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Mississippi Oversize and Overweight Permits

Mississippi Oversize and Overweight Permits

ExpressPass permits, per-mile overweight fees, day and night escort tiers, and the rules where MDOT's 2026 Manual and the codified rule disagree

Quick answer

How do Mississippi oversize permits work?

MDOT's Permit & Motor Carrier Division in Jackson issues them through ExpressPass. An oversize trip costs $10, and overweight adds 5 cents per 1,000 lb over legal for every Mississippi mile, with a $10 minimum. Loads move in daylight unless the permit allows night travel, which tops out at 12 ft wide. Escorts start at 13 ft wide by day and 10 ft at night.

Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).

Checked October 2026; the issued permit controls

Mississippi's permit rules live in two documents that no longer match: MDOT's Permit & Motor Carrier Division Manual (cover date Jan 13, 2026) and the Title 37 rules in the Secretary of State's compilation (last amended Jul 14, 2026). They split on Sunday travel, superload thresholds, sealed-container tandems and metro curfews, so this page gives both readings and treats the permit face as the deciding document. The state's rules sit beside its neighbors' in our oversize permits by state table.

HTS Logistics, a licensed property broker (MC 1178470), arranges heavy haul trips through Mississippi by booking the carrier, ordering the ExpressPass permit on a route that clears posted bridges, and scheduling the escorts the load's width calls for. Pricing here turns on the route class as much as the load: a red-line highway carries 80,000 lb, while a black-line state highway can hold a truck to 57,650 lb.

When Mississippi requires a permit and how to get one

MDOT's Permit & Motor Carrier Division issues permits under Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-51 and 27-19-81 through ExpressPass, the online system that routes each load around low-weight roads, low bridges and posted structures. A copy of the permit, on paper or a phone or tablet, rides in the vehicle; a move without one is treated as unpermitted, and permits do not transfer between owners or vehicles (Manual, General Permit Regulations 6, 19 and 20).

MDOT permits cover state-maintained highways and Interstates only, so county and city segments need local authority (63-5-51(1)). The Manual gives no separate validity period for single-trip oversize or overweight permits: it defines a 'Single Trip Permit' as no more than 3 consecutive days, but uses the same term for the $25 72-hour legal trip permit, so we schedule from the dates printed on each permit. The steps behind a multi-state permit are in how oversize permits work.

Permit office

Issuing office
MDOT Permit & Motor Carrier Division
Address
401 North West Street, Jackson, MS 39201; mail to P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215-1850
Phone
(601) 359-1717; toll free (888) 737-0061; permit insurance desk (601) 359-1589
Hours
Not published by MDOT
Roads covered
State-maintained highways and Interstates; county and city roads need local authority

Fees

MDOT permit fees (Miss. Code Ann. 27-19-81; ExpressPass Permit and Blanket Fees sheet)
PermitFee
Single trip, oversize $10 per trip; round trips can be bought
Overweight 5 cents per 1,000 lb (or fraction) over legal for each mile in Mississippi; $10 minimum
Manufactured or modular housing, overweight 2 cents per 1,000 lb per mile
72-hour legal trip permit (in place of IRP plates) $25
Oversize Blanket: one piece to 14 ft wide, 14 ft high and 120 ft long $100 per year per company
Over Length Trailer Blanket (99 ft); 57 Foot Box Van Trailer Blanket $100 each
Special Heavy Equipment Blanket, up to 150,000 lb $4,500 per pulling unit per year, non-refundable (63-5-52(1))
Forestry Equipment Blanket $200 per pulling unit per year (63-5-52(2))
Sealed Container Blanket $500; the Manual says per vehicle, while 27-19-81(1) sets the self-issue authority at $500 per owner
Harvest permit $25 per truck per year (27-19-81(4))
Port Permit $170 per year (listed on the fee sheet without explanation)

MDOT charges overweight on weight over 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb on a single axle or 34,000 lb on a tandem. U.S. military permits are fee-exempt, blankets are not prorated, and a blanket becomes invalid if the carrier's insurance lapses.

