(a) Notwithstanding Section 320.5, the Department of Transportation or a local authority, with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions, may, upon application, issue a special permit authorizing the applicant to operate or move a vehicle carrying a load, lying in the horizontal position, of stacked trusses or wall panels that are used as single width components in the manufacture of a finished product, that exceeds the maximum width specified by this code, if the load does not exceed 12 feet in width and the permittee complies with the regulations of the Department of Transportation or a local authority, as the case may be, governing the transportation of these loads.
(b) Under conditions prescribed by the Department of Transportation or the local authority, the Department of Transportation or local authority may accept applications and issue permits directly to an applicant or permit service, by any of the following processes:
(1) In writing.
(2) By an authorized facsimile process.
(3) Through an authorized computer and modem connection.
(c) The special permit allowed pursuant to this section shall, under conditions prescribed by the Department of Transportation or a local authority, be granted on either a per trip or annual basis.
(d) As used in this section, “truss” means a designed and manufactured assemblage of structural elements typically arranged in a triangle or combination of triangles to form a rigid framework and used as a structural support in buildings.
(e) As used in this section, “wall panel” means a designed and manufactured assemblage of structural elements constructed in the same manner as site-built walls to form a rigid framework and used as a structural support in buildings, which may have attached various types of sheathing products including wood structural panels, foam panels, and gypsum board that do not exceed more than one foot beyond the main structural elements.
(Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 514, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2008.)