By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Mississippi oversize and overweight permits come from MDOT's Permit & Motor Carrier Division through the ExpressPass online system. A single-trip oversize permit is $10; overweight permits cost five cents per 1,000 pounds over the legal limit for each mile traveled in Mississippi, with a $10 minimum. Every applicant needs a federal DOT number and a certificate of insurance naming MDOT with at least $500,000 single limit liability, and must be current on UCR, IFTA and IRP before any permit issues. Legal limits without a permit are 8 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, a 53-foot trailer and 99 feet overall, and 80,000 pounds gross.
Mississippi legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Off interstate limits
- MDOT's over-dimensional page lists one set of legal limits for vehicles on state maintained highways and interstates and does not publish a separate off-interstate table. The permit manual says Mississippi follows federal law on vehicle dimensions and axle spacing, and harvest and pole permits bar travel on posted low-weight roads and bridges.
Axle weight limits
Gross weight is one ceiling; each axle group carries its own limit, and a load can be legal on gross weight yet overweight on an axle. Exceeding any of these needs an overweight permit.
Permit fees
- Single trip
- $10 (A Single Trip Oversize Permit is $10.00, and a round trip can be purchased. Single Trip Overweight and Oversize/Overweight permits are priced at five cents per 1,000 pounds (or fraction) over the legal weight for each mile traveled in Mississippi, with a $10.00 minimum. A 72-hour Single Trip (legal trip) Permit, issued in lieu of IRP plates to a vehicle not registered in Mississippi, is $25.00.)
- Annual eligibility
- The Oversize Blanket Permit costs $100.00 per year, per company, and covers loads of one continuous piece up to 14 feet wide, 14 feet high and 120 feet long with no more than 14 feet 11 inches of rear overhang. For overweight equipment the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit is $4,500.00, nonrefundable and vehicle specific, and allows loads up to 150,000 pounds.
Single-trip permit fee schedule
A single-trip permit stacks a base fee with a weight-tiered maintenance fee, and the heaviest loads add a supervision fee.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
To price a specific load, try the oversize permit cost estimator, or compare every state on the national oversize permit table.
Escort thresholds
What the escort itself has to be
Hitting the threshold is only half of it. The escort vehicle, its equipment, its driver's certification and where it rides are all regulated, and the carrier is the one holding the permit when they are not met.
- Equipment the escort vehicle carries
- An escort vehicle carries a flashing or revolving amber light, two warning flags, and an OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on top, or on the front for a lead escort and the rear for a following escort; an escort that alternates between lead and follow needs signs front and rear. Two-way communication with the towing vehicle is required. The sign is 84 by 18 inches with 10-inch black letters on yellow or orange.
- Load marking
- Warning flags (red, 18 inches square) go on all corners 6 feet above the pavement for loads over 10 feet and up to 12 feet wide. Loads over 12 feet wide need OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD signs front and rear and two 5-inch flashing amber lights on the rear corners.
- When the state adds escorts at its discretion
- Permits may also require front and rear escorts, escorts with a height pole, law enforcement escorts, reduced speed or daylight-only movement when needed to protect the public or the highway, and escorts may be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route. Movement over posted bridges is prohibited. Failure to have the required escorts may result in up to 30 days suspension of the permit holder from the permit system.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Mississippi rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Equipment
- An escort vehicle carries a flashing or revolving amber light, two warning flags, and an OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on top, or on the front for a lead escort and the rear for a following escort; an escort that alternates between lead and follow needs signs front and rear. Two-way communication with the towing vehicle is required. The sign is 84 by 18 inches with 10-inch black letters on yellow or orange.
- Load marking
- Warning flags (red, 18 inches square) go on all corners 6 feet above the pavement for loads over 10 feet and up to 12 feet wide. Loads over 12 feet wide need OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD signs front and rear and two 5-inch flashing amber lights on the rear corners.
- Discretionary
- Permits may also require front and rear escorts, escorts with a height pole, law enforcement escorts, reduced speed or daylight-only movement when needed to protect the public or the highway, and escorts may be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route. Movement over posted bridges is prohibited. Failure to have the required escorts may result in up to 30 days suspension of the permit holder from the permit system.
Conditions attached to every permit
The standing conditions Mississippi writes into the permit itself, which apply whether or not they are printed on your copy.
- Permit conditions
- Applicants must provide a valid federal DOT number and a certificate of insurance naming MDOT as certificate holder for at least $500,000 single limit liability, updated annually or when it changes. The owner or operator must be current with UCR, IFTA and IRP before any permit issues. A copy of the permit must be in the vehicle, electronic permits are accepted, and permits are not transferable between owners or vehicles. The permit holder is liable for all damages. Applications need the vehicle make, model, full VIN, tag and state; a 14-day temporary permit may issue for a newly purchased vehicle.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Night movement may be permitted only for loads not exceeding 12 feet wide (the manual pairs this with 150,000 pounds and 99 feet long, with the height limit depending on the route); the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket allows loads over 12 and up to 14 feet wide to move in daylight only. (Daylight hours are sunrise to sunset for loads 12 feet wide or less, and 30 minutes after sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset for loads over 12 feet, as reported by the National Weather Service. Night movement may be permitted for loads within 12 feet wide, 150,000 pounds and 99 feet long, with the height limit depending on the route and a maximum rear overhang of 4 feet.)
