Every state issues routine oversize permits up to a point. Past that point the load is a superload: it gets an individual review, often an engineered route, and a different timeline. Here is where that line sits.
A superload is any load that exceeds the largest dimensions or weight a state will permit through its routine process. The most common thresholds are 16 ft wide (23 states), 16 ft high, and a gross weight between 100,000 lbs (Montana) and 300,000 lbs (Utah); the median weight trigger is 160,000 lbs.
The strictest width triggers: Arizona (14 ft), Hawaii (14 ft), Ohio (14 ft), Iowa (14 ft 6 in), Delaware (15 ft). The most generous: Wyoming (18 ft), Minnesota (20 ft), New Mexico (20 ft), Texas (20 ft).
A superload's permit fee is often not much more than a routine permit. The cost is in everything around it: survey, engineering, police, two or more escorts, a pole car, and a multi-axle trailer at a superload truck rate. Total accessorial cost of $5,000 to $25,000 before the truck is normal; a single bridge analysis can exceed that on its own.
Read the full Superload 101 for the process, or price a superload: FreightDeck flags superload triggers per state and estimates the survey, engineering and police lines.
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 →Not in most states. Routine permits usually cover up to 16 ft wide; a few states (Arizona, Hawaii, Ohio) set the line at 14 ft.
Plan on 5 to 15 business days. Routes with many bridges or a required survey take longer.
Sometimes. It depends on the state and the route; many states restrict superloads to daylight and off-peak hours.