New York Oversize Permits

Which NYSDOT Permit Types Apply to Oversize Equipment?

The general permit for a one-time move of a non-divisible load is the Type 1 single trip permit. Unlike the Thruway, NYSDOT adds no weight or mileage surcharge: the trip fee is the same $40 whether the load is 9 ft wide or 190,000 lb. Loads past the Type 1 limits move as Type 1S superloads.

Rules that come with every NYSDOT permit

• NYSDOT will not issue a permit for a load that can be reduced to legal size or weight.
• Front overhang is limited to 15 ft. Rear overhang is limited to one third of the load's length, with two thirds of the load resting on the bed.
• Permitted vehicles travel at least 2,000 ft apart, at no more than 55 mph unless the permit says otherwise.
• No travel when visibility is under 1,000 ft, or when rain, sleet, snow, ice, fog, flood or wind make the road hazardous.
• A permit never authorizes exceeding a posted road or bridge limit.
• After hours, emergency trip permits go through the state's STICC desk at (518) 457-3765, staffed 24 hours.

When Does a New York Oversize Load Need Escorts or a Height Pole?

Escort requirements in New York follow the load's dimensions and the type of road, and every escort must be a NYS Certified Escort, whatever state the driver is from. On NYSDOT highways:

Escorts on the Thruway

The Thruway sets its own escort table (TAP-623), and certified escorts may not stop traffic on Thruway highways.

State Police also escort Thruway loads that must cross a bridge on its centerline or at 5 mph, with at least 48 hours of notice, and State Police must inspect vehicles over 200,000 lb, 16 ft wide or 200 ft long.

What NYS escort certification requires

An escort driver must be 21 or older, hold a valid license and pass the NYS DMV written test (70 percent to pass, $40 fee); a 60-day interim certificate is issued on passing, and renewal is $40. The escort vehicle needs a wheelbase of at least 100 in, an amber light bar 43 to 52 in long, an OVERSIZE LOAD sign at least 5 ft by 12 in, and NYS Certified Escort insignia on both sides. NYC DOT requires NYS Certified Escorts inside the five boroughs as well.

New York's rule is stricter than most: New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois and Texas have no escort-driver certification at all, so a crew that escorts legally to the state line may not be allowed past it. The state-by-state comparison is on our pilot car requirements by state page.

When Can Permitted Loads Travel in New York?

The rules summary above gives the defaults: weekday daylight, Saturday mornings only for smaller loads, no Sundays, and nights only when the permit allows it. Three more layers decide the real schedule: rush-hour curfews, the Thruway's own hours and the holiday calendar.

Rush-hour curfews: no travel 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM

Bypass routes must be used where they exist. We could not confirm a published NYSDOT curfew specific to Long Island or the New York City region, or any NYC DOT time-of-day rule for oversize permits. On those moves, the conditions printed on the permit control.

Thruway travel hours

• Permitted vehicles of legal dimensions up to 100,000 lb may travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Loads 8 ft 7 in to 12 ft wide, 65 ft 1 in to 79 ft 11 in long, or with 4 ft to 9 ft 11 in of overhang have no nighttime restriction. Anything larger is daylight only.
• No Saturday or Sunday travel for loads over legal dimensions or over 100,000 lb.
• Speed-restricted vehicles may not travel 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM.

2026 holiday blackouts on NYSDOT permits

• On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday and Columbus Day, only manufactured and modular homes over 14 ft wide are barred (2026 Mondays: Jan 19, Feb 16 and Oct 12).
• The Thruway publishes its own 2026 schedule, which differs from NYSDOT's: it allows New Year's Day travel and runs the Christmas blackout to Mon Dec 28. That document also contains date errors, so Thruway legs are confirmed with the Thruway.

What Does an NYC Oversize Permit Require?

Inside the five boroughs, NYC DOT sets its own limits and issues its own permits; a NYSDOT permit does not cover city streets. Under the city's traffic rules (34 RCNY 4-15), the legal width is 8 ft, the height 13 ft 6 in, a single unit 35 ft and a combination 55 ft, with 80,000 lb gross. Vehicles operating under the federal STAA rules on designated routes are exempt from those city size limits.

