Routine permits are fast. Superloads are not, and the difference decides whether the transformer ships on time. Here is every state's lead time and validity, verified against the state source.
34 of 50 states issue a routine single-trip permit in about one business day, most of them online and self-issued. 11 take about two days, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Tennessee take three or more. A permit is then valid for five days in 30 states, 15 allow a week or more, and Connecticut, Louisiana, Washington give only three days.
A superload gets an individual review, often with an engineer checking every bridge on the route. The most common lead time is five business days (24 states); the slowest are California (30 days), Washington (30 days), Louisiana (28 days), Hawaii (21 days), Texas (21 days).
| State | Routine permit | Superload | Valid for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Alaska | ~3 days | ~7 days | 10 days |
| Arizona | ~2 days | ~5 days | 4 days |
| Arkansas | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| California | ~3 days | ~30 days | 7 days |
| Colorado | ~1 day | ~14 days | 5 days |
| Connecticut | ~1 day | ~5 days | 3 days |
| Delaware | ~1 day | ~14 days | 5 days |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Florida | ~1 day | ~5 days | 10 days |
| Georgia | ~1 day | ~15 days | 10 days |
| Hawaii | ~5 days | ~21 days | 30 days |
| Idaho | ~1 day | ~10 days | 5 days |
| Illinois | ~1 day | ~3 days | 5 days |
| Indiana | ~1 day | ~3 days | 5 days |
| Iowa | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Kansas | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Kentucky | ~1 day | ~5 days | 10 days |
| Louisiana | ~2 days | ~28 days | 3 days |
| Maine | ~2 days | ~5 days | 7 days |
| Maryland | ~2 days | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Massachusetts | ~2 days | ~7 days | 5 days |
| Michigan | ~1 day | ~10 days | 5 days |
| Minnesota | ~1 day | ~14 days | 5 days |
| Mississippi | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Missouri | ~1 day | ~10 days | 7 days |
| Montana | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Nebraska | ~1 day | ~10 days | 5 days |
| Nevada | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| New Hampshire | ~2 days | ~2 days | 5 days |
| New Jersey | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| New Mexico | ~2 days | ~5 days | 5 days |
| New York | ~2 days | ~14 days | 5 days |
| North Carolina | ~1 day | ~10 days | 10 days |
| North Dakota | ~2 days | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Ohio | ~1 day | ~2 days | 5 days |
| Oklahoma | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Oregon | ~1 day | ~10 days | 10 days |
| Pennsylvania | ~1 day | ~15 days | 5 days |
| Rhode Island | ~5 days | ~5 days | 5 days |
| South Carolina | ~1 day | ~5 days | 7 days |
| South Dakota | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Tennessee | ~3 days | ~14 days | 10 days |
| Texas | ~1 day | ~21 days | 10 days |
| Utah | ~1 day | ~5 days | 4 days |
| Vermont | ~2 days | ~10 days | 7 days |
| Virginia | ~1 day | ~10 days | 13 days |
| Washington | ~2 days | ~30 days | 3 days |
| West Virginia | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Wisconsin | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
| Wyoming | ~1 day | ~5 days | 5 days |
Business days. Multi-state moves take the slowest state on the route. Holiday weeks and spring-thaw seasons add time.
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 →About one business day for a routine permit in most states. Superloads take 2 to 30 business days depending on the state.
Usually three to ten days for a single trip; five days is the most common.