RouteAllMaryland Oversize Load Permits: Pilot Cars, Limits, Curfews
Last verified November 3, 2026 against the Maryland statutes, COMAR rules and SHA pages linked below.
A Maryland load needs a hauling permit once it is wider than 102 inches, taller than 13 feet 6 inches, or past the length and weight limits. The State Highway Administration (SHA) Hauling Permits Unit issues permits through Maryland One. A single-trip special hauling permit costs $30 for the first 40 tons, plus $5 for each ton above.
On This Page
Maryland keeps permit loads off its toll tunnels and bridges from noon Friday to 9 a.m. Monday, and keeps anything over 8 feet wide out of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. This page covers that and the rest, each linked to the rule.
What are Maryland's legal size limits?
Maryland allows 102 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high and 80,000 pounds gross without a permit. A single truck may be 40 feet long. A semitrailer may be 48 feet, or up to 53 feet on the National Network with a kingpin of 41 feet or less.
The table lists each limit with the statute it comes from.
| Dimension | Legal limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 102 inches, safety devices excluded | TA 24-102 |
| Height | 13 feet 6 inches | TA 24-104 |
| Length | 40-foot single truck; 48-foot semitrailer, or 53 feet on the National Network | TA 24-104.1; SHA handbook |
| Overhang | 3 feet front; 6 feet rear | TA 24-105 |
| Weight | 80,000 pounds gross; 20,000 single axle on vehicles registered over 73,000 pounds | TA 24-108, 24-109 |
How do you get a Maryland hauling permit?
Register, apply and pay through Maryland One, SHA's online hauling permit system (SHA Hauling Permits). A written application is required when the gross weight exceeds 80,000 pounds, or the load is over 85 feet long, 15 feet 6 inches high or 13 feet 11 inches wide (COMAR 11.04.01.06(C)).
A Maryland permit covers State highways. A county or city road, bridge or rail crossing may only be crossed after notice to, and arrangements with, its owner (COMAR 11.04.02.04).
SHA issues these permit types for oversize and overweight loads:
- Special hauling permit: one one-way trip on the route it names, with an empty return if the empty vehicle is legal. It may be extended once, for 5 days, before it expires (11.04.01.06).
- Blanket hauling permit: 30 days or one year, up to 75 feet long, 12 feet wide and 14 feet high, on any SHA highway without reporting each move (11.04.01.03).
- Book permits: ten single trips valid two years, up to 85 feet long, 13 feet wide, 15 feet high and 90,000 pounds, for Maryland-registered vehicles. Each move needs a route verification number from SHA (11.04.01.04).
Fees are set in COMAR 11.04.01.08.
| Permit or service | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Special hauling permit | $30 for 40 tons or less; $5 per ton above 40 | .08C |
| Special permit extension | $5 | .08C |
| Blanket permit | $50 for 30 days; $500 a year | .08A |
| Book of ten trip permits | $300 | .08B |
| Structural review, over 60 tons | $8 per structure; $20 when a bridge engineer escorts | .08D |
| SHA monitoring | $200 a day | .08E |
An overweight special hauling permit needs five or more axles and registration for the maximum gross weight, unless the vehicle is special mobile equipment (11.04.01.09(C)). How to read the issued permit and its attachments is covered in how to read a Maryland oversize permit. RouteAll reads the permit you upload and drives the route it names, so the roads on the screen are the roads SHA approved. It never reroutes you off the permit.
Choosing between a trip and a blanket permit is covered in annual vs single-trip oversize permits.
What are Maryland's tunnel, bridge and toll rules?
Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) facilities, its toll tunnels, bridges and highways, take permit loads only in daylight from 9 a.m. Monday to noon Friday unless MDTA approves otherwise. Call the facility or the MDTA Police named on the permit at least an hour before you reach it.
"Unless otherwise approved by the Authority, a permittee or user may move an oversize or overweight vehicle on or across an Authority highway only during daylight hours between 9 a.m. Monday and 12 noon Friday." — COMAR 11.04.02.05(D). Verified November 3, 2026.
- Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895): closed to any oversize or overweight vehicle, and to any vehicle and load over 8 feet wide or 13 feet 6 inches high (.05(B)).
- Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95): closed over 14 feet 6 inches high or 11 feet wide; the width limit can be waived in writing by the tunnel administrator (.05(C)).
- Other MDTA facilities: the Hatem Bridge (US 40), Nice/Middleton Bridge (US 301), Bay Bridge (US 50/301), I-95 John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway and the Intercounty Connector (MD 200) are covered by the same rules (.05(A)).
- Posted bridges: a blanket permit vehicle may not cross a bridge when its gross or axle weight exceeds the posted limit (11.04.01.03(G)(8)).
- Heavy trucks off State roads: a vehicle over 73,000 pounds stays on State highways except on the shortest legal route to a pickup or delivery. In Baltimore City that route must use designated truck routes (TA 24-108(a)(3)).
Engineering review covers the permitted route only, so read what happens if you leave your permitted route.
When does Maryland require a pilot car?
Maryland requires one private escort for a load more than 13 feet wide, more than 85 feet long, 14 feet 6 inches high or more (pole vehicle), or over 60 tons. At 14 feet wide or 140 feet long, two escorts go. At 16 feet wide or over 75 tons, a police escort joins them.
The escort rides behind an overlength load, behind an overwidth load on a multilane highway and in front of one on a two-lane highway. One escort may not cover two loads (11.04.04.02(E)).
| Load | Escorts | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Over 13 feet wide | One private escort (manufactured housing excepted) | .03A(1) |
| Construction equipment over 12 feet wide off the interstate | One | .03A(5) |
| 14 feet wide or more | Two | .03B(1) |
| 16 feet wide or more | Police escort in addition to private escorts | .06B |
| 14 feet 6 inches high or more | One pole vehicle | .03A(3) |
| Over 85 feet long | One; two at 140 feet or more | .03A(2), B(2) |
| Over 60 tons gross | One; police too over 75 tons, and possibly from 65 tons | .03A(4), .06 |
Two escorts are also required on a road too narrow for traffic to pass, or when traffic must be stopped or diverted. The permittee pays for any police escort (11.04.04.06(D)). Escort duties and equipment are in Maryland pilot car qualifications; other states are in pilot car requirements by state.
When can an oversize load move in Maryland?
By default, permit loads move from half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset. They do not move after noon Saturday, on Sunday or on the holiday periods SHA lists each year. The permit can set other days and hours (COMAR 11.04.02.06).
SHA's Motor Carrier Handbook says loads up to 150,000 pounds, 13 feet wide, 90 feet long and 14 feet 6 inches high get continuous 24/7 travel except on state holidays. Larger loads travel on the times the permit specifies.
- Beltways: over 45 tons, 100 feet long or more, or 12 feet wide or more, the Capital Beltway (I-495/I-95) and Baltimore Beltway (I-695) are open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. only (.06B(2)).
- 14 feet wide or more: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on any Maryland highway (.06B(3)).
- Spacing: half a mile behind another permit vehicle going the same way, or 1 mile between escorted loads (11.04.02.03(E)).
- Weather: no travel when visibility is limited or rain, sleet, snow, ice, fog, flood or wind makes it hazardous. A load caught out must park off the road until it clears (.03(I)).
Other states' windows are compared in oversize load travel restrictions by state.
What signs, flags and lights does Maryland require?
Over 9 feet wide, Maryland requires WIDE LOAD or OVERSIZE LOAD signs on the front and rear: black letters at least 10 inches high with a 1 5/8-inch stroke, on a yellow background 18 inches high and 7 feet wide. Signs may not hide brake lights, turn signals or other required lamps (COMAR 11.04.04.01).
- Flags: by day, red or orange fluorescent and at least 18 inches square. Two go at the widest extremities of an overwidth load (11.04.02.03(J)).
- Overhang flags: one at the extreme rear when the projection is 2 feet wide or less, two when it is wider.
- Night lights: on a uniform overwidth load, amber on the front corners and red on the rear corners. A rear overhang over 4 feet takes two red lights on the end and one on each side (.03(K)).
