Freight that hangs past the trailer counts toward the legal length once it passes the state's allowance, and it must be flagged. Here is each state's front and rear overhang limit.
Rear overhang allowances cluster at 4 ft (29 states), 6 ft (5 states), 15 ft (5 states). Front overhang is usually 3 to 4 ft. 50 of 50 states require flags by day and lights at night on any overhang.
| State | Front overhang | Rear overhang | Flag required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5 ft | 5 ft | Yes |
| Alaska | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Arizona | 3 ft | 3 ft | Yes |
| Arkansas | 3 ft | 15 ft | Yes |
| California | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Colorado | 15 ft | 25 ft | Yes |
| Connecticut | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Delaware | 3 ft | 6 ft | Yes |
| Florida | 3 ft | 10 ft | Yes |
| Georgia | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Hawaii | 4 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Idaho | 4 ft | 10 ft | Yes |
| Illinois | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Indiana | 0 ft | 15 ft | Yes |
| Iowa | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Kansas | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Kentucky | 0 ft | 5 ft | Yes |
| Louisiana | 4 ft | 8 ft | Yes |
| Maine | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Maryland | 3 ft | 6 ft | Yes |
| Massachusetts | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Michigan | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Minnesota | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Mississippi | 3 ft | 15 ft | Yes |
| Missouri | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Montana | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Nebraska | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Nevada | 10 ft | 10 ft | Yes |
| New Hampshire | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| New Jersey | case by case | case by case | Yes |
| New Mexico | 3 ft | 7 ft | Yes |
| New York | 15 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| North Carolina | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| North Dakota | case by case | 4 ft | Yes |
| Ohio | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Oklahoma | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Oregon | 4 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | 3 ft | 6 ft | Yes |
| Rhode Island | 3 ft | 6 ft | Yes |
| South Carolina | 3 ft | 15 ft | Yes |
| South Dakota | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Tennessee | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Texas | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Utah | 3 ft | 6 ft | Yes |
| Vermont | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Virginia | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Washington | 3 ft | 15 ft | Yes |
| West Virginia | 15 ft | 30 ft | Yes |
| Wisconsin | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
| Wyoming | 3 ft | 4 ft | Yes |
A 45 ft beam on a 48 ft flatbed is legal. The same beam on a 40 ft hot shot has 5 ft hanging off the back, which is over the rear allowance in every state and makes the whole combination over-length: a permit, and in some states an escort. The trailer choice decides it, which is what FreightDeck's Truck Builder checks for every piece.
FreightDeck estimates permits, escorts, police, route surveys, engineering and the truck rate for your exact load and route, across 50 states and Canada.
Price a load free →Typically 4 ft rear and 3 ft front before it counts toward length; a few states allow more. Beyond that the load is over-length and needs a permit.
Yes in 50 states: a red or orange flag by day and a red light at night on the end of the overhang.