Oversize Load Checker
See Which States Need a Permit for Your Load
Quick answer
When does a load need an oversize permit?
When the loaded truck is wider than 8 ft 6 in, taller than the state's legal height (13 ft 6 in in 18 of the 28 states here; 14 ft or 14 ft 6 in in the other ten, including California, Texas and Colorado), longer than its trailer limit, or heavier than 80,000 lb gross (86,400 lb in New Mexico). Enter your load below to check 28 states at once, with each state's escort and travel rules.
Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).
Check your load
This compares your numbers with each state's standard legal limits (checked October 2026). Specific routes can be stricter: posted bridges, parkways, city streets (New York City's legal width is 8 ft) and toll roads with their own permits. Axle weights matter too: check groups with the Bridge Formula calculator.
How to measure a load for a permit
- Width: the widest point of the load or the trailer, including mirrors on the machine, tracks, blades, buckets and anything that sticks out. Removing a dozer blade often takes a load from permitted to legal width; see blade-off dozer widths.
- Height: from the road to the highest point once loaded: machine height plus deck height. Deck height is why the same excavator can be legal on an RGN and over height on a flatbed.
- Length: the trailer length and any overhang past the front or rear. Overhang rules vary by state and are listed on each state permit page.
- Weight: scale weight of the loaded truck, and the weight on each axle group. A heavy machine can be under 80,000 lb gross and still over on one group.
Oversize load questions
What is the widest load you can haul without a permit?
8 ft 6 in (102 inches) on the National Network: federal law (23 CFR 658.15) stops states from setting a lower or higher legal width there. Some local roads allow less; New York City streets, for example, have an 8 ft legal width. Anything wider needs an oversize permit from every state on the route.
How tall can a load be without a permit?
There is no federal height limit. Measured from the road to the top of the load, the legal height is 13 ft 6 in in 18 of the 28 states here, 14 ft in eight states, including California and Texas, and 14 ft 6 in in Colorado and Nebraska. Measure the loaded height: the machine's height plus the trailer's deck height. A machine 11 ft 6 in tall on an RGN with a 2 ft loaded deck is right at 13 ft 6 in.
Does a permit cover escorts and travel times too?
The permit lists them. Each state sets its own escort triggers (New York requires a certified escort over 12 ft wide; Texas over 14 ft) and its own travel windows, often daylight only on weekdays with holiday blackouts. The checker shows each state's rules next to the result so you can see the full set before booking.
Is this checker enough to plan a move?
It tells you whether a load needs permits in each state and which rules will apply. A real permit also depends on the route: low bridges, local roads, city limits and toll roads (like the New York Thruway or the Pennsylvania Turnpike) can need separate permits or a different route. We confirm all of that with the issuing agencies on every move.
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.
Have us permit the whole route
Send the machine, dimensions and both ZIP codes. We plan the route, order every state permit and book escorts where the permits call for them.
- 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.