As an example counting gross weight only: a 120,000 lb load is 40 thousands over 80,000 lb, so the charge is 40 × $0.05 = $2.00 per mile, or $300 for a 150-mile Mississippi leg. The Manual says combined oversize and overweight fees vary with the load's weight and mileage, so ExpressPass shows the final figure. When MDOT or other police escort a superload, the escorting agency may bill its own fee (27-19-81(8)).

Escort and pilot car rules in Mississippi

Mississippi sets escorts by time of day and road type: by day the first escort comes at 13 ft wide, at night at 10 ft, and the road decides whether it leads or follows (Manual, General Permit Regulations 13 and 18; 37 Miss. Code R. 1-6301-01001-315 and -319). Neither the 2026 Manual nor Title 37 sets an escort-driver certification, training or insurance rule, so a crew booked for a trip that runs on into a certifying state needs that state's card; our pilot car requirements compared by state mark those states.

Mississippi escort triggers (MDOT Manual, Jan 13, 2026)
LoadEscort requirement
Daylight, 13 ft wide or more Two-lane roads: front escort plus flashing amber lights on the rear of the load. Divided highways: rear escort plus the rear amber lights (Gen. Permit Regs. 18)
Night move (where the permit allows), 10 ft wide or more Two-lane roads: front escort plus rear amber lights. Divided highways: rear escort plus rear amber lights (Gen. Permit Regs. 13)
Night move, under 10 ft wide Rear flashing amber lights and no escort under the Manual; the codified rule says no escort and does not mention lights (R. 1-6301-01001-315)
Over 99 ft total length Front and/or rear escort, as the permit sets (Gen. Permit Regs. 11)
Rear overhang or front projection of 15 ft or more Front and/or rear escort; any front projection over 3 ft needs a permit (Gen. Permit Regs. 9, 10)
18 ft wide and over A police ('blue lights') escort may be required by route and load conditions, at the Executive Director's or Commission's discretion
Height of 15 ft 7 in or more Height pole escort
Height of 15 ft 9 in or more 2 blue-light escorts plus a height pole escort
160 ft long or more; 300,000 lb or more 2 blue-light escorts, one front and one rear

The height, length and weight tiers come from the Manual's Super Load Permit section, item 9(c). The Permit Division Director can grant route-based exceptions to the height and weight tiers or require more blue-light escorts, and any permit can add law enforcement, height-pole or bridge-crossing escorts (General Safety Requirements 1).

An escort is a single motor vehicle with a flashing or revolving amber light, two warning flags and an OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign, mounted on the roof or on the front of a lead car and the rear of a following one; a car that switches positions carries signs at both ends. Escorts keep two-way radio contact with the truck, and moving without a required escort can suspend the permit holder from the permit system for up to 30 days (Manual, Definitions 4 and 15; General Safety Requirements 2).

Travel times, curfews and holidays

Daylight is the default for a Mississippi oversize load, and the Manual defines it two ways: sunrise to sunset for loads 12 ft wide or less, and from half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset for anything wider (Manual, Definitions 2). Night moves happen only when the permit allows them.

