Texas permits
Texas Oversize Permit Rules
Legal limits, escorts, height poles, route inspections, travel times and Superheavy loads for oversize and overweight loads in Texas, each checked against TxDMV.
Last checked: Oct 1, 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.
- Interstate width
- 16'W with a Texas permit
- Route inspection
- Over 20'W, 18'11"H or 125'L
- Superheavy
- Over 254,300 lbs gross
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerTxDMV permits
How Texas sizes up a heavy load
TxDMV issues oversize and overweight permits for Texas state highways. These are the numbers we plan every Texas 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 Texas rules and every other state on your route, each with its official source.
Texas limits
Texas legal limits and permit thresholds
Over any legal limit, the load needs a TxDMV permit.
Texas legal size, weight and permits
Official sources linked| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Legal width | 8'6"W (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| Legal height | 14'H (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| Legal length | 59' semitrailer in a two vehicle combination (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| Legal weight | 80,000 lbs gross (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| Permit needed | Over any legal width, height, length or weight: a TxDMV permit (TxDMV size and weight limits, TxDMV oversize and overweight permits) |
| Interstate width with a permit | 16'W maximum (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| No route inspection needed up to | 20'W, 18'11"H and 125'L (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
| Permit overhang limits | 25' front, 30' rear (TxDMV size and weight limits) |
Escorts
Texas escort requirements
Escort counts by width, height and length, and when police escorts come in.
Texas escorts by load size
Official sources linked| Load | Escorts |
|---|---|
| Over 14'W to 16'W | 1 front escort on two lane highways; 1 rear escort on multi lane highways (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over 16'W | 1 front and 1 rear on all roads (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over 17'H | 1 front escort with a height pole (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over 18'H | 1 front with a height pole and 1 rear (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over 110'L to 125'L | 1 front on two lane highways; 1 rear on multi lane highways (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over 125'L | 1 front and 1 rear on all roads (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Front or rear overhang over 20' | 1 rear escort (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Over the escort limits in two dimensions | 1 front and 1 rear (TxDMV escort requirements) |
| Police escorts | TxDMV may require law enforcement escorts in addition to private escorts (TxDMV escort requirements) |
TxDMV districts and some cities add their own escort and notice rules. They print on the permit, and our Texas city pages list the ones we plan for.
Height and routes
Height poles and route surveys
What TxDMV asks of tall and wide loads.
Height pole
Over 17'H, the front escort carries a height pole made of nonconductive material to measure overhead obstructions. (TxDMV escort requirements)
Route inspection
Over 20'W, 18'11"H or 125'L, a route inspection certification by the applicant must be on file before TxDMV issues the permit. Our team runs the route before we sign it. (TxDMV size and weight limits)
Travel times
Travel hours, nights, weekends and holidays
When a permitted load may move in Texas.
Hours
Permitted loads move in daytime only, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, unless the permit allows night movement. (TxDMV Motor Carrier Handbook (May 2025))
Nights
Night movement is allowed for overweight only loads, and on the Interstate for loads up to 10'W and 100'L with legal front and rear overhangs. (TxDMV Motor Carrier Handbook (May 2025))
Weekends
TxDMV sets no statewide weekend ban. Daytime hours apply on Saturday and Sunday too, subject to local curfews on the permit. (TxDMV Motor Carrier Handbook (May 2025))
Local curfews
TxDMV districts and cities post their own curfews, and they print on the permit. Tarrant County, for example, has no oversize movement 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. (TxDMV Fort Worth District restrictions, TxDMV Time Permit Curfews)
Holidays
Over 14'W, 16'H or 110'L: no movement on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Day unless TxDMV grants an exception. (TxDMV holiday movement restrictions, TxDMV size and weight limits)
Superloads
Texas Superheavy loads
Texas calls its heaviest permit Superheavy: a non divisible load over 254,300 lbs gross, from 200,001 to 254,300 lbs with less than 95' of axle spacing, or over the maximum permit weight on any axle or axle group. (TxDMV oversize and overweight permits, 43 Texas Administrative Code 219.12)
See how we plan the biggest loads on our Superload Transport page.
Our moves
Heavy loads we have moved
19'W to 24'W loads
Wide loads 19'W to 24'W from the Port of Houston to Arizona.
Read the move →110,000 lb switchgear building
A 110,000 lb switchgear building from Houston, TX to Los Angeles, CA.
Read the move →Moving a load in Texas?
Send the dimensions and weight. We file the TxDMV permit and plan the escorts.
Request a quote →See every move on our Moves page.
Sources
Official Texas sources
Every rule on this page is taken from the TxDMV pages and rule text below and confirmed by a second source. Rules change, and the permit itself always decides. Last checked: Oct 1, 2026.
Questions
Texas permit questions
What are the legal size and weight limits in Texas?
8'6"W, 14'H and 80,000 lbs gross, with a 59' semitrailer in a two vehicle combination. Anything bigger or heavier needs a TxDMV permit.
How wide can a load be on a Texas Interstate?
With a Texas permit, 16'W is the most allowed on the Interstate. Wider loads run on other highways TxDMV approves.
When does Texas require a route inspection?
A load over 20'W, 18'11"H or 125'L needs a route inspection certification by the applicant on file before TxDMV issues the permit.
How many escorts does an oversize load need in Texas?
Over 14'W to 16'W: 1 front on two lane highways or 1 rear on multi lane highways. Over 16'W: front and rear. Over 17'H: 1 front with a height pole. Over 18'H: front with a pole and rear. Over 110'L to 125'L: 1 front or rear by road type. Over 125'L: front and rear.
When does Texas require a height pole?
Over 17'H, the front escort carries a height pole made of nonconductive material.
Can oversize loads move at night in Texas?
Only if the permit allows it. Night movement is allowed for overweight only loads, and on the Interstate for loads up to 10'W and 100'L with legal overhangs. Otherwise travel runs 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Can oversize loads move on Texas holidays?
Not if the load is over 14'W, 16'H or 110'L. Those loads can't move on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Day unless TxDMV grants an exception.
What is a Superheavy load in Texas?
A non divisible load over 254,300 lbs gross, from 200,001 to 254,300 lbs with less than 95' of axle spacing, or over the maximum permit weight on any axle or axle group.
Keep planning
More for your Texas move
Texas city and port pages
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 Texas 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.