A wind-turbine blade over 70 metres long cannot move like an ordinary container: it needs a special circulation permit, escort vehicles, a bridge-and-road survey of the route and, often, a designated night movement window. Project cargo logistics is therefore a field where paperwork runs weeks ahead of physical logistics — and an oversized load stopped mid-route for a missing permit is a loss no insurance fully repairs.
The special circulation permit: when it is required
Vehicles carrying oversized or overweight loads — beyond the load and dimension limits for ordinary circulation under the Road Law 35/2024/QH15 — need a circulation permit from the competent road authority, issued per trip or per route for a set period. The application carries a detailed transport plan: route, schedule, safety measures and survey results for bottlenecks such as weak bridges, gantries and power lines. Project cargo imported through a port must also synchronise this permit with the port discharge plan, because equipment waiting for a permit on the terminal yard accrues storage charges daily.
May oversized vehicles move in daytime
The answer sits in each trip’s own permit: the issuing authority fixes the movement window and route by traffic density and route character — in cities and populated corridors, oversized loads are usually assigned night or off-peak windows, with escort vehicles and notice to local authorities. Moving outside the permitted window or route is treated as unpermitted circulation, and the convoy can be ordered to stop in place until a valid plan exists — for an oversized load, ‘stopping in place’ can mean blocking an entire lane.
Damaging bridges and roads under an overweight load
The carrier and the cargo owner bear liability to compensate damage to transport infrastructure caused by the overweight vehicle — cracked bridge decks, subsided pavement, broken culverts — under traffic law and the damage principles of the Civil Code 2015, besides administrative sanctions for overloading. That is why the pre-trip route survey is not mere permit paperwork: it records bridge and road condition before the vehicle passes, protecting the carrier from pre-existing damage being attributed to its load. A professional transport plan adds temporary reinforcement, load spreading over multi-axle trailers and a backup route.
Planning the legal chain of a project-cargo move
The procedure chain for moving major equipment should be planned backwards from the installation date: foundation acceptance and the installation window at site, minus inland transport time with permits, minus port discharge and customs clearance, back to the international vessel schedule. Every interface between stages is its own legal risk — slow clearance of project equipment, a circulation permit expiring mid-journey, a port lacking suitable lifting gear. Project-cargo logistics contracts therefore need a milestone annex assigning responsibility for each procedure to each party, instead of one vague delivery-date promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What permits do wind turbines and oversized equipment need?
A special circulation permit for oversized and overweight transport from the road authority under the Road Law 35/2024/QH15, with a transport plan and route survey — bridges, power lines, bottlenecks — approved in the application. The permit fixes route, movement window and safety measures per trip or route.
Can oversized vehicles move during the day?
It depends on the trip’s permit: the authority sets the window and route by traffic density, and in cities and populated corridors oversized loads are usually assigned night or off-peak windows with escorts. Moving outside the permitted window or route is handled as unpermitted circulation and the vehicle can be ordered to stop.
Who compensates bridge and road damage from overweight loads?
The carrier and cargo owner must compensate infrastructure damage under traffic law and the Civil Code 2015, besides administrative overload sanctions. Surveying and recording bridge and road condition before the trip is the evidence protecting the carrier against pre-existing damage.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council