Nebraska permits
Nebraska Oversize Permit Rules
Legal limits, escorts, pole cars, route surveys, Omaha and Lincoln curfews, travel hours, holidays and superloads for oversize and overweight loads in Nebraska, each checked against the NDOT rules and Nebraska statutes.
Last checked: Oct 14, 2026
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the state permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.
- Route survey
- At 16'H
- Escorts start
- 12'W
- Legal size
- 8'6"W, 14'6"H
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerNDOT permits
How Nebraska sizes up a heavy load
The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) issues overdimensional and overweight permits under Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298 and Title 408, Nebraska Administrative Code, Chapter 3. These are the numbers we plan every Nebraska load with. Run your exact load and route through our permit tool to see every state on the trip.
Check your load
Enter your width, height, length and weight in our permit tool to see the rules for every state on your route, each with its official source.
Nebraska limits
Nebraska legal limits and permit thresholds
Over any legal limit, the load needs a Nebraska permit before it moves.
Nebraska legal size, weight and permits
Official sources linked| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Legal width | 8'6"W (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,288) |
| Legal height | 14'6"H (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,289) |
| Escorts may be required | Over 8'6"W, 90'L or 14'6"H (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
| Superload | Over 16'W, 15'11"H, 150'L or 160,000 lbs gross (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 001) |
Escorts
Nebraska escort requirements
Nebraska sets escorts by width, length and height, and places a single escort by highway type.
Nebraska escorts by load size
Official sources linked| Load | Escorts |
|---|---|
| 12'W to 16'W | One escort (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
| 125'L to 150'L | One escort (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
| Over 16'W or over 150'L | Two escorts, one in front and one behind (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
| Where a single escort runs | In front on undivided highways, behind on divided highways, no more than 300 feet from the load (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
| 16'H or higher | A pole car in front of the load (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003) |
Escort rules come from 408 NAC 3, sections 003.19 and 003.21. Where the rear escort may be dropped depends on the NDOT route list, so it is left to the permit. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003)
Height and routes
Route surveys, tall loads and utilities
What Nebraska asks of the tallest loads.
Route survey
At 16'H or higher, a written pre run route survey goes to NDOT before the permit is issued. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003)
Pole car
Over 14'6"H, a pole car may be required; at 16'H or higher, a pole car leads the load. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003)
Utilities
At 16'H or higher, the permit application carries a signed affirmation that every electric utility with high voltage lines over the route has been contacted and the move arranged. (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298)
Travel times
Travel hours, nights, weekends and holidays
When a permitted load may move in Nebraska.
Hours
Oversize loads move from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003)
Overweight only
A load that is only overweight may move 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, NDOT Observed Holidays 2026)
Omaha and Lincoln
No oversize travel Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Highways 2, 6, 34 and 77 inside Lincoln (not I 80), or in the Omaha urban area bounded by NE 36, NE 31 and US 6, NE 370 and the Iowa line, including I 80 to the Gretna interchange. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 003)
Holidays
No oversize travel over New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each stop runs from noon before the holiday to sunrise after it, on the dates in the NDOT holiday schedule. Over Thanksgiving 2026 the stop runs from noon Wednesday, November 25, to sunrise Monday, November 30. Other state holidays close the permit office, but travel is allowed. (NDOT Observed Holidays 2026, 408 NAC 3 section 001)
Superloads
Nebraska superloads
A Nebraska superload is over 16'W, 15'11"H, 150'L or 160,000 lbs gross. The Lincoln Permit Office reviews and approves each superload permit, and the Bridge Division or District Engineer may also review it before the permit is issued. (408 NAC 3, NDOT permit rules, 408 NAC 3 section 001)
See how we plan the biggest loads on our Superload Transport page.
Our moves
Heavy loads we have moved
110,000 lb switchgear building
A switchgear building of 110,000 lbs, from Houston, TX to Los Angeles, CA.
Read the move →207,000 lb dryer drum
A 207,000 lb dryer drum from Louisville, KY to Richmond, VA.
Read the move →150,000 lb transformer
A 150,000 lb transformer from Pocatello, ID to Akron, OH.
Read the move →Moving a load in Nebraska?
Send the dimensions and weight. We file the Nebraska permit and book the escorts.
Request a quote →See every move on our Moves page.
Sources
Official Nebraska sources
Every rule on this page is taken from the official rule text below and confirmed by a second source. Rules we could not confirm twice are left off this page. Rules change, and the permit itself always decides. Last checked: Oct 14, 2026.
Questions
Nebraska permit questions
Does Nebraska require a route survey?
At 16'H or higher, a written pre run route survey goes to NDOT before the permit is issued, and a pole car leads the load.
What are the legal size limits in Nebraska?
8'6"W and 14'6"H.
When does Nebraska require escorts?
From 12'W to 16'W, one escort. Over 16'W, one in front and one behind.
Which holidays stop oversize loads in Nebraska?
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each stop runs from noon before the holiday to sunrise after it, on the dates in the NDOT holiday schedule.
When is a Nebraska load a superload?
Over 16'W, 15'11"H, 150'L or 160,000 lbs gross.
Keep planning
More for your Nebraska move
Permit rules in other states
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerReliable Transport LLC | Reliable Heavy Haul
Ready to move it?
We haul oversize and overweight loads across the USA and Canada from our home base at 7660 W Third St, Dayton, OH 45417. Send your load details and we will plan the Nebraska permit, route and escorts.
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the state permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.