By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026
New Hampshire's oversize and overweight permits come from the Department of Transportation's permit office in Concord and are priced by statute at some of the lowest rates in the country: $6 for any over-dimension permit, and $5.50 to $10.50 by gross weight for an overweight one, plus $2 for each 10,000 pounds above 100,000. An annual permit is $115 a unit. Legal limits are 102 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, 45 feet for a single unit, a 53-foot semitrailer on approved routes, and 80,000 pounds gross. Permitted oversize moves run in daylight on weekdays only, never on the listed holidays, with a seasonal Saturday-morning window.
Who issues what in New Hampshire
The permit pages
New Hampshire-specific requirements
New Hampshire keeps intrastate trucking light on paperwork: no operating authority, no state carrier number and no state liability floor for general freight, with movers and passenger carriers the only certificated businesses. What it does have is unusual weight law. A truck certified for additional weight may gross 99,000 pounds off the Interstate, and on unposted parts of I-89, I-93 and I-95, while permits for oversize loads cost a flat $6. IRP and IFTA have shared one Motor Carrier Services office at the DMV in Concord since April 2025.
Trucks certified up to 99,000 pounds
Trucks that want to haul more than the RSA 266:18 limits can be certified by the DMV for additional weight. A 6-axle tractor-trailer registered at 80,000 pounds can be certified to 99,000, a 3-axle dump or logging truck from 55,000 to 65,000. The certification is $105 plus a monthly fee by axle count ($25.02 a month for the 6-axle case, $405.20 for a 12-month renewal), charged on power units only, and needs the manufacturer's or dealer's Certification for Additional Truck Weights or a manufacturer line sheet.
Certified weights reach three Interstates
While the federal exemption in 23 U.S.C. 127 lasts, RSA 266:18, III applies the non-Interstate weight limits to unposted sections of I-89, I-93 and I-95, so vehicles certified under RSA 266:18-d may carry their higher weights there too.
Certification and OS/OW permits do not stack
NHDOT will not let a carrier combine its NHDOS additional weight certification with an oversize/overweight permit. A permit is issued for the actual weight and dimensions of the load.
A $6 oversize permit
Any single over-dimension permit is $6, whatever the dimension, and overweight permits run $5.50 to $10.50 by gross weight plus $2 for each 10,000 pounds over 100,000. An annual permit for all moves is $115 a unit.
Oversize travel is weekday-only
Permits for oversize or oversize and overweight loads are not valid on weekend days, except supermoves and wide building moves scheduled on the permit, and travel is limited to daylight.
A summer Saturday-morning window
From April 18 to November 21, 2026, permitted vehicles may travel on designated routes on Saturdays from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon; from May 30 to August 29, 2026, Saturday travel on I-95 ends at 9 a.m. Not on holidays or holiday weekends.
No triple trailers
New Hampshire does not allow triple trailers, and each of 2 trailing units is limited to 28 feet.
Town registration permit before IRP
A New Hampshire resident must obtain a registration permit from the town or city where they live before the state will register a vehicle.
IRP does not replace the town permit fee
The DMV's IRP FAQ answers no to whether an IRP registration exempts the town or city permit fee, citing RSA 261:148.
Intrastate drivers from age 18
Saf-C 904.01 lets intrastate commercial drivers be 18 unless they haul hazardous materials, hazardous substances or hazardous waste. Interstate drivers must be 21.
Utility drivers off the hours-of-service clock
Utility service vehicle drivers providing intrastate service are exempt from 49 CFR 395 as New Hampshire adopts it.
IFTA filed under an EIN only
New Hampshire will not take an IFTA application under a Social Security number, and it requires proof of a physical New Hampshire business location.
Spring thaw postings
Posted state highway sections drop to 30,000 pounds gross (or 300 pounds per inch of tire width, if less) during spring thaw, with exemptions available for heating oil, milk, maple sap and septic trucks.
The New Hampshire permit system
- Apply or log in (NHDOT Permits online permitting system)
- nhdotpermits.org
More New Hampshire rules that catch carriers out
- State carrier number: summary
- None. New Hampshire assigns no state carrier number and sells no general operating authority; see intrastate-authority.
- UCR participation: summary
- New Hampshire is a UCR base state: Motor Carrier Services publishes the program and the fee brackets, registration is filed at ucr.gov with the USDOT number, and the IFTA page notes that New Hampshire-based carriers can pay UCR fees at the office. Businesses not engaged in interstate commerce are not subject to UCR.
Size and weight permits
A load over the legal width, height, length or weight needs an NHDOT permit for the specific move, applied for online through NHDOT Permits, by mail, or in person in Concord. Permits go only to the registered owner of the hauling unit, only for loads that cannot be divided, and only for state-maintained roads. Town roads need the town's permission.
An annual permit covers a unit for a year of moves inside a set size envelope, with a cheaper version for moves near home. Our oversize and overweight page covers the fees, escorts and travel windows.
Additional weight certification
New Hampshire lets the DMV certify a truck to carry more than the standard weight limits off the Interstate, and on unposted Interstate sections while a federal exemption lasts. The certification is charged on power units by axle count and needs a manufacturer or dealer certification. It cannot be combined with an NHDOT oversize or overweight permit, which is issued for the actual weight and size of the load.
Trip and Hunter's permits
A truck registered in its base state but not apportioned for New Hampshire buys an IRP trip permit before entering the state. An empty apportionable truck can move on an unladen Hunter's permit, valid in every IRP member jurisdiction. New Hampshire publishes no fuel trip permit, so an out-of-state carrier without IFTA has no state fuel permit to fall back on.
Compare beyond New Hampshire
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.