  • Night: the Manual allows night permits for loads up to 12 ft wide, 150,000 lb and 99 ft long, with the maximum height set by the route and no more than 4 ft of rear overhang (General Permit Regulations 13; 63-5-19(7)).
  • Around the clock: overweight sealed-container permits (95,000 lb), Special Heavy Equipment Blanket loads up to 150,000 lb, 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 99 ft long, and 57 ft box vans may run 24/7. By statute, self-issued nondivisible loads of 95,000 lb or less at legal size have no hour limit (27-19-81(1)).
  • Sunday: the 2026 Manual sets no Sunday ban, but codified rule R. 1-6301-01001-403 still says 'Movement will not be allowed on Sunday'. We read each permit face for Sunday travel before booking a weekend move, and Special Heavy Equipment Blanket loads over 12 ft wide run Monday through Saturday only.
  • Metro curfews (codified rule only): loads over 12 ft wide time their moves to avoid the Jackson, Memphis/Southaven and Gulf Coast urban areas (the Coast excluding I-10) 7:00–8:30 a.m. and 4:30–5:30 p.m. on weekdays (R. 1-6301-01001-406). The 2026 Manual does not repeat the rule, but any permit may exclude segments or limit hours (General Safety Requirements 1).
  • Weather: overwidth loads may not move when visibility is under 500 ft or pavement, wind or weather is hazardous (Manual, Definitions 9; General Permit Regulations 16).
  • Timber: since 2023 SB 2548, 63-5-19(6) lets forest products project up to 28 ft behind the rear axle 'during daylight or nighttime hours', which overrides the codified daylight-only rule 311; timber more than 4 ft past the rear at night carries an amber strobe or LED light at the end of the load (63-7-47(2)).
  • Frost: Mississippi has no seasonal frost or thaw program. MDOT may post any road or bridge for cause (63-5-27(6)), counties and cities may lower limits on their roads by resolution (63-5-27(5)), and posted bridges are closed to permitted loads (Manual, General Permit Regulations 2).
Mississippi holiday no-move periods, 2026 (Manual, General Safety Requirements 5)
HolidayNo movement
New Year's Day After noon Wed Dec 31, 2025, and all of Thu Jan 1
Memorial Day After noon Sun May 24, and all of Mon May 25
Fourth of July (a Saturday) After noon Fri Jul 3, and all of Sat Jul 4
Labor Day After noon Sun Sep 6, and all of Mon Sep 7
Thanksgiving Day After noon Wed Nov 25, and all of Thu Nov 26
Christmas (a Friday) After noon Thu Dec 24, and all of Fri Dec 25
New Year's Day 2027 After noon Thu Dec 31, 2026, and all of Fri Jan 1, 2027

These dates are the rule worked out on the 2026 calendar: no movement after 12:00 noon on the day before a listed holiday or on the holiday itself, unless the permit says otherwise. MDOT publishes no dated list. Where a permit carries the codified Sunday ban, the whole Sunday before Memorial Day and Labor Day is closed, not just its afternoon.

What catches carriers in Mississippi

Signs and lights at 12 ft, flags below it

Over 12 ft wide, the load carries OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD signs front and rear, 84 in by 18 in with 10 in black letters (1-5/8 in stroke) on yellow or orange, plus two 5 in flashing amber lights on the rear corners about 6 ft up, visible 500 ft. From 10 ft to 12 ft wide, the Manual calls for 18 in red flags on every corner 6 ft above the pavement instead, and a load 4 ft or more past the rear flies a red flag at its end. Neighbors sign narrower loads, as the sign and banner triggers in other states show: from 10 ft wide in Tennessee and North Carolina, and 9 ft in Maryland.

MDOT Manual (Jan 13, 2026), Definitions 15, 23; General Safety Requirements 6, 7; Miss. Code Ann. 63-7-47(1)

USDOT number and insurance, not one or the other

The Manual requires a valid USDOT number and a certificate naming MDOT as holder for at least $500,000 single-limit liability, updated each year in ExpressPass, with UCR, IFTA and IRP current; codified rule 301 still reads USDOT number 'or' certificate. A vehicle whose insurance lapses may not resume moving.

Manual, Gen. Permit Regs. 1; General Carrier Operation Requirements 2, 3, 7; R. 1-6301-01001-301

Liability starts at 12 ft 6 in

Legal height is 13 ft 6 in, yet Mississippi law makes no one raise a structure for anything taller than 12 ft 6 in, and the carrier carries full liability for damage above it. On a permitted move, the permit holder and the owner are jointly liable for any highway or structure damage.

Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-17, 63-5-53; Manual, Gen. Permit Regs. 3

Black-line weights at the last mile

A route that leaves the red-line network drops to Table I, where 57,650 lb is the most a vehicle can gross even at 36 ft between extreme axles. A delivery at the end of a black-line highway is overweight above that figure even though the same truck was legal on the Interstate.

Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-29, 63-5-33

Superloads, heavy equipment blankets and sealed containers

Three Mississippi permit types carry most heavy machinery and port freight beyond the routine trip permit, and two of them read differently in the 2026 Manual and the codified rule.

