By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Oversize and overweight permits are the one Oklahoma trucking credential the Corporation Commission does not issue. The Department of Transportation Size and Weight Permits office sells them through OkiePROS, its online permit manager, starting at a $40 minimum fee with $10 added for every 1,000 pounds over the legal load limit. Legal limits are 8 feet 6 inches wide, 14 feet high on a turnpike, interstate, US or state highway and 13 feet 6 inches on a county road, and a federal bridge formula gross weight capped at 80,000 pounds on the interstate system and 90,000 pounds off it. Escorts start at 12 feet wide, and oversize movement is daylight only and banned outright on six holidays.
Oklahoma legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Width
- 8.5 ft102 inches with or without load under 47 O.S. § 14-103(A). Tire bulge, approved safety devices, a retracted awning eight inches or less on a recreational vehicle, and safety or load-assist pins that do not push the overall width past nine feet are all excluded from the measurement. The width limit does not apply to a person hauling round baled hay 11 feet wide or less that they own and are not moving for resale, or to a county official or employee hauling county-owned equipment on that county's roads.
- Height
- 14 ft47 O.S. § 14-103(B)(1) sets two heights: 13 feet 6 inches on any county road, and 14 feet on any turnpike, interstate, US or state highway. Above either figure the movement needs a special permit from the Executive Director of the Department of Transportation, and OAC 730:50-5-6(e) repeats the same split. The Size and Weight Permits FAQ answers the question more conservatively, saying a permit is needed for anything over 13 feet 6 inches high, which is the county-road figure. An operator whose load exceeds 13 feet 6 inches is liable for damage to any structure spanning the highway, and ODOT publishes an official state bridge vertical clearance map.
- Gross weight
- 80,000 lb47 O.S. § 14-109(A) sets no flat gross number: the total gross weight is whatever the federal bridge formula in 23 U.S.C. 127 allows, with no single axle over 20,000 pounds and no tandem set over 34,000 pounds. Two ceilings sit on top of that. 47 O.S. § 14-101(E) caps a vehicle operating off the interstate system at 90,000 pounds gross unless it is running under an ODOT overweight permit, and OAC 730:50-5-4(b) requires an overweight permit above 80,000 pounds or any bridge formula figure on the interstate system, and above 90,000 pounds or any bridge formula figure elsewhere on the state highway system. 80,000 is therefore the practical interstate ceiling and 90,000 the off-interstate one.
- Length: semitrailer_or_trailer_in_truck_tractor_semitrailer_and_trailer_combination_national_network
- 53 ft
- Length: semitrailer_or_trailer_in_truck_tractor_semitrailer_and_trailer_combination_other_roads
- 29 ft
- Axle limits lb: note
- 20,000 pounds on any single axle and 34,000 pounds on any tandem set, per 47 O.S. § 14-109(A) and (B). Split tandem or tri-axle configurations follow the bridge formula. Except as to gross limits, the formula does not apply to a truck-tractor and dump semitrailer used as a combination unit.
- Off interstate limits
- Off the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways a vehicle may run to 90,000 pounds gross without an ODOT overweight permit, subject to the bridge formula and to the 20,000 pound single axle and 34,000 pound tandem limits. On the interstate system the ceiling is 80,000 pounds. Vehicles hauling the listed raw commodities under an annual special overload permit get 5 percent over the gross limit and 8 percent over the axle limits, but are barred from the interstate system entirely.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Permit fees
- Single trip
- $40 (47 O.S. § 14-116(A) sets a minimum permit fee of $40 for any permit issued under the size and weight chapter, plus $10 for each 1,000 pounds over the legal load limit. The ODOT fee schedule prices an oversize-only single trip or monthly permit at $40, an overweight-only permit at $40 plus the $10 per 1,000 pound charge, and a combined oversize and overweight permit at $80 plus the same overweight charge, because a load that is both oversize and overweight is charged as though two permits had been issued. Add $2 for a faxed or emailed permit and a 4 percent convenience fee on credit card payments.)
