I got my load all loaded up this morning at the yard. A couple of very large generators going to GA and some sort of doohicky that's part of an overhead crane assembly of some sort. It's an odd, X shaped thing, about ten feet across from end to end of each part of the X, with cable wheels on each end.
The doohicky is just slightly too large to actually fit on the trailer, even set kinda sideways as it is, and sticks out a couple of inches on each side. Just enough to technically be an oversized load and require the permits, signs, flags, and flashing amber lights.
I left the yard and headed south. I stopped at the IL line to find out if the permits had come in yet, they hadn't. I pulled the signs and flags off so I could go ahead and proceed down I-294 without attracting any undue attention. I knew I wouldn't be crossing any weigh stations and as the thing is only a couple of inches too wide I couldn't see having to sit until tomorrow morning and then having to deal with the morning Chicago traffic over a technicality. So I ran on down incognito and pulled into the truckstop in IN to await my permits which should all arrive tomorrow morning.
If it was a truly wide load, or if the thing was on the bottom deck close to the cars instead of on the top deck well away from them, I wouldn't have even considered running without the flags and such. But it's only a couple of inches and well above the car danger zone so it's really just a technicality and not a safety issue. Driving or walking around the trailer one would have to look very closely to even see that it's slightly wider than the trailer. My mirrors stick out much farther than that.
But now that I am past the Chicago area I'll behave myself and dutifully await my permits. Besides, there's a weigh station just a few miles down the road. Maybe they would notice, maybe they wouldn't, but it's not worth the risk of finding out. Some of those DOT cops have pretty sharp eyes at times, especially when they're bored and looking for an excuse to do something.
I have plenty of time now. The generators deliver in GA on Monday morning and the doohicky delivers in the FL panhandle Tuesday. No sweat now. As I'll be running under an oversized permit I won't be able to run past noon on Saturday, but that still gives me all of tomorrow and until noon Saturday to get down to GA. No problem.
For now I can just rest, knit a bit, and watch a movie.
I did manage to get by a Hobby Lobby today and buy some new cable needles to replace the one I lost in some hotel a few months back. I've been using a double point needle as a cable needle, but it's kind of awkward and a cable needle just works better as it's curved and lays down out of the way. I also accidentally bought a few more skeins of yarn while I was there. I am going to make a hat to match the scarf once it's finished. Or at least try to. I haven't found an actual pattern that matches the scarf's pattern so I am just making one up myself. We'll see how that goes LOL