RouteAllAnnual vs Single-Trip Oversize Permits
Last verified September 8, 2026 against the state codes and vendor pages linked in Sources.
A single-trip permit names your roads. An annual permit usually does not. That one difference decides which app can help you, because a route-following app has nothing to follow when the permit lists no route.
Most drivers hit this the first time they buy an annual and the app shows an empty screen.
Two permits, two different products. One authorizes a move; the other authorizes a class of moves.
A single-trip permit is a route. It says where you start, where you finish and which roads you take between them. An annual permit is a size envelope. It says how big you may be, for how long, and inside what area, and it leaves the roads to you.
What is the difference between them?
A single-trip permit authorizes one movement between two specific points. An annual permit authorizes many movements inside a size envelope for a fixed period. Virginia states both plainly: single-trip permits cover one movement, while annual multi-trip permits allow multiple movements on designated or unrestricted routes.
"Single trip permits are issued to cover one movement between two specific points." — 24VAC20-82-50. Verified September 8, 2026.
The practical effect is what shows up in the cab. A single-trip permit hands you a road list you must not leave. An annual permit hands you an envelope and leaves the roads to your own planning.
That is why the two permits feel like different jobs on the same truck.
How long does each permit last?
Virginia gives the clearest published numbers. Most single-trip permits are valid for 13 days, and DMV may shorten that. Annual multi-trip permits may be purchased for either one or two years. Pennsylvania runs a separate set of periods by vehicle class, from 30 days to a year.
| Permit | Lasts | Roads | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia single trip | Usually 13 days; DMV may shorten it | One movement, two specific points | 24VAC20-82-50 |
| Virginia annual multi-trip | One year or two years | Designated or unrestricted routes | 24VAC20-82-80 |
| Pennsylvania construction truck | Annual | State highways in the counties listed | 67 Pa. Code 179.15a |
| Pennsylvania implement of husbandry | 90 days, seasonal | Per the permit | 67 Pa. Code 179.15a |
Every state writes its own periods and its own names for them. Virginia says annual multi-trip; Florida says blanket; Texas says annual envelope. Read the period off your own permit rather than off this table.
Does an annual permit let me drive any road?
No. It removes the road list, not the restrictions. Pennsylvania construction-truck permits authorize travel on state highways in the counties named on the permit, and exclude Interstates, posted highways and any bridge the permit prohibits. You must still avoid restricted structures and obey the travel conditions.
An annual construction-truck permit "will authorize travel on any State highway in the counties listed in the permit." Interstates, posted highways and prohibited bridges are excluded. — 67 Pa. Code 179.15a, verified September 8, 2026.
Read that exclusion list twice. The freedom is inside named counties, off the Interstate, and away from posted structures.
An annual permit does not authorize a posted bridge. You must check the structures on the route you chose, because nobody chose it for you.
Which apps support annual oversize permits?
Route-following apps mostly do not. The reason is the permit rather than the app, because an annual permit usually names no route, so there is nothing for the app to follow. Apps that read a permit document need a road list on the page. Check whether yours has one before you buy a subscription.
Three designs, three different outcomes on an annual permit:
- ProMiles loads a permit by scanning its QR code or entering a permit number, then pulls the route from the issuing state. An annual permit with no routed corridor gives that lookup nothing to return.
- PermitPath has you build the route yourself with pin drops and unlimited waypoints, at $3.99 a month. That design does not care what kind of permit you hold, because you are the router.
- RouteAll reads the roads written on the permit. On an annual permit with no road list, there is nothing to extract, and the app cannot invent a corridor the state did not name.
Stated plainly: a document reader is the wrong tool for a permit with no route on it. For annual work, a waypoint app like PermitPath fits the job better than RouteAll does, and it is honest to say so. Free oversize permit route apps compared puts the prices side by side.
Is an annual permit cheaper than single-trip permits?
