(A) (1) On non-designated highways, no vehicle or combination of vehicles equipped with pneumatic tires may be operated, unladen or with load, when the total weight transmitted to the road surface exceeds 20,000 pounds on a single axle or 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle with no axle within the tandem exceeding 20,000 pounds except:
(a) When a different limit is established and posted in accordance with ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 15-316;
(b) Vehicles for which the Department of Transportation and local authorities issue overweight permits under authority of ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 15-301 of this code;
(c) Tow trucks subject to the conditions provided in division (D) may not exceed 24,000 pounds on a single rear axle or 44,000 pounds on a tandem rear axle;
(d) Any single axle of a two-axle truck weighing 36,000 pounds or less and not a part of a combination of vehicles, shall not exceed 20,000 pounds;
(e) Any single axle of a two-axle truck equipped with a personnel lift or digger derrick weighing 36,000 pounds or less, owned and operated by a public utility, shall not exceed 20,000 pounds;
(f) Any single axle of a two-axle truck specially equipped with a front loading compactor used exclusively for garbage, refuse, or recycling may not exceed 20,000 pounds per axle, provided that the gross weight of the vehicle does not exceed 40,000 pounds;
(g) A truck, not in combination and specially equipped with a self-compactor or an industrial roll-off hoist and roll-off container, used exclusively for garbage or refuse operations may, when laden, transmit upon the road surface the following maximum weights: 22,000 pounds on a single axle; 40,000 pounds on a tandem axles
(h) A truck, not in combination and used exclusively for the collection of rendering materials, may, when laden, transmit upon the road surface the following maximum weights: 22,000 pounds on a single axle; 10,000 pounds on a tandem axle;
(i) Tandem axles on a three-axle truck registered as a Special Hauling Vehicle, manufactured prior to or in the model year of 2014 and first registered in Illinois prior to January 1, 2015, with a distance greater than 72 inches but not more than 96 inches between any series of two axles is allowed a combined weight on the series not to exceed 36,000 pounds and neither axle of the series may exceed 20,000 pounds. Any vehicle of this type manufactured after the model year of 2014 or first registered in Illinois after December 31, 2014, may not exceed a combined weight of 34,000 pounds through the series of two axles and neither axle of the series may exceed 20,000 pounds;
(j) A 4-axle truck mixer registered as a Special Hauling Vehicle, used exclusively for the mixing and transportation of concrete in the plastic state and manufactured prior to or in the model year of 2014 and first registered in Illinois prior to January 1, 2015, is allowed the following maximum weights: 20,000 pounds on any single axle; 36,000 pounds on any series of two axles greater than 72 inches but not more than 96 inches; and 34,000 pounds on any series of two axles greater than 40 inches but not more than 72 inches;
(k) Four-axle vehicles or a five or more axle combination of vehicles: The weight transmitted upon the road surface through any series of three axles whose centers are more than 96 inches apart, measured between extreme axles in the series, may not exceed those allowed in the table contained in division (F) of this section. No axle or tandem axle of the series may exceed the maximum weight permitted under this section for a single or tandem axle.
(2) No vehicle or combination of vehicles equipped with other than pneumatic tires may be operated, unladen or with load, upon the highways of this state when the gross weight on the road surface through any wheel exceeds 800 pounds per inch width of tire tread or when the gross weight on the road surface through any axle exceeds 16,000 pounds.
(B) On non-designated highways, the gross weight of vehicles and combination of vehicles, including the weight of the vehicle or combination and its maximum load, shall be subject to the federal bridge formula provided in division (F) of this section.
Vehicles Operating on Crawler Type Tracks 40,000 pounds
Trucks Equipped with Self-compactors or Roll-Off Hoists and Roll-Off Containers for Garbage, Refuse, or Recycling Hauls Only and Trucks Used for the Collection of Rendering Materials On highway not part of national system of interstate and defense highways
with 2 axles | 36,000 pounds |
with 3 axles | 54,000 pounds |
Two Axle Trucks Equipped with a Front Loading Compactor Used Exclusively for the Collection of Garbage, Refuse, or Recycling
with 2 axles | 40,000 pounds |
(2) A 4-axle truck mixer registered as a special hauling vehicle, used exclusively for mixing and transportation of concrete in the plastic state, manufactured before or in the model year of 2014, and first registered in Illinois before January 1, 2015, is allowed a maximum gross weight listed in the table of division (F) of this section for four axles. This vehicle, while loaded with concrete in the plastic state, is not subject to the series of three axles requirement provided for in division (A)(1)(k) of this section, but no axle or tandem axle of the series may exceed the maximum weight permitted under division (A)(1)(j) of this section.
