Start Your Permit Process Early for Oversize Loads
Oversize loads need permits before the truck goes anywhere, and if you've got a complicated itinerary coming up, you need help collecting all the permissions for each city and county, not to mention states. Before you contact a permit service, however, you'll need some information ready to go. This information can greatly affect your chances of getting a permit as well as how long it will take to get all of the permits squared away, so start early.
Can You Break up the Load?
Oversize loads need a special permit for a reason: they can interfere with traffic, create safety hazards, and lead to vehicle and road damage. So, if there is any way to break up the load so that you have two or more trucks carrying normal loads (or one truck making more than one trip with normal loads each time), you need to do that. You will not qualify for a permit if the load can reasonably be divided and you choose not to. As much of an inconvenience as that sounds, it is the better option because normal loads do not present nearly the number of hazards that oversize loads present.
When Are You Going?
Assuming your load can't be reasonably divided, the next issue is when you'll be hauling. Many municipalities bar oversize loads during heavy travel times like holidays and weekends. And if you're crossing state lines, you may run into state-specific holidays that could require a change in your plans. All of this varies by state, so each route has to be planned out carefully. An oversized truck permit service has all this state-specific information already; work with one of these services instead of attempting to get permits on your own.
Where Are You Going?
Not only do you have the holiday laws to deal with, but you also have load limits and roadway sizes to figure out. Oversize loads are likely overweight loads and possibly extra-tall loads, too. Your route has to allow all of those dimensions to safely pass along with no problem. You can't take routes where maybe your load will pull down a few tree limbs, for example, or barely pass under a bridge. The technology exists to map the entire route for weight limits and other challenges; use it.
You'll need to do some initial mapping yourself because the permit service will obviously need to know where you plan to go. But be open to route changes, and ask the permit service if they can help you find alternates if the route you provide has an obstacle.