- Annual permit
- $4,000 (Oklahoma sells fourteen different annual permits, and the $4,000 envelope permit is the most expensive. The cheap end matters more to most carriers: $10 for a special purpose annual oversize-only permit, $20 for an empty oversized trailer 102 to 120 inches wide, $20 for a longer combination annual permit, $25 for round bale hay, tree length logs or soil conservation equipment, $60 for a special purpose annual overweight-only permit on the interstate, $70 for a combined special purpose annual, $100 for a wrecker or a utility or refuse 15 percent weight variance, $240 for a special combination annual (triples), $350 for the 5 percent weight variance special overload permit, $500 for a portable building vehicle permit, $2,000 for an annual SOTPLT and $4,000 for the annual envelope or electric utility vehicle permit. Special purpose annual permits expire on December 31 each year; the envelope and electric utility permits run date to date.)
- Annual eligibility
- The headline annual credential is the Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit, $4,000 and non-refundable, issued to a specific vehicle or to a specific motor carrier for the movement of oversize or overweight non-divisible loads. It runs one year from the date on the permit and covers up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet high, 110 feet long and 120,000 pounds gross, with no more than 25 feet of front overhang or 30 feet of rear overhang. A carrier permit covers a fleet but only one vehicle may operate under it at a time, and the original certified permit rides in that vehicle. The permit is valid only on the state highway system and only on routes shown green on the current Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit Map; it is void on any interstate highway. Axle caps are 15,000 pounds on the steer axle, 20,000 on a single axle, 40,000 on a tandem group and 60,000 on a triple group. Going over any envelope figure voids the permit, except that a cumulative overage of 1,000 pounds or less voids it for that move only. A separate $4,000 annual fleet permit exists for a Commission-regulated electric utility or rural electric cooperative moving poles, at 12 feet wide, 14 feet high and 55 feet long. A turbine blade permit may exceed 110 feet, up to a 160 foot cargo length.
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.
To see how these fees combine on real loads, walk through Oklahoma oversize permit cost worked examples.
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.
- When an escort is required by statute
- 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(A)(1) requires an escort for any vehicle or combination wider than 12 feet on any Oklahoma highway including the interstate system, as prescribed by the Department of Transportation. Retail implement dealers moving farm implements within a 150 air-mile radius of the distribution point are exempt.
- Escort driver certification
- Anyone who drives an escort vehicle for hire must be certified as an escort vehicle operator by the Department of Transportation, and must carry the driver licence and the escort certification on their person for inspection by law enforcement. The Executive Director may recognise certifications issued by other states under reciprocal agreements.
- Escort insurance the operator must carry
- Every certified escort vehicle operator maintains at least $1,000,000 combined single limit or $1,000,000 per occurrence of commercial liability coverage, with proof of insurance carried in the escort vehicle at all times.
- What counts as an escort vehicle
- An escort vehicle is a pickup of at least quarter ton rated load capacity or an automobile of at least 2,000 pounds, licensed in Oklahoma or another state, and marked on each side with the name, city and state of the escort company, operator or owner in contrasting colour, legible from 50 feet in daylight.
- Equipment the escort vehicle carries
- Red flags at least 12 inches square angled up 45 degrees on the cab roof; outside rear-view mirrors on both sides; a two-way radio good for at least a mile and compatible with the escorted vehicle; one 10 pound or two 5 pound ABC fire extinguishers checked annually; four LED flares, three cones or three portable triangle reflectors; an Oversize Load sign at least 10 inches high on the front or roof of a front escort and the rear or roof of a rear escort; one AAMVA-approved rotating or flashing amber beacon or amber light bar visible 500 feet in sunlight, with headlights lit while moving and blue, red or white rotating lights strictly prohibited; a current non-conductive height measuring pole when the load is 15 feet 9 inches or taller; two 18 inch STOP and SLOW paddles with 6 inch reflective letters; a hard hat and vest for anyone doing traffic control; a handheld flashlight visible 500 feet; and a full-size spare tire, jack and lug wrench.
- Where the escort rides
- On two-lane highways the first escort runs far enough ahead, and the second escort, where required, far enough behind, to warn approaching traffic in time. On multi-lane highways the first escort runs behind the load to warn traffic coming up from the rear.
- What an escort may not do
- An escort vehicle may not carry anything that overhangs it or hides its signs or flags, may not tow a trailer except when escorting a manufactured home under 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(C), and its operator may not act as tillerman or steerman while escorting. Convoying is banned: permitted vehicles requiring an escort may not travel in convoy.