Superload thresholds and submittals

The 2026 Manual makes any vehicle over 17 ft wide, 121 ft long or 15 ft 7 in high, or at 189,999 lb or more, a superload; codified rule 900 still says 20 ft, 120 ft, 17 ft and 190,000 lb. The application adds the shipper, axle spacings and weights, tire sizes, a route survey covering signs, bridge rails, signals, power lines, rail crossings and pull-off areas, and a traffic control plan listing every encroachment into opposing traffic. Written utility and railroad permission is needed over 16 ft 7 in high (17 ft under the rule), and railroad permission over 120 ft long. MDOT publishes no superload processing time and no bridge analysis fee.

Special Heavy Equipment Blanket

For contractors who move the same machine all year, the $4,500 blanket covers one pulling unit up to 150,000 lb nondivisible (63-5-52(1)). The Manual ties gross to axle count: 5 axles from 80,000 to 95,000 lb, 6 axles to 117,000 lb, 7 axles to 142,000 lb and 8 or more to 150,000 lb, with a 15,000 lb steer axle from 6 axles up and minimum spacings in its table. Loads to 12 ft wide may run 24/7, wider ones up to 14 ft move in daylight Monday through Saturday, and each trip still carries a secondary routing permit from ExpressPass. It suits repeat construction equipment transport between yards and jobsites.

Sealed ocean containers

Containers to or from a port may run on single-trip or annual blanket permits to 95,000 lb gross with a 44,000 lb tandem, at legal dimensions, 24/7 on a predetermined route, with the customs-signed international bill of lading (or one with an equipment interchange and inspection report) carried with the permit. The allowed gross rises with bridge measurements, from 95,000 lb at 51 ft outer and 39 ft inner to 100,000 lb at 57 ft and 45 ft. Codified rule 600 still says a 42,000 lb tandem and tops its table at 95,000 lb, and MDOT's pages show no Port of Gulfport or Port of Pascagoula corridor.

Mississippi River crossings

MDOT publishes no permit limits for the river bridges at Vicksburg (I-20), Natchez (US 84/65) or Greenville (US 82). ExpressPass routing and superload review decide those crossings, and movement on any posted bridge is prohibited for a permitted load.

Crossing into a neighboring state

  • East into Alabama: ALDOT allows no permitted travel at any hour on Sunday and prices permits by weight band with no mileage, $20 to $110 for a load over a legal dimension. A load that reaches the line on a Sunday waits for Monday; the Alabama oversize permit fees and Sunday ban set that schedule.
  • Southwest into Louisiana: DOTD does not sell permits at its weigh stations, so the permit is ordered before the truck crosses, and loads over 16 ft wide or 125 ft long run with a Louisiana State Police escort. Private escorts there need a Louisiana Escort Vehicle Permit, as our page on Louisiana permit and escort rules explains.
  • North into Tennessee at Memphis: TDOT permits run 24/7, but anything wider than 12 ft 6 in, taller than 15 ft or longer than 90 ft stays off Shelby County Interstates 7–9 a.m. and 4–6 p.m. on weekdays, and the City of Memphis requires its own permit for city streets. Our Tennessee oversize permit rules list all five curfew counties.

Mississippi oversize permit questions

How are Mississippi oversize and overweight permits priced?

A single-trip oversize permit is $10 per trip (Miss. Code Ann. 27-19-81(2)). Overweight adds 5 cents per 1,000 lb over the legal weight for every mile traveled in Mississippi, with a $10 minimum, so 40,000 lb over legal on a 150-mile trip costs $300. Annual blankets run $100 for loads to 14 ft wide, 14 ft high and 120 ft long, and $4,500 per pulling unit for heavy equipment to 150,000 lb.

When may a Mississippi oversize load move at night?

Only when the permit allows it. MDOT's 2026 Manual permits night moves for loads up to 12 ft wide, 150,000 lb and 99 ft long, with the height limit set by the route and no more than 4 ft of rear overhang. At night an escort is needed from 10 ft wide, leading on two-lane roads and following on divided highways, and every night move shows flashing amber lights on the rear of the load.

Are oversize loads allowed to move on Sunday in Mississippi?

