Emergency Routing

Source: NOAA

Emergency response and recovery activities are dependent on the expeditious movement of utility service vehicles and other trucks, emergency supplies, medicine, food, fuel, and infrastructure repair materials to the affected area. Immediately before, during, and after an emergency, an increased number of oversized and overweight loads require expedited permits to travel to affected areas. This webpage provides resources for policy makers, emergency response agencies, commercial motor vehicle enforcement officials, state departments of transportation, and organizations involved in emergency response and recover operations.

Emergency Route Working Group

Section 5502 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Public Law 111-38) required the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to create an Emergency Route Working Group (ERWG) to provide the Secretary of Transportation advice and recommendations for the implementation of practices for expeditious State approval of permits for vehicles involved in emergency response and recovery. Section 5502(b) of the FAST Act required the ERWG to consider whether:

(1) impediments currently exist that prevent expeditious State approval of special permits for vehicles involved in emergency response and recovery;
(2) it is possible to pre-identify and establish emergency routes between States through which infrastructure repair materials could be delivered following a natural disaster or emergency;
(3) a State could pre-designate an emergency route identified under paragraph (2) as a certified emergency route if a motor vehicle that exceeds the otherwise applicable Federal and State truck length or width limits may safely operate along such route during periods of declared emergency and recovery from such periods; and
(4) an online map could be created to identify each pre- designated emergency route under paragraph (3), including information on specific limitations, obligations, and notification requirements along that route. (P.L. 114-94 Section 5502(b))

Information on the ERWG is available at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/erwg/index.htm

The findings and recommendations of the ERWG are available in the following report.

Emergency Route Working Group (ERWG) Report of Recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation, submitted July 27, 2019 and posted August 5, 2019

HTML:https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/erwg/reports/erwgreport/index.htm,
PDF:https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/erwg/reports/erwgreport/erwgreport.pdf 529KB

Emergency Routing Resources

Based on the findings and recommendations of the ERWG, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations is researching methods to enhance permit automation, emergency routing, standardization, and communication. The resources are designed to help policy makers, emergency response agencies, commercial motor vehicle enforcement officials, state departments of transportation, and organizations involved in emergency response and recover operations.

Resources for Commercial Vehicles Involved in Emergency Response

The Resources for Commercial Vehicles Involved in Emergency Response provides information on legal and regulatory requirements for those moving emergency response and recovery operations equipment and supplies. The information includes resources for understanding emergency declarations, waivers, and emergency permits. Additionally, there are tips for trip planning and other resources for emergency response and recovery operations.

PDF: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop21009/fhwahop21009.pdf

Automation of Oversize and Overweight Permit Systems

Source: NOAA

Automation of Oversize and Overweight Permit Systems identifies which States have oversize and overweight permit systems that allow the user to automatically self-issue permits. In addition, the list of Automated Oversize and Overweight Permit Systems shows policy makers, emergency response agencies, commercial motor vehicle enforcement officials, state departments of transportation, and organizations involved in emergency response and recover operations the height, length, width, and weight thresholds for automated self-issue permits.

This report is forthcoming.

Multi-State Emergency Route Scenario Study to Estimate Delays

The Multi-State Emergency Route Scenario Study to Estimate Delays of Vehicles Involved in Emergency Response and Recovery Efforts estimates the impacts of delays that vehicles responding to natural disasters in other states may encounter. This study uses a set of scenarios to identify the types of delays, how many vehicles could be affected, how the delays could impact transit time, and what types of impacts these delays could have on emergency response and recovery efforts.

PDF: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop21020/fhwahop21020.pdf

Preclearance Processes Study

The Preclearance Processes Study describes the process followed by the United States military to pre-clear military convoys and examines practices that could be applied by non-military organizations deploying emergency response and recovery vehicles. The report assesses the feasibility of a pre-clearance process that would pre-identify an emergency response convoy and provide the convoy with certain privileges that might include expedited inspection or pass-through permission at weigh stations.

PDF: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop21024/fhwahop21024.pdf

Nationwide Emergency Response and Recovery Vehicle Alert System

The Feasibility Study of a Nationwide Emergency Response and Recovery Vehicle Alert System examines options to provide State and local authorities with advance notice of emergency response recovery convoy movement through their region. This advance notice could allow enforcement officials to take steps to expedite these vehicles through weigh station inspections or during other roadside inspections.

This report is forthcoming.

Emergency Routing Web Tool

The Feasibility of Implementing an Emergency Routing Web Tool examines options for improving how vehicle permit and routing information is shared by departments of transportation or commercial motor vehicle enforcement agencies with drivers of emergency response convoys. This report provides high-level assessment alternative systems, along with the data needs and challenges that each alternative would entail. The alternatives range from a database that provides each State’s permitting and emergency declaration information to an interactive real-time information and routing capability.

Implementing Solutions for Emergency Routing

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) required the creation of an Emergency Route Working Group (ERWG) to provide recommendations for the implementation of noteworthy practices for expeditious State approval of permits for vehicles involved in emergency response and recovery. FHWA study teams pursued research and feasibility studies to enhance permit automation and emergency routing and consider necessary standardization and communication.Implementing Solutions for Emergency Routing summarizes research and activities for developing solutions per the recommendations of the ERWG.

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