truck needs prior government permission to haul this amount of weight under state law. The roadway itself has to be able to endure this type of traffic day after day, year after year, in all sorts of weather. Shippers have to load with care. And, the truckers have to have the experience and training to drive these monoliths – especially when the loads involve oversized equipment or hazardous materials.
Indiana’s infrastructure may add to the risks involved in heavy hauling in our part of the country. For instance, over twenty years ago there were concerns being voiced about Northern Indiana’s bridges being “fatigued” by overweight and oversized loads. Read, Reisert, James A., and Mark D. Bowman. “Fatigue of Older Bridges in Northern Indiana due to Overweight and Oversized Loads, Volume 1: Bridge and Weigh-In-Motion Measurements.” Joint Transportation Research Program (2006): 255.
Concerns remain on how overweight vehicles damage things like bridges and pavement. See, Labi, Samuel, et al. “Overweight Divisible Loads: Permit Administration and Impact on Indiana’s Road Infrastructure and Safety.” (2024).
Truck crashes are dangerous with any size or shape of rig. However, an accident on an Indiana extra heavy duty highway involving an oversized or overweight load is extremely likely to involve catastrophic injuries in the event of an accident.
For instance, all those driving on US20 in St. Joseph County or LaPorte County need to be especially vigilant at all times.
For more on semi-truck crashes in Indiana, read:
- Semi-Truck Crashes in La Porte County, Indiana
- Semi-Truck Crashes in St. Joseph County, Indiana
- Illinois and Indiana: Both Top 10 States for Most Truck Crash Fatalities
- Black Box Data in Semi-Truck Crashes: The Importance of EDR Evidence
- What To Do After a Serious Semi-Truck Crash: The First 48 Hours
- What To Do After Serious Semi-Truck Crash: Weeks and Months Following the Accident.
Our extra heavy duty highways in Northwest Indiana are vital not only for state industry but for the national and global economies. These truck routes are more dangerous, given they are permitted for heavy hauling. Please be careful out there!
