By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Nebraska Department of Transportation issues oversize and overweight permits online through its automated truck permit system, and a user profile is required before buying. A single-trip permit costs 15 dollars for oversize only, 20 dollars for overweight only, or 25 dollars for both, and continuous (annual) local or statewide envelope permits cost 25 dollars per 90 days up to 100 dollars a year. Legal limits are 8 feet 6 inches wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 80,000 pounds gross on the interstate, where a Conditional Interstate Use Permit allows divisible loads up to 95,000 pounds. Oversize moves run only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, never on listed holidays or in Lincoln and Omaha weekday rush hours, and loads over 16 feet wide, 15 feet 11 inches high, 150 feet long, or 160,000 pounds are superloads.
Who issues what in Nebraska
The permit pages
Nebraska-specific requirements
Nebraska runs a light intrastate regime for freight: no state operating authority and no state carrier number for property carriers, with the Public Service Commission licensing only household goods movers and passenger carriers. What does apply to an in-state trucking business is a USDOT number for vehicles over 10,000 pounds, county commercial registration priced by weight, state hours-of-service limits of 12 hours driving and 70 or 80 hours on duty, and federal financial responsibility rules adopted as state law. Interstate carriers deal with one Department of Motor Vehicles office for IRP, IFTA, and UCR, and oversize moves go through a Department of Transportation permit system.
No state authority for general freight, only for movers and passenger carriers
The Public Service Commission's Transportation Department regulates intrastate for-hire transportation of passengers and household goods and nothing else. A household goods mover needs a 250 dollar annual license (Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-304.03), a passenger carrier needs a certificate or contract permit after notice and hearing, and a carrier hauling any other freight inside Nebraska needs no state authority. Full detail in the state intrastate authority page (B1).
Intrastate carriers need a USDOT number over 10,000 pounds
The State Patrol's Truck Information Guide says motor carriers operating vehicles or combinations over 10,000 pounds must register and obtain a DOT number before beginning operations, whether intrastate or interstate, applying online through FMCSA. Nebraska farm trucks operated solely in intrastate commerce are excepted from the USDOT number and marking requirements.
State hours-of-service rules for intrastate drivers
Nebraska adopts 49 CFR part 395 for intrastate commerce with its own limits: no more than 12 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty, no driving after 16 hours on duty, and no driving after 70 hours on duty in 7 days (carriers not operating every day) or 80 hours in 8 days (carriers operating every day). Drivers hauling agricultural commodities or farm supplies within 150 air miles of the source during planting and harvest are exempt from part 395.
Federal financial responsibility rules adopted for intrastate trucks
Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363 adopts 49 CFR parts 382, 385, 386, 387, 390 to 393, and 395 to 398 as Nebraska law and applies them to intrastate motor carriers with vehicles over 10,000 pounds, vehicles carrying more than 8 passengers for pay or 15 not for pay, and placarded hazardous materials loads. Nebraska motor carriers operating solely in intrastate commerce are excepted from the federal operating authority rule in 49 CFR 392.9a.
One Motor Carrier Services office for IRP, IFTA, and UCR
The Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Services Division in Lincoln calls itself a One-Stop Shop administering IRP, IFTA, and UCR for interstate carriers, and also issues titles and collects Nebraska sales and use tax and tire fees for carriers. Phone 402-471-4435, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln.
Nebraska processes UCR for carriers from Missouri, Manitoba, and Ontario too
The Department of Motor Vehicles' UCR page says a carrier whose principal place of business is in a state or province that does not participate in UCR may register through another state, and that Nebraska accepts applications from carriers located in Missouri, Manitoba, and Ontario as well as Nebraska. Filing and payment are online at ucr.gov.
Legal height is 14 feet 6 inches
Nebraska's height limit is 14 feet 6 inches, laden or unladen, taller than the 13 feet 6 inches common in eastern states, with 15 feet 6 inches allowed for combine transport and farm equipment dealers in daylight. Anyone running a vehicle taller than 12 feet 6 inches bears the risk of striking bridges and wires.
95,000 pounds on the interstate with a Conditional Interstate Use Permit
Divisible loads may run up to 95,000 pounds gross on Nebraska's interstates under a Conditional Interstate Use Permit sold in 10-day increments at 10 dollars each, up to 90 dollars for 90 days, with no axle over 20,000 pounds single or 34,000 pounds tandem and no enforcement tolerance. The vehicle must be licensed in Nebraska for the weight or apportioned under Nebraska law.
Oversize and overweight permits from 15 dollars
A single-trip permit costs 15 dollars for oversize only, 20 dollars for overweight only, and 25 dollars for both, and continuous permits cost 25 dollars per 90 days up to 100 dollars a year.