- Curfews
- The MDOT permit manual publishes no city or rush-hour curfew list; route conditions and restrictions are printed on each permit.
- Daylight hours rule
- Daylight hours are sunrise to sunset for loads 12 feet wide or less, and 30 minutes after sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset for loads over 12 feet, as reported by the National Weather Service. Night movement may be permitted for loads within 12 feet wide, 150,000 pounds and 99 feet long, with the height limit depending on the route and a maximum rear overhang of 4 feet.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
A super load is any vehicle exceeding an overall width of 17 feet, an overall length of 121 feet, an overall height of 15 feet 7 inches, or a gross weight of 189,999 pounds or greater.
The application must name the applicant and shipper, origin and destination, gross weight, and dimensions, with axle diagrams, a route survey listing obstructions and pull-off areas, and a detailed traffic control plan. Written permission from affected utility and railroad companies is required for loads over 16 feet 7 inches high, and from railroads for loads over 120 feet long.
More Mississippi permit rules
- Single trip fee note
- A Single Trip Oversize Permit is $10.00, and a round trip can be purchased. Single Trip Overweight and Oversize/Overweight permits are priced at five cents per 1,000 pounds (or fraction) over the legal weight for each mile traveled in Mississippi, with a $10.00 minimum. A 72-hour Single Trip (legal trip) Permit, issued in lieu of IRP plates to a vehicle not registered in Mississippi, is $25.00.
- Overweight fee schedule note
- Miss. Code Ann. 27-19-81(1), last amended by Senate Bill 2559 (2023), sets the overweight fee at five cents ($0.05) per 1,000 pounds, or fraction of 1,000 pounds, of weight over the legal limit, for each mile traveled on Mississippi highways. Manufactured housing modular units pay two cents ($0.02) per 1,000 pounds per mile, and no overweight permit issues for less than $10.00. The statute spells the rate out as 'Five Cents' per one thousand (1,000) pounds, which settles the unit that MDOT's Permit and Blanket Fees sheet (November 2019) leaves unclear when it writes '.05 cents per thousand lbs. times the miles traveled'. The 2026 permit manual says only that overweight fees vary with the weight of the load and the mileage traveled through Mississippi. ExpressPass calculates the exact fee at purchase.
- Annual permit eligibility
- The Oversize Blanket Permit costs $100.00 per year, per company, and covers loads of one continuous piece up to 14 feet wide, 14 feet high and 120 feet long with no more than 14 feet 11 inches of rear overhang. For overweight equipment the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit is $4,500.00, nonrefundable and vehicle specific, and allows loads up to 150,000 pounds.
- Annual permit details: validity
- Annual permits are valid for one year (365 days) from the date of issue. Blanket permits are not prorated, and a blanket permit becomes invalid if the insurance expires or is cancelled.
- Annual permit details: note
- Covers one continuous piece with no more than 14 feet 11 inches of rear overhang. Fee and dimensions from the Oversize Blanket Permit section of the 2026 manual; the no-proration and insurance rule from MDOT's fee sheet.
- Escort notes: equipment
- An escort vehicle carries a flashing or revolving amber light, two warning flags, and an OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on top, or on the front for a lead escort and the rear for a following escort; an escort that alternates between lead and follow needs signs front and rear. Two-way communication with the towing vehicle is required. The sign is 84 by 18 inches with 10-inch black letters on yellow or orange.
- Escort notes: load marking
- Warning flags (red, 18 inches square) go on all corners 6 feet above the pavement for loads over 10 feet and up to 12 feet wide. Loads over 12 feet wide need OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD signs front and rear and two 5-inch flashing amber lights on the rear corners.
- Escort notes: discretionary
- Permits may also require front and rear escorts, escorts with a height pole, law enforcement escorts, reduced speed or daylight-only movement when needed to protect the public or the highway, and escorts may be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route. Movement over posted bridges is prohibited. Failure to have the required escorts may result in up to 30 days suspension of the permit holder from the permit system.