It depends on your trip count and your dimensions. An annual permit pays for itself once you run enough moves in one state to exceed its fee. It only helps if your load fits under the annual dimension caps, which are lower than the single-trip caps in Virginia.
Work the break-even before you buy:
- Divide the annual fee by your state's single-trip fee. That quotient is the number of trips where the annual starts winning.
- Count the trips you actually ran in that state last year, not the ones you hope to run.
- Check the caps. If your usual load exceeds the annual envelope, you will buy single trips anyway and the annual saves nothing.
- Check the area. A county-limited annual permit is worth less if your lanes cross the state.
Fees are set per state and change, so pull the current figure from your issuing state rather than from any guide.
Do I need a single-trip permit if I hold an annual?
Yes, whenever the load exceeds the annual permit's limits. In Virginia the annual multi-trip caps are lower than the single-trip caps, so an oversize load that fits one may not fit the other. RouteAll does not issue permits or guarantee compliance, and the driver remains responsible for the load.
Carriers commonly run both.
The annual covers routine equipment moves. The single trip covers the one load a year that is taller, wider or heavier than the envelope allows.
Measure the load against the annual caps before you assume it is covered.
If the load is close to a threshold, read Do you need an oversize permit? The 4 numbers that decide and check the escort trigger in Pilot car requirements by state. The escort numbers do not change because your permit is annual.
Before you roll
Look at the permit in your hand and find the road list.
If it names roads, follow them exactly, and any route-following app can help you do it. If it names no roads, you are the router, and the permit's conditions are the only limits you have.
An annual permit is permission to be a certain size, not permission to take any road.
The other RouteAll driver guides cover the route side; the RouteAll oversize permit navigation home page shows what the app reads.
Common questions
Which apps support annual oversize permits?
Route-following apps mostly do not. The reason is the permit rather than the app, because an annual permit usually names no route, so there is nothing for the app to follow. Apps that read a permit document need a road list on the page. Check whether yours has one before you buy a subscription.
Does an annual permit let me drive any road?
No. It removes the road list, not the restrictions. Pennsylvania construction-truck permits authorize travel on state highways in the counties named on the permit, and exclude Interstates, posted highways and any bridge the permit prohibits. You must still avoid restricted structures and obey the travel conditions.
Is an annual permit cheaper than single-trip permits?
It depends on your trip count and your dimensions. An annual permit pays for itself once you run enough moves in one state to exceed its fee. It only helps if your load fits under the annual dimension caps, which are lower than the single-trip caps in Virginia.
Do I need a single-trip permit if I hold an annual?
Yes, whenever the load exceeds the annual permit's limits. In Virginia the annual multi-trip caps are lower than the single-trip caps, so an oversize load that fits one may not fit the other. RouteAll does not issue permits or guarantee compliance, and the driver remains responsible for the load.
Further reading
Sources
- Virginia, 24VAC20-82-50, single trip permit: one movement between two specific points, most valid 13 days.
- Virginia, 24VAC20-82-80, annual multi-trip permit: multiple movements on designated or unrestricted routes, one or two years.
- Pennsylvania, 67 Pa. Code 179.15a, seasonal and annual permits: county-scoped construction truck permits, 90-day implement of husbandry permits.
- Pennsylvania, 67 Pa. Code 179.8, permit application procedure: the applicant states the proposed route of movement.
- ProMiles, OS/OW Route Following App, read September 8, 2026: QR code or permit number, free, three jurisdictions testing.
- PermitPath, Features, read September 8, 2026: "At just $3.99 per month"; pin drops and unlimited waypoints.
Not verified for this guide: annual permit dimension caps in the current Virginia and Texas codes, and per-state permit fees. Both are quoted widely by third parties, and neither was found in a primary source during this check, so no figure is printed here.
RouteAll reads the permit you provide. It does not issue permits or guarantee compliance. The driver remains responsible for the load. Rules and fees change; verify against the permit and the issuing state before every move.