Rush-hour and holiday bans on oversize moves
Oversize permitted loads may not travel weekdays 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Lincoln's state highways (not I-80) or anywhere in the Omaha urban area, including I-80 from the Iowa border to the Gretna interchange, and are barred on holidays as defined by NDOT. Overweight-only permits run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
No permit loads on Husker home football game days
On University of Nebraska-Lincoln home football game days, no permit traffic may use any Nebraska highway in the area bounded by the Iowa border west to Highway 14 and the Kansas line north to Highway 91; overweight-only permits are still allowed. Westbound I-80 permit loads must reach Exit 395 at NW 48th Street, and eastbound loads Exit 409 at Waverly, by sundown Friday to proceed on a football Saturday.
72-hour trip permits sold only online, before entry
A vehicle without Nebraska IRP or IFTA credentials must buy its permit online before entering the state: 25 dollars for a 72-hour prorate permit, 20 dollars for a 72-hour fuel permit, or 45 dollars for both, each plus a processing fee. Printed or digital copies are accepted but must be in the driver's possession.
Open city agreements with Iowa and South Dakota
Non-apportioned commercial vehicles get registration reciprocity within border cities such as South Sioux City, Dakota City, North Sioux City, and Yankton, and under the Iowa agreement also skip fuel tax reporting in Omaha, Council Bluffs, and their federal commercial zones, Sioux City, and several other named towns, though they may not haul intrastate. See the state IRP page (B5).
Apportioned plate goes on the front of the tractor
Nebraska's permanent apportioned plate is affixed to the front of the truck or truck-tractor (the rear of a trailer) and stays there while the vehicle remains registered to the original applicant; plates are not transferable.
Harvest overweight exception within 70 miles, permit to 120 miles
Trucks hauling seasonally harvested products from field to storage, market, or stockpile may run up to 15 percent over the tandem, axle-group, and gross limits within 70 miles with no permit if the driver carries a signed origin and destination statement, and up to 120 miles with an NDOT seasonal harvest permit (25 dollars per 30 days, 150 days a year maximum). No single axle may exceed 20,000 pounds, and neither applies on the interstate.
Non-resident grain hauler's permit from the county treasurer
Out-of-state trucks that are not apportioned and haul grain or other harvested products from the field need a non-resident grain hauler's permit from the county treasurer where hauling starts: 20 dollars for a straight truck, 150 dollars for a combination, valid 90 days between June 1 and December 15.
Intrastate CDL drivers at 18
Nebraska issues Class A, B, and C CDLs to intrastate drivers at 18 years of age; interstate driving requires 21. A seasonal restricted CDL lets Nebraska residents 18 or older drive Class B or C farm-service vehicles within 150 miles for up to 210 days a year.
No state hazmat permit
Nebraska requires no state hazardous materials or hazardous waste permit beyond federal requirements; the federal hazardous materials regulations are adopted for intrastate and interstate carriers alike.
No weight-distance or highway use tax
Nebraska levies no weight-distance tax; the Truck Information Guide's registration, fuel, and licensing section covers county registration, prorate and fuel permits, IRP, IFTA, operating authority, and UCR and names no mileage or weight-distance tax.
County registration costs 25 dollars per ton above 7 tons, plus 20 percent off the interstate above 36 tons
Intrastate commercial trucks register at the county treasurer under Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-3,147: 85 dollars at 7 tons plus 25 dollars for each additional ton of gross vehicle weight, 10 percent less for vehicles hauling only agricultural products, and 20 percent more above 36 tons for vehicles operated on highways that are not interstates. Fees over 210 dollars may be paid in two halves.
The Nebraska permit system
- Apply or log in (Automated Truck Permit System (NE Connect))
- ne.gotpermits.com
More Nebraska rules that catch carriers out
- State carrier number: note
- No CA#, TxDMV Number, or NY DOT number analog exists for property carriers. The identifier an intrastate truck carries is its USDOT number (required over 10,000 pounds) and its county commercial plate; household goods movers hold a Public Service Commission license numbered ML-xx for that regime only. See the state intrastate authority page (B1).
- ELD intrastate adoption: regulation
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363, which adopts 49 CFR Part 395 as Nebraska law and writes Nebraska's own intrastate hours limits and exceptions into subsections (5), (6), (9) and (10), read with Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-365, which fixes the adoption date
- ELD intrastate adoption: summary: text
- Nebraska adopts 49 CFR Part 395 for intrastate commerce by statute and rewrites its hours limits. Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(9) bars an intrastate driver from driving more than 12 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty, or after having been on duty 16 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty, or after 70 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days (carrier not operating every day) or 80 hours in 8 consecutive days (carrier operating every day). The federal baseline in 49 CFR 395.3 is 11 driving hours, a 14-hour period, and 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8. The Nebraska figures are the ones 49 CFR 350.305(d) lets a state allow. The ELD requirement of 49 CFR 395.8 comes in with the adoption, dated January 1, 2026 by 75-365(3), with two Nebraska carve-outs: 75-363(5) removes section 395.8 for drivers of farm trucks registered under 60-3,146 operated solely in intrastate commerce, and 75-363(10) removes Part 395 entirely for agricultural commodity and farm supply hauls within 150 air miles during planting and harvesting season.