- Police escort
- Oklahoma publishes no dimension threshold that automatically triggers a law enforcement escort. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop S provides escorts for super loads once the Size and Weight Permits office determines the load meets its height, width, length or weight requirements, usually under a contract arranged through that office. The process can take two to four weeks and Troop S is not involved until the contract is finalised.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Oklahoma rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Statutory trigger
- 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(A)(1) requires an escort for any vehicle or combination wider than 12 feet on any Oklahoma highway including the interstate system, as prescribed by the Department of Transportation. Retail implement dealers moving farm implements within a 150 air-mile radius of the distribution point are exempt.
- Certification
- Anyone who drives an escort vehicle for hire must be certified as an escort vehicle operator by the Department of Transportation, and must carry the driver licence and the escort certification on their person for inspection by law enforcement. The Executive Director may recognise certifications issued by other states under reciprocal agreements.
- Insurance
- Every certified escort vehicle operator maintains at least $1,000,000 combined single limit or $1,000,000 per occurrence of commercial liability coverage, with proof of insurance carried in the escort vehicle at all times.
- Vehicle
- An escort vehicle is a pickup of at least quarter ton rated load capacity or an automobile of at least 2,000 pounds, licensed in Oklahoma or another state, and marked on each side with the name, city and state of the escort company, operator or owner in contrasting colour, legible from 50 feet in daylight.
- Equipment
- Red flags at least 12 inches square angled up 45 degrees on the cab roof; outside rear-view mirrors on both sides; a two-way radio good for at least a mile and compatible with the escorted vehicle; one 10 pound or two 5 pound ABC fire extinguishers checked annually; four LED flares, three cones or three portable triangle reflectors; an Oversize Load sign at least 10 inches high on the front or roof of a front escort and the rear or roof of a rear escort; one AAMVA-approved rotating or flashing amber beacon or amber light bar visible 500 feet in sunlight, with headlights lit while moving and blue, red or white rotating lights strictly prohibited; a current non-conductive height measuring pole when the load is 15 feet 9 inches or taller; two 18 inch STOP and SLOW paddles with 6 inch reflective letters; a hard hat and vest for anyone doing traffic control; a handheld flashlight visible 500 feet; and a full-size spare tire, jack and lug wrench.
- Positioning
- On two-lane highways the first escort runs far enough ahead, and the second escort, where required, far enough behind, to warn approaching traffic in time. On multi-lane highways the first escort runs behind the load to warn traffic coming up from the rear.
- Prohibitions
- An escort vehicle may not carry anything that overhangs it or hides its signs or flags, may not tow a trailer except when escorting a manufactured home under 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(C), and its operator may not act as tillerman or steerman while escorting. Convoying is banned: permitted vehicles requiring an escort may not travel in convoy.
- Police escort
- Oklahoma publishes no dimension threshold that automatically triggers a law enforcement escort. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop S provides escorts for super loads once the Size and Weight Permits office determines the load meets its height, width, length or weight requirements, usually under a contract arranged through that office. The process can take two to four weeks and Troop S is not involved until the contract is finalised.
Conditions attached to every permit
The standing conditions Oklahoma writes into the permit itself, which apply whether or not they are printed on your copy.
- Non divisible
- A non-divisible load is one that, if separated into smaller loads, would compromise the intended use of the vehicle, destroy the value of the load, or require more than eight work hours to dismantle with appropriate equipment. The applicant carries the burden of proof on the eight hour test. Emergency response vehicles, casks for spent nuclear material and marked military equipment count as non-divisible.
- Out of state plates
- A vehicle bearing an out-of-state licence plate cannot get any Oklahoma permit for a movement whose origin and destination are both inside Oklahoma unless it is covered by a proration agreement or has been temporarily licensed for operation in the state, with evidence supplied at application.
- No tolerance
- No permit tolerances apply to any permitted vehicle or load. Failure to comply with any law, rule, ordinance, posted speed limit or permit condition, including the routes of travel, can immediately invalidate the permit.
- Carry and lane
- The signed original permit or a true copy must be in the driver's possession before the vehicle touches the interstate, a four-lane divided federal aid primary highway, a state highway or a bridge. Permitted loads travel to the right of the centre of the roadway and yield the right of way, except where the permit specifies travelling on the centreline over a bridge.
- Signs and flags
- The Oversize Load sign is yellow with black lettering, at least 5 feet long and 14 inches high, with letters at least 8 inches high in a 1 and 1/8 inch brush stroke, legible from 50 feet, on the front of the towing vehicle and the rear of whatever extends farthest. Warning flags are solid red or fluorescent orange, at least 18 by 18 inches, at the four corners and extremities, with rear flags also required whenever the load overhangs the rear by four feet or more.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Yes (47 O.S. § 14-101(F): any vehicle permitted for movement on Oklahoma highways, other than a vehicle permitted solely for overweight movement, may move only during daylight hours, defined as one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. The Executive Director of the Department of Transportation may endorse a permit for night travel for good cause. Overweight-only loads have continuous travel.)
