Board renews contract for Oxcart overweight/oversize permit system; staff say live monitoring of loads is limited

Will County Board members approved a renewal of the county’s license agreement with Oxcart Permit Systems (item 25‑903) to continue automated issuance of oversized and overweight truck permits.

Oxcart is a third‑party, web‑based permit platform used by trucking companies to request permits, pay fees and submit routing information. The system routes permit requests to staff in the county Division of Transportation for review and approval.

Eric Wessel, DOT, told the board that state law requires permits for vehicles that exceed limits (80,000 pounds, 8 feet width, 13 feet 6 inches height) and that Oxcart streamlines permitting by collecting company information, payment and routing. Wessel said the county keeps records of applicants in the database but does not conduct continuous active monitoring of permitted vehicle movement; the system produces records that the DOT may consult after the fact.

Board members asked whether the county receives live notifications, whether hazardous materials are captured and whether fees reflect damages to roadways. Wessel said: hazardous materials movements are managed separately and are not automatically permitted via the Oxcart overweight/oversize process; the county does track the companies that apply and charges fees calibrated by excess size and weight. He said the system can allocate fees when multiple jurisdictions are involved but that each jurisdiction uses its own fee schedule and that state highway permits are handled through IDOT.

The board approved the agreement by roll call (22 in the affirmative). Chair Tranier said DOT staff would bring a fuller Oxcart presentation to the Public Works & Transportation Committee and to Executive Committee so members could see savings and operational details.