Up north are there rules on loads with regard to frost in the roads? When are the roads at there weakest? Thanks
Springtime when the frost is coming out, the roads tend to move a lot. Road bans come on and you are restricted on certain roads to 75% or less. And they don't like to permit over 100% gvw.
In Minnesota the Seasonal Road Restrictions start usually in the middle of March and last until the middle of May. The main State highways are mostly ok with normal 9 ton per axle legal loads, but the secondary, county and municipal, highways and gravel roads are more restricted... County blacktops in my area are between 5 and 7 tons per axle, and the gravel roads are usually 4 or 5 tons per axle. Signs posted on individual roads can be even lower than these general limits. These limits are rigorously enforced, and for good reason; an overweight truck can do a lot of damage to a highway while the supporting underbase is basically jello while the frost is coming out. I looked on the DOT website and it seems that school buses, garbage, and milk trucks, etc. have exemptions. https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=169.87
In the north there is a couple of months where you can get a winter weight permit that allows you to exceed the normal GVW ratings.
Here in Alberta the road ban starts March 1st. We're hauling topsoil right now and have to work out a new deal with our truckers. We're only allowed 75% of the GVW which for most of the trucks is going to end up around half their normal payload weight, so I will be stuck putting 2 buckets on every truck.
Not sure how it is in Ontario now, but back in the 70's, we shut down for spring breakup off the highway, and highway loads had to be reduced.
This is a sore subject for me. Last winter I bought a trackhoe(200 size) in Michigan. After I sent the check, I then tried to get the machine out of michigan. Well, it ended up sitting there for almost 3 months they would not let me move it. So now I am 425 miles away and can not get my trackhoe home! Finally ended up getting it mome in the spring when the frost law went off. Next time I will ask about this first!
When I was driving back from slave lake two days ago, i have seen road bans up all ready. Thats due to spring coming sooner Im guessing.