- ELD intrastate adoption: adopted parts: value
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(3) adopts, as modified in the section, 49 CFR Parts 382, 385, 386, 387, 390, 391, 392, 393, 395, 396, 397 and 398. Part 395, hours of service of drivers, is item (i) on the list. Subsection (2)(b) applies the adopted regulations to motor carriers in intrastate commerce for vehicles over 10,000 pounds GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW, vehicles designed or used to carry more than 8 passengers including the driver for compensation or more than 15 not for compensation, placarded hazardous materials loads, and drivers of vehicles that require a commercial driver's license.
- ELD intrastate adoption: record of duty status: value
- 49 CFR 395.8 applies to a Nebraska intrastate carrier through the 75-363 adoption, so a driver subject to Part 395 records duty status on an ELD unless a federal paper-log case in 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(ii)(A) applies (records of duty status on not more than 8 days in any 30-day period, the two driveaway-towaway cases, or a vehicle manufactured before model year 2000). Nebraska adds one ELD-specific carve-out of its own: 75-363(5)(b) says section 395.8 does not apply to drivers of farm trucks registered under section 60-3,146 and operated solely in intrastate commerce. The Part 395 hours limits still apply to those drivers; only the record-of-duty-status section is removed.
- ELD intrastate adoption: record of duty status: regulation
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(5)(b), against 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)
- ELD intrastate adoption: farm exceptions: value
- Three Nebraska exceptions reach farm operations. First, 75-363(5) says the adopted regulations do not apply at all to farm trucks registered under 60-3,146 with a gross weight of sixteen tons or less. Second, 75-363(6) says Part 395 does not apply to the operation of covered farm vehicles. Third, 75-363(10) says Part 395, as adopted in subsections (3) and (9), does not apply to drivers transporting agricultural commodities or farm supplies for agricultural purposes during planting and harvesting season when the commodities move from their source to a location within a 150 air-mile radius, or farm supplies move from a wholesale or retail distribution point to the farm or place of use, or from a wholesale to a retail distribution point, within a 150 air-mile radius.
- ELD intrastate adoption: notes
- Authored 2026-09-27 by reading Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363 and 75-365 at the Nebraska Legislature's statute pages and 49 CFR 350.305, 395.3 and 395.8 through the eCFR. The keyword pass for this rollout (docs/state-rollouts/nebraska/keyword-pass.md) verified the same citations the same day. The 2026-27 Nebraska Truck Information Guide (Nebraska State Patrol) restates the intrastate 12/16/70/80 limits on page 33 and the federal ELD paper-log exceptions on page 34; its agricultural exemption summary adds livestock language and omits the planting and harvesting season condition, so the statute text is used here, not the guide's summary. Subsection (4) of 75-363 (pre-July 30, 1996 CDL holders) concerns driver physical qualification under Part 391, not hours of service, and is not part of this block.
ELD intrastate adoption: hours of service variance: items
| Name | Intrastate | Federal interstate | Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving time | Not more than 12 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty. | A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the 14-hour period. | Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(9)(a)(i), against 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(i) |
| On-duty limit | Not for any period after having been on duty 16 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty. | A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. | Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(9)(a)(ii), against 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) |
| Weekly limit | Not after 70 hours on duty in any 7 consecutive days if the employing carrier does not operate every day of the week, or 80 hours in any 8 consecutive days if it does. | Not after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days if the carrier does not operate every day of the week, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days if it does. | Neb. Rev. Stat. 75-363(9)(b), against 49 CFR 395.3(b) |
Oversize and overweight permits
The Department of Transportation permit office issues every oversize and overweight permit through its automated online system, and a user profile comes first. Single-trip permits are priced by type: oversize only, overweight only, or both. Continuous permits run in ninety-day blocks up to a year.
The full rules for sizes, escorts, curfews, and superloads are on the oversize and overweight page.
72-hour prorate and fuel permits
A truck without Nebraska apportioned plates or an IFTA license buys its temporary credentials online before it enters the state. The prorate permit stands in for registration, the fuel permit stands in for IFTA, and a combined permit covers both. Printed or digital copies work, as long as the driver has them.
Fuel brought in without a permit or IFTA license draws an administrative penalty for each violation.
Harvest and seasonal permits
Nebraska writes several permits around agriculture. A seasonal harvest permit lets field-to-storage loads run over the normal weight and length limits for a longer distance than the no-permit harvest exception allows. Out-of-state trucks that are not apportioned buy a non-resident grain hauler's permit from the county treasurer where hauling starts.
Baled forage, implements of husbandry, and garbage trucks each have their own permit, and none of the harvest allowances apply on the interstate.
Compare beyond Nebraska
Running multi-state loads? The trucking permits by state table shows which permit families and issuing offices apply in every jurisdiction, the oversize permit costs by state table compares limits and fees across all 51 jurisdictions, and the permit cost estimator prices a specific load per state.