The permit for oversize transport in Romania (AST): a practical guide

What the special transport permit (AST) is

The special transport permit (AST, autorizație specială de transport) is the document by which the road administrator sets the route on which a vehicle with excess weight or dimensions may travel, the travel conditions and the fees due. It is valid for the vehicles, technical characteristics, route, direction and period stated in it.

Without an AST, a vehicle that exceeds the maximum permitted weights or dimensions may not travel on public roads. The rule applies to vehicles registered both in Romania and in other countries.

When you need an AST: the legal limits

The limits are set in the annexes to OG no. 43/1997 on the road regime. For ordinary goods vehicles, the main values are:

Source: OG no. 43/1997 on the road regime, annex no. 2 (values for rehabilitated roads). On non-rehabilitated, upgraded or gravel roads, some permitted weights are lower.

The vehicle is measured together with the load. A machine 3.40 m high loaded on a 1.20 m deck is 4.60 m high overall, so it is oversize, even if the machine on its own does not look very tall.

Which loads can receive an AST

An AST is issued only for:

• indivisible loads: a load that cannot be divided into two or more parts without undue expense or risk of damage and which, because of its dimensions or weight, cannot be transported within the legal limits;
• unladen vehicles that, by design, exceed the maximum permitted weights or dimensions.

In other words, you cannot get an AST in order to load more divisible goods, for example more sand or more pallets, onto a single truck.

Who issues the AST

The AST is issued by the administrator of the road the transport travels on:

• CNAIR (the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration), for motorways and national roads;
• county councils, for county roads;
• local authorities, for municipal roads and streets in towns and villages.

If the route uses roads belonging to several administrators, the consent of each one is needed. On national roads, authorisation has limits of competence: very large transports are approved at central level, not by CNAIR's regional units.

The transport engineering study

For indivisible loads, axle loads can be authorised above the usual limits by at most 3.5 t on a single axle, 6 t on a tandem axle and 7 t on a tridem axle. Beyond these values, the AST is issued only on the basis of a transport engineering study drawn up by a licensed individual or company.

The road administrator may also require a transport engineering study for other excess weights or dimensions, depending on the restrictions on the route and the road geometry. The study analyses the route, bridges and underpasses and sets the conditions under which the transport can pass.

Escort and Traffic Police

The 2018 Norms on authorising and running vehicles with excess weights and dimensions set the thresholds at which the transport must be escorted:

Source: the Norms on authorising and running vehicles with excess weights and/or dimensions, approved by Joint Order MT/MDRAP/MAI no. 1236/6509/126/2018. The exact number of escort vehicles is the one stated in the AST permit.

The escort vehicles belong to licensed operators, and the staff driving them are certified. When the transport is escorted by the police, the stages of the journey are set by the Traffic Police.

Travel rules

• Weekends and holidays. Oversize transports are prohibited on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 06:00 and 22:00. The road administrator may authorise exceptions.
• Speed. The maximum speed of oversize vehicles is 70 km/h, under Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) no. 195/2002; in practice, the speed is adapted to the traffic and to the conditions in the AST.
• Weather. According to CNAIR's announcements about large transports, they do not run on road sections under yellow, orange or red weather warnings.
• Route and time window. The AST sets the route, the direction, the period of validity and the travel conditions. Travelling in breach of any of them carries the same liability as travelling without a permit.

Marking the vehicle

A vehicle that exceeds the maximum permitted dimensions must have, among other things:

• signs reading “TRANSPORT EXCEPȚIONAL!” (“Abnormal load!”) or “ATENȚIE! GABARIT DEPĂȘIT!” (“Caution! Oversize load!”), on the cab and at the rear, at least 25 × 100 cm, with a reflective yellow background and black lettering at least 15 cm high (also mandatory above 80 t gross weight);
• two special flashing amber warning lights on the cab, visible from at least 100 m;
• above 3.20 m width, lights, reflectors or yellow reflective tape along the side outline of the load, 1.5 m apart;
• 42 × 42 cm boards with red-and-white reflective stripes at 45°, at the side extremities, at the front and at the rear;
• radios for contact with the escort staff, when the transport is escorted.

The yellow sign in this site's header is inspired by the real sign; the red-and-white boards on its edges are the extremity markers.

AST fees

In addition to the issuing fee, there are supplementary road use fees, calculated according to the gross weight, the axle loads, the dimensions and the distance travelled. The fees are approved by order of the Minister of Transport for national roads and by decisions of the county or local councils for the other roads, so they differ from one administrator to another.

Our quote includes the permits needed for the whole route. See also what makes up the cost of an oversize transport.

Who is liable if the transport travels without an AST

The law sets an order of liability: the transport operator named in the documents; if it cannot be identified, the person using the vehicle; then the owner of the vehicle and, as a last resort, the driver. The consignor is also liable, according to its legal obligations. That is why it matters to work with a partner who handles the permits properly.

Public examples of AST transports

The announcements of CNAIR and the INFOTRAFIC centre show what oversize transports on Romanian roads actually look like and what conditions the authorisation imposes.

Source: CNAIR, DRDP and INFOTRAFIC announcements, as reported in the press. These are not transports organised by us.

Check your transport

Enter the overall dimensions of the transport and see, as a guide, whether you need an AST and an escort.

Sources

• OG no. 43/1997 on the road regime, republished, as amended and supplemented, annexes no. 2 and 3;
• the Norms on authorising and running road vehicles with weights and/or dimensions exceeding the maximum permitted weights and/or dimensions, approved by Joint Order MT/MDRAP/MAI no. 1236/6509/126/2018;
• OUG no. 195/2002 on traffic on public roads;
• CNAIR announcements about oversize transports.