Wide, tall and heavy freight pays more, and costs more to move. We price every oversize offer after permits, escorts and fuel, coordinate the route before you roll, and bring each load to you to approve.
Big oversize rates can shrink fast. Enter the offer, the permit cost, escorts and fuel, and see the net after our fee. This is the math we run before an oversize offer reaches you.
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Holds up after permits, escorts and fuel.
Each state writes its own rules for widths that need escorts, travel hours and route restrictions, and they change. We check the current rules for every state on the route, every time. Check weight limits with the truck weight limit checker.
| Dimension | Common legal limit | Over it means |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft 6 in (102 in) on the National Network | Permit in every state; escorts at wider widths |
| Height | Usually 13 ft 6 in, some states 14 ft or more | Permit and route check for bridges and wires |
| Length | Varies by state and trailer type | Permit; escorts on long loads |
| Weight | 80,000 lb gross, axle and bridge limits | Overweight permit; route and bridge limits |
SOURCE: FHWA size and weight overview and 23 CFR 658 (checked Oct 2026). State permit offices set the details.
| Trailer | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lowboy / RGN | Tall, heavy machinery like dozers and excavators | Low deck for height; removable neck for drive-on loading |
| Step deck | Tall loads under heavy-haul weights | Lower deck adds about 18 in of height room |
| Stretch flatbed | Long loads like beams and poles | Extends for length; may need escorts |
| Flatbed | Wide but light freight | Common for wide loads that are otherwise legal |
| Hotshot | Wide, light loads | Limited by the rig's weight ratings |
Oversize offers show the dimensions, weight, route, permits and escorts needed, who pays for them, travel-time limits, the rate and the broker. You decide with every cost in front of you.
On a yes, the rate con comes straight to you; make sure the permit and escort terms are on it before you sign. Pass on a load and it costs nothing. If dimensions change at pickup, the permits may no longer be valid, and that's a stop-and-call moment, not something to push through.
YOUR CALL. NOTHING IS BOOKED UNTIL YOU SAY YES.
One or two escorts on a long trip can take a big share of the rate. We confirm who pays before you accept.
Waiting a day for a permit is a day unpaid. We start the permit process the moment you say yes.
Daylight-only travel stretches a two-day trip to three. We plan the run so the stops land somewhere useful.
A machine that's wider than the broker said means new permits. We get dimensions in writing first.
Each state decides when a load needs escorts, how many, and where they ride. A common pattern: one escort once a load passes a certain width, two on wider loads or on two-lane roads, and a height pole on the lead car for tall loads. Some states require certified escort drivers; a few require police escorts for the largest loads.
Escort costs add up by the mile, so they belong in the price before you accept, not after. Run the full trip in our load profitability calculator first.
Construction and infrastructure work drive much of oversize freight, so spring through fall is usually busiest. Ag equipment moves around planting and harvest, and energy projects follow their own schedules. Winter brings shorter daylight, which cuts legal travel hours for daylight-only permits and stretches trips.
We plan around both: busy months for rates, and short days for timing.
One oversize truck with authority older than 6 months runs at 5% of the gross on loads you haul. New authorities pay 7% until month six; fleets of two or more trucks pay 4%. No setup fee, no minimums, no fee on loads you turn down. Every rule is on rates and fees.
If a shipper reimburses permits or escorts as separate pass-through items, tell us on the first call how you want them shown on your weekly report so the numbers stay clear.
Yes, if the load is over legal width, height or length and you get the permits. Hotshots haul plenty of wide but light loads. Weight is the limit: a hotshot can't legally carry the heavy machinery a lowboy can, and permits don't change your truck's ratings.
Yes, along with stretch trailers, step decks and flatbeds running permitted loads. Tell us your trailer, deck height and capacity, and we only bring loads within them.
We coordinate them: we confirm the dimensions and route, check what each state requires, and work with you or your permit service to get them ordered before the load moves. The permits are issued to your company, so you stay the one responsible for following them.
A load so wide, tall, long or heavy that states treat it separately, usually with route surveys, engineering review of bridges, police escorts or longer approval times. Each state sets its own superload thresholds.
Usually. Most states limit oversize travel to daylight hours, and many restrict weekends, holidays and rush hours in cities. The rules are on each state's permit. We plan the trip so you're not parked waiting for sunrise in a bad spot.
5% of the gross on loads you haul for one truck with authority older than 6 months. New authorities pay 7% until month six, and fleets of two or more trucks pay 4%. No setup fee, no minimums.
It depends on the load. Sometimes the rate includes them, sometimes the shipper or broker pays separately, and sometimes they come out of your rate. We confirm it in writing before you accept, because it can change a load's value by hundreds of dollars.
Yes. Each offer shows the dimensions, weight, route, permit and escort needs, who pays for them, timing, rate and broker. You say yes or pass. On a yes, the rate con comes straight to you to sign.
Oversize banners, flags and lights as each state requires, and the right trailer for the load. Some loads also need a height pole on the lead escort or specific securement. We list what each load needs on the offer.
Stop and call. A permit route usually can't be changed on the fly; the permit office has to amend it. We contact the permit service and the broker, and keep track of your waiting time so it can be raised with the broker.
Yes. Many oversize loads are only a little wide, like building trusses, tanks or machinery a few inches over 8 ft 6 in. A flatbed with banners and a permit can haul them. We check whether escorts are needed on your route before we price it.
Some brokers and shippers want history for heavy haul, but many accept new authorities with the right insurance. We start there and build your record.
Legal-size loads go to flatbed dispatch or step deck dispatch. Light, wide freight on a pickup? See hotshot dispatch. Read how we dispatch for the full process.
Apply in about 2 minutes. Your trailer and permit preferences go on file, and only loads that fit reach you.
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