- Curfews
- Oversize permitted loads may not move on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways in Oklahoma County, Tulsa County or Cleveland County from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. or from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, Central Time. The two mile stretch of Interstate 35 in Cleveland County between State Highway 9 East (Exit 108) and State Highway 9 West (Exit 106) is exempt. The curfews do not apply to special combination vehicles, longer combination vehicles, or vehicles that are overweight only. Violating them voids an Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit.
- Weekend / holiday
- 47 O.S. § 14-101(G)(1) bans permitted movement outright on New Year's Day (January 1), Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (the first Monday in September), Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday in November) and Christmas Day (December 25). Paragraph 2 expressly allows permitted movement on Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, Presidents Day and Veterans Day. Oklahoma publishes no general weekend moratorium.
- Wind / weather
- Oklahoma publishes no numeric wind speed threshold for permitted movement. OAC 730:50-5-1(4) requires extreme caution during hazardous conditions including excessive wind, snow, ice, sleet, fog, mist, rain, dust or smoke, and requires the company or operator to stop when conditions become dangerous and to stay stopped until the load can move with reasonable safety. The state may restrict or prohibit movement whenever weather, traffic or road conditions make it unsafe. Left blank rather than inventing a mile-per-hour figure.
- Route restrictions
- ODOT publishes a dated Restriction List of every current route restriction, keyed by city or area, county, turnpike, interstate, US highway and state highway, with the restriction type (length, width, height or no oversize and overweight movement at all) and a start date. It is updated continuously and permittees are expected to check it before travelling.
- Daylight hours rule
- 47 O.S. § 14-101(F): any vehicle permitted for movement on Oklahoma highways, other than a vehicle permitted solely for overweight movement, may move only during daylight hours, defined as one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. The Executive Director of the Department of Transportation may endorse a permit for night travel for good cause. Overweight-only loads have continuous travel.
- Route restrictions
- ODOT publishes a dated Restriction List of every current route restriction, keyed by city or area, county, turnpike, interstate, US highway and state highway, with the restriction type (length, width, height or no oversize and overweight movement at all) and a start date. It is updated continuously and permittees are expected to check it before travelling.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
Oklahoma defines a superload by reference to a drawing, not a weight. OAC 730:50-5-4(l): a superload is any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks, the pre-studied standard configurations ODOT has already checked against its Overweight Truck Permit Map. Where the route has not been studied for the proposed superload, a detailed structural analysis of every bridge on the route is required, in strict conformance with the current AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation.
All requests go through the ODOT automated overload permitting system and must arrive at least five working days before the movement, with more time where several bridges are involved. The application states every axle spacing and weight, the inner bridge dimensions, gross vehicle weight, width, height, length, origin, destination and proposed routing. Bridge and Maintenance Divisions run the load route review. Routes shown red on the Overweight Truck Permit Map cannot support permitted overweight vehicles; routes shown green can. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop S escorts for a super load are arranged by contract through the Size and Weight Permits office and can take two to four weeks.
- Dual lane rules
- A superload with dual lane axles is reviewed as separate side-by-side axles when each axle has at least four tires and carries no more than 20,000 pounds or 600 pounds per inch of nominal tire tread width, whichever is less, with a minimum out-to-out width of 16 feet, a minimum 4 foot gage between consecutive dual wheels, a minimum 4 foot passing distance between inside dual wheels, a minimum 4 foot 6 inch longitudinal axle spacing, single trip only, and a width no greater than 16 feet on the interstate system or 20 feet on the state highway system.
More Oklahoma permit rules
- Single trip fee note
- 47 O.S. § 14-116(A) sets a minimum permit fee of $40 for any permit issued under the size and weight chapter, plus $10 for each 1,000 pounds over the legal load limit. The ODOT fee schedule prices an oversize-only single trip or monthly permit at $40, an overweight-only permit at $40 plus the $10 per 1,000 pound charge, and a combined oversize and overweight permit at $80 plus the same overweight charge, because a load that is both oversize and overweight is charged as though two permits had been issued. Add $2 for a faxed or emailed permit and a 4 percent convenience fee on credit card payments.