(3) As used in this section, a RECYCLING HAUL or RECYCLING OPERATION means the hauling of segregated, non-hazardous, non-special, homogeneous non-putrescible materials, such as paper, glass, cans, or plastic, for subsequent use in the secondary materials market.
(C) Cities having a population of more than 50,000 may permit by ordinance axle loads on 2-axle motor vehicles 33-1/2% above those provided for herein, but the increase shall not become effective until the city has officially notified the department of the passage of the ordinance, and shall not apply to these vehicles when outside of the limits of the city, nor shall the gross weight of any two-axle motor vehicle operating over any street of the city exceed 40,000 pounds.
(D) (1) Weight limitations shall not apply to vehicles (including loads) operated by a public utility when transporting equipment required for emergency repair of public utility facilities or properties or water wells.
(2) A combination of vehicles, including a tow truck and a disabled vehicle or disabled combination of vehicles, that exceeds the weight restriction imposed by this section, may be operated on a public highway in the state provided that neither the disabled vehicle not any vehicle being towed nor the tow truck itself shall exceed the weight limitations permitted under this chapter. During the towing operation, neither the tow truck nor the vehicle combination shall exceed 24,000 pounds on a single rear axle and 44,000 pounds on a tandem rear axle, provided the towing vehicle:
(a) Is specifically designed as a tow truck having a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 18,000 pounds and is equipped with air brakes, provided that air brakes are required only if the towing vehicle is towing a vehicle, semitrailer, or tractor-trailer combination that is equipped with air brakes;
(b) Is equipped with flashing rotating, or oscillating amber lights, visible for at least 500 feet in all directions;
(c) Is capable of utilizing the lighting and braking systems of the disabled vehicle or combination of vehicles; and
(d) Does not engage in a tow exceeding 20 miles from the initial point of wreck or disablement. Any additional movement of the vehicles may occur only upon issuance of authorization for that movement under the provisions of ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, §§ 15-301 through 15-319. The towing vehicle, however, may tow any disabled vehicle from the initial point of wreck or disablement to a point where repairs are actually to occur. This movement shall be valid only on state routes. The tower must abide by posted bridge weight limits.
(e) Gross weight limits shall not apply to the combination of tow truck and vehicles being towed. The tow truck license plate must cover the operating empty weight of the tow truck only. The weight of each vehicle being towed shall be covered by a valid license plate issued to the owner or operator of the vehicle being towed and displayed on that vehicle. If no valid plate issued to the owner or operator of that vehicle is displayed on that vehicle, or the plate displayed on that vehicle does not cover the weight of the vehicle, the weight of the vehicle shall be covered by the third tow truck plate issued to the owner or operator of the tow truck and temporarily affixed to the vehicle being towed.
1. The Department may by rule or regulation prescribe additional requirements. However, nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a tow truck under instructions of a police officer from legally clearing a disabled vehicle, that may be in violation of weight limitations of this chapter, from the roadway to the berm or shoulder of the highway. If in the opinion of the police officer that location is unsafe, the officer is authorized to have the disabled vehicle towed to the nearest place of safety.
2. For the purpose of this section
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
, or
GVWR
, shall mean the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of the tow truck.
(F) No vehicle or combination of vehicles with pneumatic tires may be operated, unladen or with load, when the total weight on the road surface exceeds the following: 20,000 pounds on a single axle; 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle with no axle within the tandem exceeding 20,000 pounds; 80,000 pounds gross weight for vehicle combinations of five or more axles; or a total weight on a group of two or more consecutive axles in excess of that weight produced by the application of the following formula:
W = 500 times the sum of (LN divided by N-1) + 12N + 36, where "W' equals overall total weight on any group of two or more consecutive axles to the nearest 500 pounds, "L" equals the distance measured to the nearest foot between extremes of any group of two or more consecutive axles, and "N" equals the number of axles in the group under consideration.
(1) The above formula when expressed in tabular form results in allowable loads as follows:
Distance measured
to the nearest foot
between the extremes
of any group of 2 Maximum weight in pounds of
or more consecutive any group of 2 or more consecutive axles
to the nearest foot
between the extremes
of any group of 2 Maximum weight in pounds of
or more consecutive any group of 2 or more consecutive axles