Oversize/Overweight (OS/OW) Permits

 Update: January 27, 2016

Phase 2 of the OS/OW Permits Process Improvement Project produced a new, state-of-the-art permitting system which went "live in November 2014: the Colorado Oversize Overweight Permitting and Routing system – or “COOPR”. This new system includes the capability of self-issued permits for some customers.  Additional details are available 

Update: August 29, 2014

The successes of the Oversize / Overweight Permits Process Improvement Project are featured on pages 6-7 of the August 2014 report entitled: "Pits and Peeves 2.0, progress in Motion Report -- Cutting Red Tape in Government: “Making government more efficient, effective and elegant."

Update: May 2, 2013

Here is an update of results for the Oversize / Overweight (OS/OW) Permits Process Improvement Project

From April 2012 to April 2013, the Major Error rate has declined from 6% to 2.4% and is trending downward.

The time to issue all types of OS/OW permits has also dropped significantly as in the table below:

By Anna Ryazantseva, Process Improvement Intern

January, 16, 2013

Oversize/Overweight Permit Project Vision:

“Our vision is of a standard and user-friendly process that protects the safety of the traveling public; the integrity of the infrastructure; minimizes the errors in the permit into the hands of our customers as soon as practical. This project will also include updates to current maps for our customers. Restrictions will be automatically uploaded to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) network server. Truckers will have the ability to log on and electronically calculate the route.”

Situation Overview

The Oversize/Overweight (OS/OW) Permit process involves issuing permits to motor carriers traveling with extra-large vehicles. These permits are important for a safer and better Colorado because they regulate the risk and damage associated with OS/OW loads to Colorado highways. An examination of the current process revealed opportunities to minimize errors by the permit writers that can potentially compromise highway safety, and result in long cycle times for issuing permits. It also showed that there were many unnecessary steps in the permitting process and lastly not all drivers possess the required OS/OW permits.

Project Personnel

Project Sponsor: Scott McDaniel

Sponsor Coalition: Scott McDaniel, Laurie Freedle, Gregg Miller, David Wieder

Project Team: Dan Wells, Unit Supervisor; Craig Smith, Permit Writer;

David Johnson, Permit Writer; Jack Stieber, Maintenance;

Phillip Anderle, Maintenance Superintendent; Mac Hasan, Staff Bridge;

Tanya Davis, Team Leader

Consultant: Kevin Mindenhall, North Highland

Mentor: Gary Vansuch, CDOT Process Improvement Director

What did the Team do?

In March of 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation launched an improvement effort to better the OS/OW Permit process. Prior to the Rapid Improvement Event, the Sponsor Coalition, a group that helps oversee and facilitate improvement efforts, and the project sponsor met to form a vision for the project. The project team held meetings, did walkthroughs of the process, collected research and data on the process, and mapped out the permit process from start to finish, focusing on the two most common permits administered, single and annual. The team also held meetings to hear concerns from involved parties to reduce potential resistance to the improvement.

During the week of May 7th, the project team held the week-long Rapid Improvement Event to examine and improve the mapped out OS/OW Permit process. On the first day the team developed a set of objectives for the improvement event.  These included:

• Reduce the error rate in the OS/OW Permit process by 50%;

• Reduce the cycle times for permit processing;

• Improve communication with other local agencies such as enforcement agencies; and

• Provide permit writers with better tools for increased accuracy.

With the help of Lean principles and tools as well as interviews with those who use and are involved in the OS/OW Permit process, the team determined how the process could be improved. Using the desired outcomes, the team mapped out a future state and brainstormed solutions that would get the process to where it needed to be.

Recommendations for Improvement

The team identified several improvements that could be made to the OS/OW process. They collected data on cost-effective ways of achieving the proposed improvements. The relative effectiveness of improvements was assessed using three criteria: cost, support, and available resources. Using resources from the event week such as stakeholder surveys, the team chose the final improvements that proceeded to implementation. The final improvements can be condensed into a list of key changes:

• Standardization of restrictions across Colorado;

• Purchasing, implementation, and maintenance of a new OS/OW Permit system;

• Completion of the initial bridge analysis with the Virtis System;

• Increased communication with the Colorado State Patrol;

• Incorporation of all of the databases into one central access point; and

• Improved fee schedule that is more realistic and includes involvement with PaveDat.

Changes to the process will aim to eliminate waste, reduce costs to external customers, and speed up the permit acquisition.

Implementation

Improvement implementation followed a 30-day plan, 60-day plan, and 90+ day plan. Most selected improvement actions slated for 30 days were completed within two weeks of the Rapid Improvement Event and the rest were completed on schedule. Improvements slated to be completed within 31-90 days have been completed with the exception of two improvements that are ongoing. Most improvements that were scheduled for greater than 90 days are in the process of being implemented. All stakeholders were part of the implementation plan. Each had a role in improving the OS/OW Permit process. Implementation was done by dividing up responsibilities among the project team members. Status update meetings created accountability for the team, stakeholders, and CDOT.

Current Results

The Rapid Improvement Event for the OS/OW permit process resulted in a reduction in the number of steps in the process from 25 to 11. In addition to the reduction in steps, several improvements have been implemented for which metrics, such as error rates and cycle times, are still being gathered. The following is a summary of these improvements:

• Two steps that used to be outsourced to other CDOT offices and added the most time to turn around of permits were consolidated into the permit;

• Instituted distraction reducing measures designed to assist permit writers in error reduction;

• Performed outreach training with CDOT region maintenance staff;

• Old fax machines were replaced with an electronic means of receiving faxes from customers allowing permit writers to view applications on their PC without printing a hard copy;

• A quick link was added to CDOT’s main page to assist customers in accessing the OS/OW permit system;

• A Request For Proposal to replace the outdated permitting system with a new automated system that will make the self-issue of certain OS/OW permits available; and

• Established an “on-call” rotation for CDOT field personnel and law enforcement personnel to contact in case of an emergency involving OS/OW vehicles during non-business hours.

The OS/OW Permits team will sustain and monitor the improvements to ensure that the process stays on the path of efficiency and effectiveness.

Final Thoughts

It is anticipated that the changes will become permanent because of the strong support from management and leadership. CDOT will know more of the results in 2013. These results will be shared with the Executive Management Team, the Director of CDOT, the CDOT Commission, and other stakeholders through presentations, word-of-mouth, and the Web. It is the project team’s hope that the OS/OW permit process improvement effort will reduce errors in the permit process, reduce cycle time, and lead to improved customer service.