Effective July 1, 2010, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will recognize 10% weight tolerance permits for transporting divisible loads up to 88,000 pounds on designated non-interstate highways. The ten-percent truck weight tolerance enables Florida haulers to be more competitive with our neighboring states.
Customers wanting to apply for a permit should select this link and review the information and instructions provided.
After reviewing the information, you can apply for a permit for divisible loads here.
Either the Trip or Blanket Form #85004002 must be completed in order to apply for a permit.
Fees for a Trip Permit is $0.27/mile. Click here for Trip Permit.
Fees for a Blanket permit is $240/truck/year. Click here for Blanket Permit.
Please remember to add the words "divisible load" in parenthesis behind the description of the load since the version of the attached application will not be available until the end of July 2010.
ROUTE MAP
An original permit and route map (Entitled: 2008 TTT Map 1) (link here for map)
must be in the cab of each truck utilizing the 10% tolerance. The permit and route map may be moved from truck to truck, as long as it’s in the cab of the truck transporting the additional weight.
A uniform definition of renewable biomass has been introduced in Congress. The stand-alone bill (S. 3381) would establish a single definition of renewable biomass for the purposes of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a future Renewable electricity Standard (RES), and climate change legislation. The language in the bill is primarily based on the 2008 Farm Bill definition and includes woody biomass being harvested from both public and private lands. The Florida Forestry Association will be contacting both Florida Senators and asking them to sign on as a co-sponsor of this legislation.
On Friday, May 13 leaders from fruit and vegetable, citrus, cattle, dairy, sugar, peanut and forests and agriculture, participated in a roundtable discussion with US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Tampa. The Florida Forestry Association presented recommendations to enhance forests growth in Florida’s working forests. Among the suggestions was the need for a funding and support for exploring opportunities to advance markets and payments for ecosystem services. The Association also recommended reforestation incentive programs give landowners flexibility to plant the tree species and planting density of their choice as long as the trees could be used for commercial biomass or timber production. A copy of the letter can be viewed here.
The Wrap-Up issue of Forest Track includes the forest and ag bills that passed and those that did not. Link to Forest Track for a summary on the 2010 Florida Legislative Session and its impact on the growers and users of Florida's forests.
Study report to the Florida legislature including economic impact analysis on the effects of granting financial incentives to energy producers who use woody biomass as fuel, including an analysis of effects on wood supply and prices and impacts on current markets and forest sustainability.
The study shows a signficant amount of renewable energy can be developed through the utilization of woody biomass, while still keeping the forest resources of Florida sustainable and current forest industries strong. The key to success however, is an enhanced reforestation program in Florida, better utilization of urban wood waste, logging debris and understory vegetation and support of the development of short rotation energy crops as renewable demands increase.
The study and final report is available at www.fl-dof.com.
The Florida Forestry Association response and recommendations to the Study is available here.
EPA's proposed "nutrient" rule for Florida's water bodies was the focus of public hearings throughout Florida. The Florida Forestry Association joined many other organizations in voicing serious concerns about the science behind the proposed rule, as well as the economic implications of trying to comply with the rule's standards at earlier hearings.
The text of FFA's comments presented to the panel of EPA representatives are available here.
A power-point presentation describing the issue and its potential impact is provided here.
Leaders of conservation and the forest community sat down on March 16th in Tallahassee to talk about the importance of maintaining working forests in Florida’s landscape. The roundtable, hosted by Florida Forestry Association, Florida Division of Forestry and Audubon of Florida included a diverse set of forest stakeholders ranging from forest stewards to environmental advocates, conservation groups, non-industrial landowners and industry representatives.
Federal legislation - H.R. 1799, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009. H.R. 1799 would give the option to individual states to increase their allowable weight on a single-trailer truck up to 97,000 pounds on their Interstate highways by adding a sixth axle. Download proposed bill here. Download bill summary here.
Download federal weight talk sheet here.