A non-divisible load over the city limits needs a Daily Over Dimensional Vehicle permit for each leg of the trip, one into the city and one out. Each permit costs $35, covers one trip, and needs 48 hours of lead time after NYC DOT receives the application and payment. Carriers apply online through ODVP, or by mail to the NYC DOT Division of Bridges Truck Unit at 55 Water St, paying by certified bank check or money order. Escorted loads must use NYS Certified Escorts.

Trucks must stay on the city's truck route network: Through Truck Routes when neither the origin nor the destination is in the borough, and Local Truck Routes to reach a delivery, leaving the network only at the intersection nearest the destination. Drivers carry a bill of lading or similar document showing origin and destination. NYC DOT changed parts of the truck route network effective October 4, 2026, so routes planned from older maps need a recheck.

Commercial vehicles are barred from New York City parkways, including the Belt, Bronx River, Cross Island, FDR Drive, Grand Central, Henry Hudson, Harlem River Drive, Hutchinson River, Jackie Robinson, Korean War Veterans, Mosholu and Pelham.

Can Oversize Loads Use New York Parkways?

Normally, no. NYSDOT Special Hauling Notices 12-01 and 14-01 bar oversize and overweight vehicles from parkways, with two exceptions: work on the parkway itself, or a parkway that is the only access to a pickup or delivery point. Even then, written approval from the parkway's agency must be in hand before the NYSDOT application is filed, or NYSDOT disapproves the application.

Long Island adds a physical barrier to the legal one, with low arch bridges built to keep trucks out. The island's truck routes, the 53 ft corridor through the city, bridge-strike penalties and ferry options are covered on our Long Island equipment transport page.

How a New York Permitted Move Is Planned, Step by Step

This is how a permitted move through New York comes together from the broker's side. The carrier hauls the load; HTS Logistics plans the move and coordinates permits and escorts through the carrier and its permit service.

1. 1

   Measure the load as it will ride

   We collect the machine's weight and dimensions with its attachments, then work out loaded height from the road, width, length, overhang and axle weights on the trailer the carrier proposes. Because NYSDOT will not permit a load that can be reduced to legal size, removable parts are settled before anything is filed.

2. 2

   Match the trailer and the carrier

   Deck height can decide whether a load stays within the 13 ft 6 in legal height, and whether it reaches 14 ft, where height-pole escorts and a route survey come in. We book a licensed carrier whose authority, insurance and equipment fit the load.

3. 3

   List every road owner on the route

   NYSDOT, the Thruway, the Bridge Authority, NYC DOT, the MTA, the Port Authority, counties such as Suffolk, and towns each grant their own permit or approval. A permit from one owner does not carry over to the next.

4. 4

   Clear the approvals that must come first

   Parkway approval comes before the NYSDOT application. Suffolk County issues its permit only after the NYSDOT permit. Superloads need municipal letters, a bond and a non-divisibility certification, and NYSDOT suggests a Perm 12 pre-approval for bids and feasibility checks.

5. 5

   File the permits

   The carrier or its permit service files in HOOCS, which is reached through an OSCAR account with a USDOT number or a NY.gov ID. NYC DOT needs 48 hours after it receives the application and payment, and Port Authority desks need a call at least two days ahead.

6. 6

   Book certified escorts and police

   Escorts must be NYS certified whatever their home state. Height-pole, three-escort and police-escort requirements follow the load's dimensions and road types, and superload police escorts are arranged at least 2 business days out.

7. 7

   Schedule inside the travel windows

   Weekday daylight hours, Saturday-morning eligibility, holiday blackouts, city curfews and the Thruway's weekend ban all shape the dispatch date. A trip permit covers 5 permissible hauling days.

8. 8

   Run the move and handle changes

   The driver follows the permitted route exactly and escorts keep their positions. If the date slips, the one allowed amendment ($10) can extend the permit by up to 5 days. We keep the shipper updated from pickup to delivery.

For the general mechanics behind these steps, read how oversize permits work. Trailer choice and pricing are covered in heavy haul transport and the heavy equipment transport cost guide, and our New York heavy haul page covers markets across the state.