Oversize load checker: legal, permit or escorts?
Enter the load's width, height, length and weight and your route's limits. The oversize load checker shows what is over, when you need a permit and which escorts Texas requires.
Defaults are an example 12-foot-wide load. Your permit sets the final conditions.
Oversize: permit needed
| Check | Load | Legal |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 144 in | 102 in |
| Height | 13 ft 6 in | 13 ft 6 in |
| Trailer length | 53 ft | 53 ft |
| Gross weight | 78,000 lb | 80,000 lb |
Texas: no escort required at these dimensions.
Escort rules for other states are not yet verified here; each state's permit office sets its own. Oversize moves usually have daylight, weekend and holiday limits on the permit.
POSTED: Texas DMV, Escort and Equipment Requirements · checked Oct 2026
Oversize runs take permits, escorts and travel windows. Our dispatchers plan loads around your hours and home time, and you approve every load before it is booked. Dispatch runs 5% of gross for one truck, and you confirm every load.
By Nathan Beck · Updated October 2026
An inch over is still over. Oversize loads need permits from every state on the route, and past certain sizes they need escort vehicles, height poles, route surveys and daylight-only travel. This oversize load checker takes the load's width, height, length and weight and checks them against the legal envelope, then shows the escort tiers for Texas, the state we have verified so far.
Legal width for hauling
The federal width limit is 102 inches on the Interstate and the National Network, and states may not set it lower on those roads. Wider than that is oversize, full stop: every state on the route needs to issue a permit before the load moves.
Legal height for hauling equipment
There is no federal height limit; most state limits range from 13 ft 6 in to 14 ft. When you haul equipment, the height that counts is the deck height plus the equipment, measured to its highest point. Enter the lowest legal height on your route, since one state or one road can be lower than the rest.
POSTED: eCFR, 23 CFR 658.15 (width); FHWA, Federal Size Regulations for Commercial Motor Vehicles · checked Oct 2026
Legal length of a semi truck and trailer
States may not limit a semitrailer to less than 48 ft on the National Network, and many allow 53 feet. Overall length and overhang limits vary by state and road, so the tool asks for your route's trailer limit and flags long overhangs for escorts.
Escorts: Texas as the worked case
Escort thresholds are set by each state's permit office. Texas publishes clear tiers:
- Width: over 14 ft to 16 ft: 1 front (two-lane) or 1 rear (multi-lane); over 16 ft: 1 front and 1 rear on all roads.
- Height: over 17 ft: 1 front escort with a height pole; over 18 ft: 1 front (height pole) and 1 rear on all roads.
- Length: over 110 ft to 125 ft: 1 front (two-lane) or 1 rear (multi-lane); over 125 ft: 1 front and 1 rear on all roads.
- Overhang: front or rear overhang over 20 ft: 1 rear escort on all roads. A load over escort limits in two dimensions needs front and rear escorts.
POSTED: Texas DMV, Escort and Equipment Requirements · checked Oct 2026
We have not verified other states' escort rules yet, so the tool says so rather than guessing.
How it is calculated
- Width against 102 inches, height against your route's lowest limit, trailer length against your route's limit and gross against 80,000 lb.
- Oversize if any size is over; overweight if the gross is over.
- Texas escorts from the tiers above, by road type, with the two-dimension rule and a route inspection flag.
What a good result and a bad result look like
A good result is a load you know is legal, or an oversize move with permits, escorts and travel windows planned before you roll. A bad result is learning at a scale that the load is over, which can mean fines and a parked truck. For axle weights, use the truck weight limit checker; to see whether freight fits a trailer at all, the semi truck and trailer dimension fit checker. A weigh station bypass app is built for legal loads; on a permitted move, follow the scale instructions written on your permit. Overnight parking for a wide load is hard to find; truck parking capacity by state shows where space is tight.
Oversize, planned with you
Our oversize dispatch covers the permits, escorts and travel windows these loads need, and we plan loads around your hours and home time. You confirm every load and the rate con comes to you. See how it works for owner operators, or apply in about two minutes.
Questions about this calculator
What is the legal width for hauling?
102 inches, or 8 feet 6 inches, on the Interstate and the rest of the National Network under federal rules; states may not set it lower on those roads, and Hawaii allows 108 inches. Anything wider is oversize and needs a permit from each state you cross. Wider loads also bring escort, daylight and route conditions written on the permit.
What is the maximum legal height for a semi truck?
There is no federal height limit. Each state sets its own, and FHWA reports most state limits fall between 13 feet 6 inches and 14 feet, with some roads posted lower. A load taller than the lowest limit on your route needs a permit, and very tall loads may need a route survey and an escort with a height pole.
What is the legal length of a semi truck and trailer?
Federal rules stop states from limiting a semitrailer to less than 48 feet on the National Network, and many states allow 53 feet. Overall length rules for the whole rig vary by state and road type. Loads that hang past the trailer are judged by overhang limits, which also vary, so check each state on the route.
When does an oversize load need escorts?
It depends on the state. In Texas, for example, a load over 14 feet wide needs one escort, over 16 feet needs front and rear escorts, a load over 17 feet tall needs a front escort with a height pole, and loads over 110 feet long need escorts too. Other states use different thresholds, and California's depend on route maps.
PARK BY: PLANNED WITH YOU
Oversize planned around permits and travel windows
We plan the run. You approve every load before it is booked.