RouteAllDo You Need an Oversize Permit? Size, Weight And Route Checks
Reviewed · Review Scope
You need an oversize permit when the loaded truck is over 8 feet 6 inches (102 inches) wide, over your state’s height limit (13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet in most states), longer than its trailer limit (often 53 feet), or over 80,000 pounds gross. The width and weight numbers are federal, in 23 CFR 658.
Axle weights and posted bridges can require a permit below those numbers. Measure the load as it travels, then check the state, and get the permit from every state on the route.
Key takeaways
- Width: 8 feet 6 inches (102 inches) is the federal limit on the National Network (23 CFR 658.15). Wider needs a state permit.
- Height: 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet in most states. There is no federal height limit, so each state sets its own.
- Length: 48 feet is the shortest semitrailer limit a state may set on the National Network (23 CFR 658.13); many states allow 53-foot trailers.
- Weight: 80,000 pounds gross, 20,000 on a single axle and 34,000 on a tandem on the Interstate (23 CFR 658.17).
- Louisiana’s height exception includes limited reasonable Interstate access; it is not unrestricted statewide 14-foot travel (RS 32:381).
- Once permitted: check travel times, escort conditions, local permissions and the issued route before moving. See pilot car requirements in all 50 states.
You need an oversize permit when the loaded truck is wider than eight feet six inches, taller than your state’s limit of about thirteen feet six inches to fourteen feet, longer than its trailer limit, or heavier than eighty thousand pounds. The width and weight limits are federal. Axle weights and posted bridges can require a permit sooner. Measure the load as it travels, check each state on the route, and get a permit from every one of them before you move.
On This Page
When do you need an oversize permit?
You need a permit when the load is over 8 feet 6 inches wide, over the state’s height limit of 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet, over its trailer length limit, or over 80,000 pounds gross. Axle and bridge limits can require one sooner. Each state on the route issues its own permit.
Measure the complete loaded vehicle in travel configuration, including the highest and widest points, projections and overhang.
Is it wider than 8 feet 6 inches?
On the National Network, 102 inches is the federal standard width. Exceeding the applicable limit generally requires specific authorization unless an exception applies. Check the road network and measurement exclusions; do not assume a 102-inch vehicle is authorized on every local road.
“No State shall impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches, or its approximate metric equivalent, 2.6 meters (102.36 inches) on a vehicle operating on the National Network.”
23 CFR 658.15(a). Verified September 2026.
Width is the classic trigger because it is the one number a federal rule fixes. The state statutes repeat it: Texas 621.201, Florida 316.515(1), Louisiana RS 32:380, Utah R909-2-4 and New Mexico 66-7-402 all say 102 inches or 8 feet 6 inches.
Is it taller than 13 feet 6 inches?
Florida and New York generally limit height to 13 feet 6 inches; Texas, Utah and New Mexico use 14 feet. Louisiana has a 13-foot-6-inch baseline and a conditional 14-foot Interstate allowance with limited reasonable access. Check exceptions and every posted clearance; a statutory height limit is not a bridge-clearance guarantee.
These general height examples require the exceptions and route conditions in the linked provisions.
| State | Legal height | Legal width | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 13 feet 6 inches | 102 inches | s. 316.515 |
| New York | 13 feet 6 inches | 96-inch baseline; 102 inches on qualifying/access and specified other highways | VTL 385 |
| Louisiana | 13 feet 6 inches; conditional 14-foot Interstate allowance plus limited reasonable access | 102 inches | RS 32:381, RS 32:380 |
| Texas | 14 feet | 102 inches | 621.207, 621.201 |
| Utah | 14 feet | 8 feet 6 inches | R909-2-4 |
| New Mexico | 14 feet | 8 feet 6 inches | 18.19.8 NMAC, 66-7-402 |
Louisiana permits reasonable access within one road mile of the Interstate to terminals and facilities for food, fuel, repairs and rest under its 14-foot provision, unless a route is prohibited for specific safety reasons. Read RS 32:381 before assuming either unrestricted access or an absolute Interstate-only rule.
Is it longer than your state's limit?
Compare the correct measurement for the vehicle and road: trailer length, overall combination length, overhang and kingpin-to-axle distance can have different rules. The National Network has federal length protections for specified combinations. States also authorize longer configurations on particular routes. A 48-foot trailer figure is not a universal maximum.
- New York: VTL 385(3) includes an allowance for semitrailers over 48 through 53 feet on qualifying or specifically designated access highways, with kingpin-to-rear-axle and protective-device conditions. Check the full provision and city restrictions.