- Annual permit eligibility
- The headline annual credential is the Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit, $4,000 and non-refundable, issued to a specific vehicle or to a specific motor carrier for the movement of oversize or overweight non-divisible loads. It runs one year from the date on the permit and covers up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet high, 110 feet long and 120,000 pounds gross, with no more than 25 feet of front overhang or 30 feet of rear overhang. A carrier permit covers a fleet but only one vehicle may operate under it at a time, and the original certified permit rides in that vehicle. The permit is valid only on the state highway system and only on routes shown green on the current Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit Map; it is void on any interstate highway. Axle caps are 15,000 pounds on the steer axle, 20,000 on a single axle, 40,000 on a tandem group and 60,000 on a triple group. Going over any envelope figure voids the permit, except that a cumulative overage of 1,000 pounds or less voids it for that move only. A separate $4,000 annual fleet permit exists for a Commission-regulated electric utility or rural electric cooperative moving poles, at 12 feet wide, 14 feet high and 55 feet long. A turbine blade permit may exceed 110 feet, up to a 160 foot cargo length.
- Annual permit fee note
- Oklahoma sells fourteen different annual permits, and the $4,000 envelope permit is the most expensive. The cheap end matters more to most carriers: $10 for a special purpose annual oversize-only permit, $20 for an empty oversized trailer 102 to 120 inches wide, $20 for a longer combination annual permit, $25 for round bale hay, tree length logs or soil conservation equipment, $60 for a special purpose annual overweight-only permit on the interstate, $70 for a combined special purpose annual, $100 for a wrecker or a utility or refuse 15 percent weight variance, $240 for a special combination annual (triples), $350 for the 5 percent weight variance special overload permit, $500 for a portable building vehicle permit, $2,000 for an annual SOTPLT and $4,000 for the annual envelope or electric utility vehicle permit. Special purpose annual permits expire on December 31 each year; the envelope and electric utility permits run date to date.
- Escort notes: statutory trigger
- 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(A)(1) requires an escort for any vehicle or combination wider than 12 feet on any Oklahoma highway including the interstate system, as prescribed by the Department of Transportation. Retail implement dealers moving farm implements within a 150 air-mile radius of the distribution point are exempt.
- Escort notes: certification
- Anyone who drives an escort vehicle for hire must be certified as an escort vehicle operator by the Department of Transportation, and must carry the driver licence and the escort certification on their person for inspection by law enforcement. The Executive Director may recognise certifications issued by other states under reciprocal agreements.
- Escort notes: insurance
- Every certified escort vehicle operator maintains at least $1,000,000 combined single limit or $1,000,000 per occurrence of commercial liability coverage, with proof of insurance carried in the escort vehicle at all times.
- Escort notes: vehicle
- An escort vehicle is a pickup of at least quarter ton rated load capacity or an automobile of at least 2,000 pounds, licensed in Oklahoma or another state, and marked on each side with the name, city and state of the escort company, operator or owner in contrasting colour, legible from 50 feet in daylight.
- Escort notes: equipment
- Red flags at least 12 inches square angled up 45 degrees on the cab roof; outside rear-view mirrors on both sides; a two-way radio good for at least a mile and compatible with the escorted vehicle; one 10 pound or two 5 pound ABC fire extinguishers checked annually; four LED flares, three cones or three portable triangle reflectors; an Oversize Load sign at least 10 inches high on the front or roof of a front escort and the rear or roof of a rear escort; one AAMVA-approved rotating or flashing amber beacon or amber light bar visible 500 feet in sunlight, with headlights lit while moving and blue, red or white rotating lights strictly prohibited; a current non-conductive height measuring pole when the load is 15 feet 9 inches or taller; two 18 inch STOP and SLOW paddles with 6 inch reflective letters; a hard hat and vest for anyone doing traffic control; a handheld flashlight visible 500 feet; and a full-size spare tire, jack and lug wrench.
- Escort notes: positioning
- On two-lane highways the first escort runs far enough ahead, and the second escort, where required, far enough behind, to warn approaching traffic in time. On multi-lane highways the first escort runs behind the load to warn traffic coming up from the rear.
- Escort notes: prohibitions
- An escort vehicle may not carry anything that overhangs it or hides its signs or flags, may not tow a trailer except when escorting a manufactured home under 47 O.S. § 14-120.1(C), and its operator may not act as tillerman or steerman while escorting. Convoying is banned: permitted vehicles requiring an escort may not travel in convoy.
