Texas

Texas oversize and overweight permits

Updated October 21, 2026

In Texas, a load that can't be divided needs a TxDMV permit once the truck, trailer and load together run wider than eight feet six inches, taller than 14 feet, longer than the legal length or over the weight limits. Safety devices don't count toward the width. You buy permits in TxPROS, and a single-trip permit starts at a $60 base fee.

At a glance

Legal width and height: Eight feet six inches wide, not counting safety devices, and 14 feet high
Legal gross weight: 80,000 lb, if your axles and spacing allow it
General single-trip permit: $60 base fee, more over 80,000 lb
30-, 60- or 90-day width or length permit: $120, $180 or $240
First escort, general loads: Over 14 feet wide, 17 feet high, 110 feet long or 20 feet of overhang

TxDMV sells size and weight permits through TxPROS, its online permit system. Superheavy moves, manufactured housing and portable buildings have their own rules.

When a load needs a permit

Measure the truck, trailer and load together. A load that can't be divided needs a permit once it passes any of these limits.

Limit	Legal maximum in Texas
Width	Eight feet six inches, not counting safety devices. Passenger vehicles have their own limit
Height	14 feet
Length	45 feet for a single vehicle. 59 feet for a semitrailer in a two-unit truck-tractor combination. 65 feet for a two-vehicle combination other than a truck-tractor combination
Overhang	Three feet in front, four feet in the rear
Axles	20,000 lb on a single axle. 34,000 lb on a tandem with at least 40 inches of spacing within the group
Gross weight	80,000 lb, subject to axle count and spacing

Axle count and spacing decide how much of the 80,000 pounds you can use. DPS publishes a permissible weight table and bridge formula weights for checking your rig. A two-vehicle combination over 65 feet can get a length permit only if it meets the permit rules loaded and empty.

Texas gives a legal-length exception to a truck-tractor, truck-tractor combination or truck-trailer combination hauling only machinery, materials and equipment used to construct, operate or maintain natural gas or petroleum discovery, production or processing facilities, pipelines included. Width and weight limits still apply.

Permit types and fees

Permit	What it covers	TxDMV fee
General single-trip	One routed move up to 254,300 lb, with a set origin, destination and travel times	$60 base fee, more as gross weight goes up
30-, 60- or 90-day width or length	Width: up to 13 feet wide and 14 feet high at legal length. Length: up to eight feet six inches wide, 14 feet high and 110 feet with the trailer	$120, $180 or $240
Annual length	Legal weight, up to eight feet six inches wide, 14 feet high and 110 feet long	$960 in TxDMV's handbook

Single-trip gross weight	Permit total
80,001 to 120,000 lb	$210
120,001 to 160,000 lb	$285
160,001 to 200,000 lb	$360
200,001 to 254,300 lb	$435 plus a required $35 supervision fee ($470). Needs at least 95 feet of total axle spacing

Axle and axle-group permit limits still apply. A move over 254,300 pounds, over the permitted axle weights or over 200,000 pounds with less than 95 feet of axle spacing falls under TxDMV's superheavy rules. Card payments add $0.25 plus 2.25%, or you can pay by ACH.

Time permits let you combine the width and length options. They don't cover manufactured homes or portable buildings.

On a length permit, a single vehicle can be up to 75 feet empty or loaded, and overhang can reach 25 feet in front and 30 feet behind. Before each move, get current route restrictions from TxPROS and check the curfews and conditions for that load.

The annual length permit needs a TxDMV number or UCR registration, or a $10,000 bond if neither applies to you. It doesn't cover divisible loads that could otherwise move legally, whether in a trailer or in a container such as a crate, tank or vessel. It also excludes intermodal containers, manufactured homes and portable buildings.

How to apply in TxPROS

Set up a TxPROS company account and choose New Permit. The Permit Wizard helps you pick the type. Enter the start date and your USDOT details.
Enter the vehicle and load dimensions, axle weights and axle spacing, then the origin and destination.
Run route validation and review the cost, route and notes before you pay.
Print the permit and route once it's issued. Some applications go to TxDMV staff for review first.

TxDMV's quick start guide (opens in a new tab) shows each screen. TxDMV checks your USDOT record for out-of-service orders and issues the permit in that company name.

If you aren't required to have a USDOT number, you need a $10,000 permit surety bond. Loads over 20 feet wide, 18 feet 11 inches high or 125 feet long need a route inspection certification first.

A Texas permit covers the move in Texas only.

Escorts, flags and lights

Dimension	One escort	Front and rear escorts
Width	Over 14 through 16 feet. Front on two-lane roads, rear on multi-lane roads	Over 16 feet
Height	Over 17 feet. Front, with a height pole	Over 18 feet, height pole up front
Length	Over 110 through 125 feet. Front on two-lane roads, rear on multi-lane roads	Over 125 feet
Overhang	Over 20 feet, front or rear. Rear escort

A load over the escort limits in two dimensions needs front and rear escorts. Under this general table, a load up to 14 feet wide, 17 feet high and 110 feet long with 20 feet of overhang or less needs no escort.

A load that sticks out the side or hangs more than four feet past the rear needs 12-inch red flags, and a rear projection has lamp and reflector rules too. Escort vehicles need warning lights, signs and two-way communication.

When you can move

Permit loads move in daytime unless the permit allows night travel. TxDMV's handbook defines daytime as 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset.

The handbook's night exceptions include overweight-only loads and some Interstate highway moves no wider than 10 feet and no longer than 100 feet with legal overhang. Go by the conditions on your own permit.

General loads over 14 feet wide, 16 feet high or 110 feet long can't move on listed holidays without a TxDMV exception. The current list has May 25, July 4, September 7, November 26 and December 25, 2026 and January 1, 2027.

Check what the broker asks for too. A TxDMV permit settles size and weight. "What does this load need?" shows the coverage, authority and paperwork the broker or program behind a load publishes, next to the federal rules for your truck. What does this load need?

Frequently asked questions

How wide can a load be in Texas without a permit?

The legal width is eight feet six inches, measured across the truck, trailer and load together and not counting safety devices. The legal height is 14 feet.

How much is an oversize permit in Texas?

A general single-trip permit starts at a $60 base fee, and the total goes up with gross weight over 80,000 pounds. Width or length permits for 30, 60 or 90 days cost $120, $180 or $240.

When does an oversize load need an escort in Texas?

Under TxDMV's general table, the first escort starts over 14 feet wide, 17 feet high, 110 feet long or 20 feet of overhang. Loads over 16 feet wide, 18 feet high or 125 feet long need front and rear escorts.

Can oversize loads move at night in Texas?

Permit loads move in daytime unless the permit allows night travel. TxDMV's handbook lists exceptions such as overweight-only loads, so go by the conditions on your own permit.