- Escort sign: at least 5 feet by 12 inches with 8-inch letters, on the roof or front and rear (11.04.04.01(B)(2)).
More detail is in Maryland oversize load signs, flags and lights, and other states are in sign requirements by state.
What is a superload in Maryland?
Maryland's rules use "excessive size" and "excessive weight" instead. Excessive size is 16 feet or more high or wide, or 100 feet or more long. Excessive weight is over 60 tons, or 120,000 pounds (COMAR 11.04.01.01). These moves carry extra conditions, a structural review charged per bridge, and possible SHA monitoring.
What trips drivers up in Maryland?
- Friday afternoon at a toll facility: the MDTA window closes at noon Friday, even where the permit allows travel elsewhere.
- The Harbor Tunnel: its 8-foot width limit is narrower than the legal 102 inches, so every wide load needs another crossing.
- Unused permits: a special hauling permit not used in its period lapses. SHA cancels or credits only for extreme weather or extraordinary closures (11.04.01.06(G)).
- Repeat violations: two in six months can suspend all your hauling permits for 30 days (11.04.01.10).
- Out-of-state signs: the Maryland sign rules apply on Maryland highways whatever state the truck comes from (11.04.04.01(C)).
Use This Check In RouteAll
After receiving the issued permit, use RouteAll’s permit-to-GPS workflow to compare its highway sequence with a reviewable map. Keep local permissions, travel windows and escort instructions available separately. RouteAll does not issue permits or amend the authorized roads.
Before you roll
Over 9 feet wide, hang the signs and flag the corners. Over 13 feet wide, book an escort, and plan around the beltway hours once you reach 12 feet. Cross MDTA tunnels and bridges between 9 a.m. Monday and noon Friday, with an hour's call ahead. Check the permit's hours before planning a night or weekend run. For a fuel or rest stop near Baltimore, see the Maryland truck stop guide.
Common questions
How much is a Maryland oversize permit?
A special hauling permit for one trip costs $30 for the first 40 tons or less of gross weight, plus $5 for each ton above 40, under COMAR 11.04.01.08. A blanket permit costs $50 for 30 days or $500 a year, and a book of ten trip permits $300.
Can oversize loads travel at night in Maryland?
COMAR 11.04.02.06 limits moves to half an hour after sunrise until half an hour before sunset unless the permit sets other hours. SHA's Motor Carrier Handbook says loads up to 150,000 pounds, 13 feet wide, 90 feet long and 14 feet 6 inches high get continuous travel except on state holidays. Your permit states which applies.
Can oversize loads travel on weekends in Maryland?
The default rule bars moves after noon Saturday and all day Sunday, and on Maryland Transportation Authority facilities from noon Friday until 9 a.m. Monday. A permit can authorize other days, and SHA's handbook describes 24/7 travel for smaller auto-issued loads.
What escort do I need in Maryland at 13 feet 6 inches wide?
One private escort, because the load is more than 13 feet wide. At 14 feet wide or more you need two, and at 16 feet wide or more a police escort as well, under COMAR 11.04.04.03 and .06.
What is Maryland One?
Maryland One is the State Highway Administration's online hauling permit system. Carriers register, apply for and pay for oversize and overweight permits there.
Can an oversize load use the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel?
No. COMAR 11.04.02.05 bars any oversize or overweight vehicle, and any vehicle and load over 8 feet wide or 13 feet 6 inches high, from the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895) and its approaches.
Further reading
Sources
- Md. Code, Transportation 24-102, 24-104, 24-104.1, 24-105, 24-108 and 24-109.
- COMAR 11.04.01.01, .03, .04, .06, .08, .09 and .10 (permits and fees).
- COMAR 11.04.02.03, .04, .05 and .06 (movement conditions).
- COMAR 11.04.04.01, .02, .03 and .06 (signs and escorts).
- Maryland SHA, Hauling Permits, Maryland One and the Maryland Motor Carrier Handbook.
RouteAll reads the permit you provide. It does not issue permits or guarantee compliance. The driver remains responsible for the load. Maryland rules change, and your permit can be stricter than the rule; verify against the permit and the SHA Hauling Permits Unit before every move.