- Escort notes: police escort
- Oklahoma publishes no dimension threshold that automatically triggers a law enforcement escort. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop S provides escorts for super loads once the Size and Weight Permits office determines the load meets its height, width, length or weight requirements, usually under a contract arranged through that office. The process can take two to four weeks and Troop S is not involved until the contract is finalised.
- Permit conditions: non divisible
- A non-divisible load is one that, if separated into smaller loads, would compromise the intended use of the vehicle, destroy the value of the load, or require more than eight work hours to dismantle with appropriate equipment. The applicant carries the burden of proof on the eight hour test. Emergency response vehicles, casks for spent nuclear material and marked military equipment count as non-divisible.
- Permit conditions: out of state plates
- A vehicle bearing an out-of-state licence plate cannot get any Oklahoma permit for a movement whose origin and destination are both inside Oklahoma unless it is covered by a proration agreement or has been temporarily licensed for operation in the state, with evidence supplied at application.
- Permit conditions: no tolerance
- No permit tolerances apply to any permitted vehicle or load. Failure to comply with any law, rule, ordinance, posted speed limit or permit condition, including the routes of travel, can immediately invalidate the permit.
- Permit conditions: carry and lane
- The signed original permit or a true copy must be in the driver's possession before the vehicle touches the interstate, a four-lane divided federal aid primary highway, a state highway or a bridge. Permitted loads travel to the right of the centre of the roadway and yield the right of way, except where the permit specifies travelling on the centreline over a bridge.
- Permit conditions: signs and flags
- The Oversize Load sign is yellow with black lettering, at least 5 feet long and 14 inches high, with letters at least 8 inches high in a 1 and 1/8 inch brush stroke, legible from 50 feet, on the front of the towing vehicle and the rear of whatever extends farthest. Warning flags are solid red or fluorescent orange, at least 18 by 18 inches, at the four corners and extremities, with rear flags also required whenever the load overhangs the rear by four feet or more.
| Component | Applies to | Fee USD |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit | Issued date to date. Up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet high, 110 feet long, 120,000 pounds gross, state highway system green routes only | 4,000 |
| Electric Utility Vehicle annual permit | Issued date to date, plus $3.25 for each additional certified copy. Poles only, 12 feet wide, 14 feet high, 55 feet long | 4,000 |
| Special Overheight Trailer Permit for Limited Travel, annual | Annual term | 2,000 |
| Portable Building Vehicle annual permit | Issued date to date, plus $25 for each replacement copy | 500 |
| Special Overload Permit, 5 percent gross and 8 percent axle weight variance | Non-transferable annual permit for vehicles hauling roll-off recycle metals, rock, sand, gravel, coal, flour, timber, pulpwood and chips in their natural state, oil field fluids and equipment, grain, fertilizer, cottonseed, cotton, livestock, peanuts, canola, sunflowers, soybeans, feed and other raw or unprocessed agricultural products. Interstate travel prohibited | 350 |
| Special Combination annual permit | Triples. If over 80,000 pounds a longer combination permit is also required | 240 |
| Special Overload Permit, 15 percent wrecker weight variance | Wrecker or tow vehicle removing a disabled, abandoned or accident-damaged vehicle to the nearest repair, terminal or storage facility | 100 |
| Special Overload Permit, 15 percent utility or refuse weight variance | Utility or refuse collection vehicles used by or contracted to counties, cities or towns. Interstate travel prohibited | 100 |
| Special purpose annual permit, oversize and overweight, travelling on the interstate | Expires December 31 each year | 70 |
| Special purpose annual permit, overweight only, travelling on the interstate | Rubber-tired road construction vehicles, truck cranes and special mobilized machinery under 47 O.S. § 14-118(H). Expires December 31 each year | 60 |
| Round bale hay, tree length logs or soil conservation annual permit | One calendar year. Raw forest products and soil conservation equipment may not use the interstate system; round baled hay 11 feet wide or less may | 25 |
| Longer Combination annual permit | Doubles. Only needed when the combination exceeds 80,000 pounds but stays under 90,000 pounds | 20 |
| Empty oversized trailer annual permit | Width over 102 inches but not over 120 inches only. The ODOT fee sheet prints this line as 102'-120', but OAC 730:50-5-6(c) sets the special annual overwidth permit at more than 102 inches and not more than 120 inches, on roads with a surface width of 20 feet or more, and makes the permit specific to the truck tractor | 20 |
| Special purpose annual permit, oversize only | Special mobilized machinery under 47 O.S. § 14-103(C)(9)(b). Expires December 31 each year | 10 |
