Industry urges modernization of Massachusetts 'superload' permitting process to speed public projects

Industry representatives from heavy-haul, crane and bridge-construction firms told the Joint Committee on Transportation that Massachusetts' superload permitting process needs modernization to reduce costs and delays for public projects. Supporters referenced House Bill 4428 and Senate Bill 2606 as measures to update the permitting system.

Frank Allen, general manager at Bay Crane Northeast, said anything over 130,000 pounds currently requires a third-party engineering review and that turnaround times make it difficult to respond to short-notice moves. "It's 24 to 48 hours where we get a call and something needs to be moved," he said, adding that MassDOT's current third-party review requirement frequently takes seven to 10 days.

Roger Plouffe, an owner of S and R Corporation and a heavy civil contractor, testified that the current Massachusetts permit process can cost roughly $7,000 per load and take up to 7–10 days, whereas neighboring states in many cases allow online applications with decisions in hours and fees in the low hundreds. "If we were to do a load tomorrow morning in Massachusetts that would not happen tomorrow morning," Plouffe said, contrasting the state's practice with faster, lower-cost systems in nearby states.

Steve Panagiotakis (speaker identified in transcript as Steve Panagiotakis) said modernization would ease logistics for public projects that rely on large beams and precast elements, reducing the number of trucks on the road and associated emissions. Proponents asked the committee to advance legislation to align Massachusetts with surrounding states so transporters are not disadvantaged when crossing state lines.

The committee accepted written testimony and did not record a formal vote during the hearing.