In addition to other permits provided for in this article, the Commissioner, upon written application by the owner or operator of any vehicle hauling farm produce grown in Virginia from the point of origin to the first place of delivery, shall issue permits for overweight operation of such vehicles as provided in this section. Such permits shall allow the vehicles to have a single axle weight of no more than 24,000 pounds, a tandem axle weight of no more than 40,000 pounds, and a tri-axle grouping weight of no more than 50,000 pounds. Additionally, any five-axle combination having no less than 42 feet of axle space between extreme axles may have a gross weight of no more than 90,000 pounds, any four-axle combination, may have a gross weight of not more than 70,000 pounds, any three-axle combination may have a gross weight of no more than 60,000 pounds, and any two-axle combination may have a gross weight of no more than 40,000 pounds.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, no such permit shall designate the route to be traversed nor contain restrictions or conditions not applicable to other vehicles in their general use of the highways.

No permit issued under this section shall authorize any vehicle to violate any weight limitation applicable to bridges or culverts, as promulgated and posted in accordance with § 46.2-1130. Nothing contained in this section shall authorize any extension of weight limits provided in § 46.2-1127 for operation on interstate highways.

The fee for a permit issued under this section shall be $45, to be allocated as follows: (i) $40 to the Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund established pursuant to § 33.2-1530, with a portion equal to the percentage of the Commonwealth's total lane miles represented by the lane miles eligible for maintenance payments pursuant to §§ 33.2-319 and 33.2-366 being redistributed on the basis of lane miles to the applicable localities pursuant to §§ 33.2-319 and 33.2-366, to be used to assist in funding needed highway pavement and bridge maintenance and rehabilitation and (ii) a $5 administrative fee to the Department.

1962, c. 192, § 46.1-343.1; 1974, c. 145; 1983, c. 169; 1987, c. 372; 1989, c. 727; 1996, cc. 36, 87; 2003, c. 314; 2012, c. 443; 2013, c. 118; 2017, c. 693; 2018, cc. 501, 612.