| Name | Detail | Fee USD |
|---|---|---|
| Annual round bale hay permit | Annual permit for hauling round baled hay 11 feet wide or less. Requires the Oversize Load sign and flagging, and truck and trailer information filed with the Size and Weight Permit Division. Unlike raw forest products, round baled hay 11 feet wide or less may use the interstate system. | 25 |
| Annual tree length log permit | Annual permit for transporting forest products in the raw state, defined as tree-length logs moving from the forest directly to the mill. Not permitted on the interstate system. Requires the Oversize Load sign and flagging. | 25 |
| Annual soil conservation permit | Annual permit for overwidth or overheight soil conservation equipment 12 feet wide or less. Not permitted on the interstate system. | 25 |
| Annual Special Overload Permit, 5 percent weight variance | The permit Oklahoma farm and oil field haulers actually use. It lets a vehicle registered at the maximum allowable rate exceed the bridge formula gross limit by 5 percent and the axle limits by 8 percent when hauling roll-off recycle metals, rock, sand, gravel, coal, flour, timber, pulpwood, chips in their natural state, oil field fluids or drilling equipment, grain, fertilizer, cottonseed, cotton, livestock, peanuts, canola, sunflowers, soybeans, feed and other raw or unprocessed agricultural products. No component may exceed the manufacturer's rating and the vehicle may not use the interstate system. Created by SB 638, effective November 1, 2015, which also moved Oklahoma onto the federal bridge chart. | 350 |
| Harvest Permit | Not an ODOT size and weight permit but the Corporation Commission's all-in-one seasonal credential: 30 or 60 days of commercial vehicle registration, fuel permit and intrastate operating authority for hauling farm products in a raw state. $20 per axle for 30 days, $35 per axle for 60 days, extended in 15 day increments at $8.75 per axle, with $350,000 combined single limit liability per vehicle. Applied for on Form TOSS 1. | |
| Annual overweight permit for fire apparatus and implements of husbandry | 47 O.S. § 14-101(B) directs the Executive Director of the Department of Transportation to issue annual overweight permits at no cost to municipalities and rural fire districts moving firefighting apparatus, to owners of implements of husbandry including tractors moved temporarily on a highway, and to retail implement dealers hauling implements of husbandry. Applied for on the ODOT Annual Overweight Permit form and carried in the vehicle. | 0 |
The Oklahoma permit office
- [email protected]
Legal limits before you need a permit
Oklahoma publishes its no-permit limits for width, height, length by configuration, gross weight and axle groups. Height is the one to watch: the statute allows more on a turnpike, interstate, US or state highway than on a county road, so the same load can be legal on the highway and oversize on the last mile. The Department's own permit guidance answers the question at the lower county figure, and an operator above it is liable for damage to any structure spanning the highway.
Length depends on the configuration, from a single truck or bus up through twin-trailer, saddlemount and towaway combinations, with separate allowances for recreational combinations and utility pole movements. Gross weight is not a flat number: the statute defers to the federal bridge formula, with a single axle cap, a tandem cap, and two ceilings, a lower one on the interstate system and a higher one off it. The sourced limits and axle tables above carry each figure with the statute or rule behind it.
Single-trip and monthly permits
The statute sets a minimum permit fee for any permit issued under the size and weight chapter, plus a charge for each thousand pounds the load runs over the legal load limit. The Department's fee schedule prices an oversize-only single trip or monthly permit at the minimum, an overweight-only permit at the minimum plus the per-thousand charge, and a combined permit at double the base plus the same overweight charge, because a load that is both is charged as though two permits had been issued.
Multi-trip permits are priced by the month up to a yearly cap. Special purpose permits cover rubber-tired construction equipment and special mobilized machinery, and separate lines cover manufactured homes, mobile offices and newly manufactured items above a published width. The sourced fee schedule above lists each component with the rule that fixes it.
Annual permits, from the envelope down
The Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit is the headline annual credential. It runs a year from the date on the permit and covers oversize or overweight non-divisible loads inside a published width, height, length and gross weight envelope, with front and rear overhang caps and its own axle caps. A carrier permit covers a fleet, but only one vehicle may operate under it at a time, and the original certified permit rides in that vehicle. It is valid only on the state highway system, only on routes shown green on the current permit map, and void on any interstate highway. Going over any envelope figure voids it, with a narrow allowance for a small cumulative weight overage.