- Permit conditions
- Applicants must provide a valid federal DOT number and a certificate of insurance naming MDOT as certificate holder for at least $500,000 single limit liability, updated annually or when it changes. The owner or operator must be current with UCR, IFTA and IRP before any permit issues. A copy of the permit must be in the vehicle, electronic permits are accepted, and permits are not transferable between owners or vehicles. The permit holder is liable for all damages. Applications need the vehicle make, model, full VIN, tag and state; a 14-day temporary permit may issue for a newly purchased vehicle.
| Component | Fee USD | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Oversize Blanket Permit | 100 | Per year, per company. Up to 14 ft wide, 14 ft high, 120 ft long, 14 ft 11 in rear overhang; one continuous piece. |
| Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit | 4,500 | Nonrefundable, vehicle specific. 24-hour, 7-day movement for loads up to 150,000 lb and 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high or 99 ft long; daylight only over 12 ft up to 14 ft wide, Monday through Saturday. Expires one year from issue or at insurance expiration. A secondary routing permit is required for each move. |
| Over Length Truck and Trailer Blanket Permit | 100 | Per year, per permit holder. Up to 99 ft overall at legal width and height; no additional overhang. |
| 57 Foot Box Van Trailer Permit | 100 | Per year, per carrier; 24-hour, 7-day movement on approved routes. Kingpin to rear axle center no more than 41 ft. |
| Sealed Container Permit, Blanket | 500 | Per vehicle for the initial blanket permit; later trip permits under it at no additional cost. Up to 95,000 lb gross and 44,000 lb on a tandem, legal dimensions, moving to or from a port. |
| Name | Fee USD | Term | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Permit | 25 | Annual, per truck | Hauls agricultural products, unprocessed forestry products, and sand, gravel and similar materials from the point of loading to processing, up to 80,000 lb with a 10 percent tolerance (88,000 lb maximum); no tolerance when loading at a point with scales. Not valid on interstates except to load or unload, or on low-weight roads and bridges. |
| Special Interstate Agriculture Vehicle Permit | 25 | Annual blanket, per vehicle; runs with a Harvest Permit | Lets a covered agricultural vehicle hauling unprocessed crops or raw forest products use interstates at up to 88,000 lb, daylight only. Not for gravel, sand, fill dirt or asphalt. |
| Hay Blanket Permit | 100 | One year, per vehicle | Hay bales and rolls up to 14 ft high and 10 ft 6 in wide on a trailer up to 53 ft; daylight only; wide load signs on all loads. |
| Forestry Blanket Permit | 200 | Annual, per pulling unit | One piece of timber industry equipment up to 100,000 lb, 14 ft wide and 14 ft high; tandem axle no more than 44,000 lb and triaxle no more than 50,000 lb. |
| Pole Blanket Permit | 200 | One month, per fleet | Poles or extended timber loads up to 120 ft overall with 40 ft maximum overhang, at legal height and up to 88,000 lb with a Harvest Permit; one rear escort for up to two trucks in convoy; not valid on interstates. |
| Timber Industry 12 Foot Rear Overhang Blanket Permit | 100 | Annual, or $10 per trip | Night movement of timber with up to 12 ft of overhang past the rear lights, from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset; each vehicle must pass a Department of Public Safety inspection for the annual permit. |
| Timber Industry Two-Piece Load Permit | Priced as a single trip oversize ($10 per vehicle, per load) plus overweight at $0.05 per 1,000 lb over the legal weight per mile | Two pieces of timber equipment moved as one load, up to 14 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 99 ft long; 100,000 lb gross maximum; state maintained highways only. |
The Mississippi permit office
- Apply or log in (ExpressPass)
- permits.mdot.ms.gov
Legal limits before you need a permit
Loads within MDOT's legal width, height, trailer length, overall length, gross weight, and axle limits move without a permit. MDOT publishes one set of limits for state maintained highways and interstates. Posted low-weight roads and bridges carry their own lower limits.
What a permit costs
The single-trip oversize permit is a flat fee per vehicle, per load, and a round trip can be bought. Overweight is charged by weight over the legal limit and miles traveled in Mississippi. MDOT's fee sheet writes that rate in a way that can be read two ways, so we record no per-unit figure; ExpressPass prices the permit at purchase.
Blanket permits for repeat moves
Carriers moving oversize loads often can buy an annual Oversize Blanket Permit per company. MDOT also sells a vehicle-specific Special Heavy Equipment Blanket for heavier loads, plus blankets for over-length trailers, longer box vans, sealed port containers, hay, forestry equipment, poles, and timber overhang.
When you need escorts
Escort rules turn on width, time of day, and road type. Wide loads need a front escort on two-lane roads and a rear escort on divided highways, with a lower width trigger at night. Long loads, big overhangs, very tall loads, and superloads add escorts, and the widest loads may need a police escort.
When and where you can move
Wider loads move in daylight only, and MDOT defines daylight more tightly for the widest ones. Permitted loads stop at noon the day before named holidays and stay parked on the holiday. Overwidth loads may not move in bad weather or low visibility.
Superloads
Loads past MDOT's superload width, length, height, or weight line need a route survey, axle diagrams, and a traffic control plan, and very tall or very long loads need written permission from utilities and railroads. MDOT publishes no separate superload fee.
How to read this page
A value reading "Not confirmed" means we could not verify the figure on an official agency page at review time, so it stays open rather than guessed. Superload moves above the standard permit thresholds get individual review by the state; contact the permit office named on this page. For the rest of the Mississippi permit stack, see Mississippi trucking permits.