RouteAllMassachusetts Oversize Load Permits: Fees, Escorts, Hours
Official Sources Reviewed: November 12, 2026
A Massachusetts oversize permit costs $40 per trip through MassDOT’s OASIS system. Loads travel from Monday to Saturday noon, plus Sunday morning, and not on six holidays. On the Turnpike, one pilot car follows loads over 12 feet wide, two go over 13 feet 6 inches, and the State Police escort anything over 16 feet wide.
On This Page
This page covers Massachusetts only. Compare states in the pilot car requirements by state table and the permit cost table.
What Are Massachusetts’ Legal Size Limits?
MassDOT’s limits page says no special permit is needed up to 8 feet 6 inches wide and 13 feet 6 inches high. Tunnels are lower: the Callahan and Sumner Tunnels take 12 feet 6 inches, while the Turnpike, Ted Williams Tunnel, O’Neill Tunnel (I-93) and CANA Tunnel take 13 feet 6 inches. A truck may be 40 feet long and a semitrailer 53 feet.
How Do You Get A Massachusetts Oversize Permit?
Apply in MassDOT’s Oversize Overweight Permitting and Routing Application (OASIS). Table 1 of 700 CMR 8.06(4) sets the fees: $40 per trip or $400 a year for an irreducible load over a legal limit, and $300 for a single-trip superload over 130,000 pounds, which needs detailed engineering calculations. The permit office answers at 857-368-3690, weekdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
When Does Massachusetts Require An Escort?
The Turnpike rules in 700 CMR 7.07(4)(d) are the published escort chart. On other state highways, MassDOT sets escort conditions on the permit.
| Load on the Turnpike | Escort (700 CMR 7.07(4)(d)) |
|---|---|
| Over 90 up to 100 ft long, or over 12 ft up to 13 ft 6 in wide | One pilot car following |
| Overhang of 10 ft or more, or 4 ft or more on poles, masts or booms | One pilot car following |
| Drill rigs with booms, shovels, cranes and odd-shaped loads | One pilot car following |
| Over 100 up to 135 ft long, or over 13 ft 6 in up to 16 ft wide | Pilot cars in front and behind |
| Wider than 16 ft or longer than 135 ft | Add two Massachusetts State Police vehicles |
A Turnpike pilot car shows two flashing amber lights visible front and rear, 24-inch red flags on the right and left rear and an OVERSIZE LOAD sign. An oversize vehicle that needs no pilot car still carries an OVERSIZE LOAD sign on the rear.
When Can An Oversize Load Move In Massachusetts?
MassDOT allows permitted travel on state highways from 12:01 a.m. Monday to noon Saturday, and on Sunday from 12:01 a.m. to noon. There is no movement on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas, and none from noon the day before to noon the day after New Year’s Day, Independence Day and Christmas.
Where Does RouteAll Fit?
RouteAll does not issue or approve permits. Once Massachusetts issues yours, upload the PDF and RouteAll lists every road it read, so you can check them against the permit, then warns you if you leave them. One free trip every month covers up to six state permits.
Before You Roll
- Measure height against the tunnels on your route: 12 feet 6 inches for Callahan and Sumner.
- Check the permit for escort conditions off the Turnpike.
- Over 16 feet wide or 135 feet long on the Turnpike, arrange the State Police escort with the permit.
- Plan holiday weeks around the noon-to-noon closures.
Common Questions
How much is an oversize permit in Massachusetts?
Forty dollars per trip, or $400 a year, for an irreducible load over a legal limit, and $300 for a single-trip superload over 130,000 pounds, under 700 CMR 8.06(4). Checked November 12, 2026.
Can oversize loads travel on weekends in Massachusetts?
Until noon Saturday and on Sunday from 12:01 a.m. to noon, according to MassDOT. Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon are closed.
When do you need a police escort in Massachusetts?
On the Turnpike, two State Police vehicles escort any load wider than 16 feet or longer than 135 feet (700 CMR 7.07(4)(d)7). Elsewhere MassDOT sets escorts on the permit.
How tall can a truck be in Boston’s tunnels?
Twelve feet six inches in the Callahan and Sumner Tunnels, and 13 feet 6 inches in the Ted Williams, O’Neill (I-93) and CANA Tunnels, according to MassDOT.
Further Reading
- How To Read A Massachusetts Oversize Permit
- Massachusetts Signs, Flags And Lights
- Police Escort Requirements By State
Sources And Scope
700 CMR 7.00 (Turnpike and Metropolitan Highway System), 700 CMR 8.00 (fees and permits) and MassDOT’s limits page are the authority. Follow the route, times and escorts printed on your permit when they differ from this summary.
- MassDOT: Commercial Truck Permits, Height And Weight Limitations — Width and height limits, tunnel heights, lengths, holidays and travel days, contact. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- 700 CMR 8.00 — Table 1 in 8.06(4): $40 per trip, $400 annual, $300 superload over 130,000 lb. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- 700 CMR 7.00 — 7.07(4)(d): Turnpike and Metropolitan Highway System pilot cars, pilot car equipment, State Police escorts, rear sign. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- MassDOT Commercial Truck Permits — OASIS application system. Retrieved November 12, 2026.