Most carriers never buy it. Oklahoma sells more than a dozen cheaper annuals, and the cheap end is where farm, forestry, utility, refuse, wrecker, construction and longer combination work actually gets permitted. Special purpose annual permits expire at the end of the calendar year, while the envelope and electric utility permits run date to date.
Escort requirements
The statute starts escorts at a published width on any Oklahoma highway including the interstate, and the rule then phases them in by dimension. Crossing the first width line takes one escort, placed front or rear depending on whether the road is two-lane or multi-lane; the next width line takes two on two-lane roads; past the top line it is front and rear on every road. Height above a published line takes front and rear escorts, with the front escort carrying a non-conductive height pole and the permittee contacting every utility and railroad along the route in advance. Long combinations take escorts by overall length, and manufactured homes have their own width ladder with towing vehicle and speed requirements attached.
Anyone who escorts for hire has to be certified by the Department, carry the certification with their license, and hold commercial liability coverage at a published limit. The equipment list is long: amber warning lighting, an oversize load sign, a two-way radio compatible with the escorted vehicle, fire extinguishers, flares or cones, stop and slow paddles, hard hat and vest, flashlight, and a full-size spare. Convoying is banned outright, and Oklahoma publishes no dimension that automatically triggers a law enforcement escort.
When permitted loads can move
Daylight only, with one exception. Any vehicle permitted for movement other than one permitted solely for overweight travel moves between a half hour before sunrise and a half hour after sunset, unless the Department's Executive Director endorses the permit for night travel for good cause. Overweight-only loads have continuous travel.
Six named holidays stop permitted movement, and the statute expressly allows it on three others. Interstate curfews close weekday morning and afternoon windows in three counties, exempting special combination vehicles, longer combination vehicles and overweight-only loads, and a curfew violation voids an Annual Envelope Vehicle Permit. One honest gap: Oklahoma publishes no numeric wind speed threshold. The rule requires extreme caution in hazardous conditions and requires the operator to stop and stay stopped until the load can move safely, so no mile-per-hour figure is recorded here.
Superloads are defined by a drawing, not a weight
Oklahoma sets no pound figure for a superload. The rule defines one as any overweight permit load that exceeds the standard drawing configurations the Department has already checked against its overweight truck permit map. Where the route has not been studied for the proposed load, every bridge on it gets a detailed structural analysis under the current national bridge evaluation manual, so no threshold is recorded here rather than one being inferred.
Lead time is the real constraint. Overweight permit requests go through the automated overload permitting system with a published minimum number of working days before the movement, and more where several bridges are involved. The application states every axle spacing and weight, the inner bridge dimensions, gross weight, width, height, length, origin, destination and proposed routing, and the Bridge and Maintenance Divisions run the route review. Routes shown red on the permit map cannot carry permitted overweight vehicles. A Highway Patrol escort for a super load is arranged by contract through the permits office and can add weeks on its own.
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 Oklahoma permit stack, see Oklahoma trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in Oklahoma without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the published legal limits for width, height, length by configuration, gross weight and axle groups. Height is the trap: Oklahoma allows more on the state highway system than on a county road, so check the last mile. The sourced limits above carry each figure.
How much does an Oklahoma oversize or overweight permit cost?
- It stacks. A minimum permit fee applies to any permit, an added charge applies for each thousand pounds over the legal load limit, and a load that is both oversize and overweight is priced as two permits. Electronic delivery and credit card payment add their own charges.
When does an oversize load need an escort in Oklahoma?
- Once it crosses the published width, height or combination length lines. The first line takes one escort, higher lines take front and rear, and a height pole rides along above the published height. Escort operators for hire must hold a state certification and carry commercial liability coverage.
What counts as a superload in Oklahoma?
- Not a weight. A superload is any overweight permit load that exceeds the Department's pre-studied standard drawing configurations. When the route has not been studied for that load, every bridge on it gets a structural analysis, which is why applications go in working days ahead of the move.
Does Oklahoma restrict oversize moves to daylight hours?
- Yes. Permitted movement other than overweight-only travel runs from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, and night travel needs an endorsement from the Department's Executive Director for good cause. Overweight-only loads travel continuously.
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.