- Florida: 316.515(3) has configuration-specific semitrailer rules. Underride protection alone does not establish that every 57-foot semitrailer is legal; axle positioning and the other statutory conditions also matter.
- Federal network: read 23 CFR 658.13 for the covered combinations and grandfathered lengths, then confirm access to the actual pickup and delivery roads.
Write each measurement beside its matching limit. Do not compare overall truck-and-trailer length with a limit that applies only to the trailer.
Is it heavier than 80,000 pounds?
Check more than gross weight. The usual federal Interstate limits are 80,000 pounds gross, 20,000 on a single axle and 34,000 on a tandem, with the bridge formula and statutory exceptions. A lighter vehicle can exceed an axle, axle-group, registered-weight or posted bridge limit. An overweight permit is subject to eligibility and route approval.
23 CFR 658.17 covers Interstate weight rules, including bridge-formula limits and exceptions. State and local roads can have different limits, and bridge postings need a separate check.
Get axle and gross weights from appropriate weighing, record axle spacing and tire/configuration information, and compare them with the limits for every road and bridge. A gross scale ticket below 80,000 pounds does not prove that the load is legal.
Permits are not automatically available for every overweight load. Tell the issuer whether the load is divisible and give the actual configuration. Do not assume a permit can cure an ineligible movement.
What do people get wrong?
Travel conditions are easy to misread. A permit route does not authorize every hour or every road needed to reach a stopping place. Check curfews, night authorization, holidays, weather and local restrictions separately. Whitney’s field experience is that crews often misunderstand the travel rules even when they have read the route.
| State | Example to verify | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Current §12 lists weekday 6–9 a.m. and 3:30–6 p.m. mountain-time restrictions on named Wasatch Front roads, using 12-foot width, 105-foot overall length and 14-foot-6-inch height language. Ask UDOT if applicability is unclear. | R909-2-12 |
| New Mexico | Named city/highway curfews are 7–9 a.m. and 4–6 p.m.; Albuquerque and Rio Rancho run to 7 p.m. Exceptions must be authorized as the rule requires. | 18.19.8.24–26 |
| New York | Nondivisible special hauling permits have day/week restrictions, a qualified Saturday-morning allowance and an overweight-only exception. Do not turn the default into a rule without exceptions. | 154-1.2(a) |
| Texas | Check the permit’s hours and current curfew restrictions; any night-travel exception has its own size, route and overhang conditions. | Texas 219.11(l), current permit restrictions |
Where are Florida's curfews?
Read the permit’s movement conditions and current FDOT restrictions. The July 27, 2026 blanket conditions restrict loads over 12 feet wide or 85 feet long during specified weekday peak hours in named counties and cities. The road scope differs, and Florida Keys and Kennedy Space Center conditions add separate restrictions.
The current blanket conditions give the county and city lists, Interstate exceptions for the named cities, night/holiday conditions and route restrictions. They are a blanket-permit source, not a substitute for a different permit type’s conditions. Read 316.550(10) for the distinct penalty categories; $1,000 is not a universal limit on all consequences.
Which states surprise people?
Florida, Utah, New York, Louisiana and New Mexico are examples Whitney identifies from field experience. The practical lesson is to read each exception and the route scope. A headline width, height or travel-time figure can omit a condition that changes whether your actual load may move.
- Florida: confirm the applicable permit type, movement conditions and county/city restrictions.
- Utah: use the current rule. The 2026 curfew provision uses 12-foot width language; older summaries can retain a different number.
- New York: read the 102-inch and longer-semitrailer allowances alongside the baseline limits in VTL 385.
- Louisiana: read the limited reasonable-access provision with the Interstate height allowance.
- New Mexico: an unlisted-road movement can void the permit, but the rule contains a necessary construction/obstruction detour exception. Other conditions still apply. See the off-route guide.
RouteAll extracts permit information and written directions for manual review. Compare the result with all permit pages and attachments before confirming the route. It does not issue permits, establish eligibility or guarantee compliance.
Before you roll
Measure the complete loaded vehicle, get axle and gross weights, identify every jurisdiction and check the applicable limits and exceptions. Resolve permit eligibility first, then review the issued route and all movement conditions before rolling.
Review Scope. Corrected axle/bridge checks, network-specific length and width, Louisiana reasonable access and selected current travel-condition examples using the linked primary provisions.
Further reading
- What happens if you leave your permitted route
- How to read a Texas TxDMV oversize permit
- Your escort driver should not need a subscription
RouteAll does not issue permits or guarantee compliance. These are selected examples, not a complete exemption or permit-eligibility determination. Read current law, the permit and incorporated conditions together and resolve conflicts with the issuer. Questions or a correction? Contact RouteAll support or go back to the RouteAll home page.