The two rulebooks disagree. MDOT's Permit & Motor Carrier Division Manual (Jan 13, 2026) sets no Sunday ban, while codified rule 37 Miss. Code R. 1-6301-01001-403 keeps a line barring Sunday movement. Special Heavy Equipment Blanket loads over 12 ft wide are limited to Monday through Saturday either way. Read the permit face before planning a Sunday move.

When does Mississippi require an escort vehicle?

In daylight, from 13 ft wide: a front escort on two-lane roads and a rear escort on divided highways, each with flashing amber lights on the rear of the load. After dark the same two placements apply from 10 ft wide. Length over 99 ft or overhang of 15 ft or more adds an escort, a height pole escort starts at 15 ft 7 in high, and police escorts may be required from 18 ft wide.

Which loads are superloads in Mississippi?

Under MDOT's 2026 Manual, any vehicle over 17 ft wide, 121 ft long or 15 ft 7 in high, or weighing 189,999 lb or more. The codified rule still lists 20 ft wide, 120 ft long, 17 ft high and 190,000 lb. A superload application needs axle spacings and weights, tire sizes, a route survey and a traffic control plan, and written utility and railroad permission over 16 ft 7 in high.

Where do I apply for a Mississippi oversize permit?

Permits are ordered in MDOT ExpressPass at permits.mdot.ms.gov, which also routes the load around posted bridges and low-weight roads. The Permit & Motor Carrier Division answers at (601) 359-1717 or toll free (888) 737-0061, and at [email protected]. MDOT does not publish office hours. Each application needs a USDOT number and a $500,000 insurance certificate naming MDOT.

Do Mississippi escort drivers need to be certified?

No certification, training or escort insurance requirement appears in MDOT's 2026 Manual or Title 37 of the Mississippi Administrative Code. The rules regulate the vehicle instead: one motor vehicle with an amber light, two warning flags, an OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign and two-way radio contact with the load. Crews continuing into states that certify escort drivers need those states' cards.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.

  1. eCFR 23 CFR Part 658: Truck Size and Weight (federal baseline)
  2. MDOT Permit & Motor Carrier Division Manual (Jan 13, 2026)
  3. MDOT Over-Dimensional Permits
  4. MDOT Permit Motor Carrier
  5. MDOT Permits hub page
  6. MDOT ExpressPass permit portal
  7. ExpressPass Permit and Blanket Fees sheet
  8. MDOT Permit Rules and Regulations (Sub-Part 6301)
  9. Mississippi Administrative Code Title 37 Part 1, MDOT rules (amended Jul 14, 2026)
  10. MDOT Mississippi Maximum Weight Laws map (older edition)
  11. 2025 HB 953 (Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-33)
  12. 2025 HB 150 (Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-27)
  13. 2023 SB 2559 (Miss. Code Ann. 27-19-81)
  14. 2023 SB 2548 (Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-19)
  15. Mississippi Legislature, 2026 Regular Session measures
  16. Mississippi Code, official public access site
  17. Miss. Code Ann. 27-19-81 (2025 Code, Justia copy)
  18. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-13, width (Justia copy)
  19. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-17, height (Justia copy)
  20. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-19, length (Justia copy)
  21. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-27, axle loads (Justia copy)
  22. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-29, Table I (Justia copy)
  23. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-33, Table III (Justia copy)
  24. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-51, special permits (Justia copy)
  25. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-52, heavy equipment and forestry permits (Justia copy)
  26. Miss. Code Ann. 63-5-53, damage liability (Justia copy)
  27. Miss. Code Ann. 63-7-47, flag and light on projecting loads (Justia copy)

Hauling an oversize load across Mississippi?

Width sets the escorts and hours here: 12 ft brings signs and amber lights, and 13 ft an escort by day. Send us the dimensions, gross weight, pickup and delivery points, and we will check the route class, price the per-mile weight fee and book a carrier for the move.

  • FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
  • Permits, escorts and route surveys arranged for each move
  • Carriers checked for authority, insurance and safety record
  • Commercial shippers, dealers, contractors and auction buyers

Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.

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