Just about to get out of the oversize load business if I can't find an good, affordable (not cheap) permitting service. Have normally used ______ but their rates of $42.50 per state are awfully high for the quality of service. They are great for taking my order but it never fails that I have to call them again after waiting too long for my permits to start arriving in my inbox to only find out that they just magically showed up and they are sending them now -- meantime my clock and daylight is burning. Is going to the States websites really that much of a hassle to use instead of a a permitting service or have I just been trained to spend money for things I can do for myself? Any recommendations?
I only buy permits in two states. I buy direct online from each state through their site. I've never used a permitting service. I doubt the information that is required is no different- axle spacings, weight per axle- dimensions of the load etc. The state sites aren't really very user friendly, but you are just giving the info to the permitting service and they are plugging in the blanks on each states website. Is the $42.50 per permit? That's pretty steep for buying a $200 permit. Typically you have to set up a account with each state, and they will need your insurance info DOT #'s etc, but that's a one time deal, not every time you need a permit. I usually have a permit within 10-30 minutes, but lately with the virus I have had some take longer to get approved. Sometimes a few hours. Do you not add on the cost of the permits to the load? Or are you bidding the loads and the permit costs come out of your end? I'm not in the commercial trucking game, I'm usually just moving my own equipment which is always oversize/ overweight, so we are always buying permits, but just passing on the cost to the customer. But the permits are all the same whether I'm moving my own stuff or other people's.
Mostly chasing freight on load boards and in the past most brokers would add to the posted rate for permits but lately 90% say they are all in and nothing left for permits. The $42.50 fee is per State not including what the State charges. Just hauled a 9' 6" wide x 14'2" tall load from Oklahoma to South Dakota. The four States charged $122.00 and permitting company charged $170.00 which totaled $292.00 plus credit card fee. I quit booking loads that required pilots or escorts because they usually made a better rate than I was making. So unless I start doing the State song and dance deal myself, I may as well quit looking at long, tall, wide and ugly loads.