Oversized and Wide Loads

5 Questions to Ask When Shipping Oversized and Wide Loads

Oversized and wide loads are challenging to transport due to all the planning involved. If you plan to transport oversized items, many factors must be considered. Here are five questions to ask yourself when preparing to ship such loads:

1. Is Your Shipment Oversized or Wide?

What items count as oversized or wide loads? That depends on the state or states you’ll be traveling through. Each state has its own regulations on these loads. Typically, however, a flatbed delivering an oversized load must exceed any of the following dimensions to be considered one and need a permit:

• Max. Width: around 8.5 ft.
• Max. Height: around 8.5 ft.
• Max. Length: around 48 to 53 ft.
• Max. Weight: around 40,000 to 46,000 lbs.

States also may have specific measurement regulations. For example, in Florida, the gross exceeding weight of a vehicle or vehicle combination will depend on how far apart the first and last axles are in feet. If the axle distance is 4 feet, then the maximum load on all axles is 40,000 lbs; if the axle distance is 12 feet, however, the maximum load on all axles is 46,640 lbs.

2. What Kind of Permits Do You Need?

Drivers transporting oversized loads must contact the permitting agency of each state they will be traveling through and obtain the proper permits. Each state has its own rules for these kinds of permits. For example, oversized permits are valid for up to 10 days in Florida, while in New Jersey, they are valid for up to five travel days.

Permit fees vary by state but are usually around $70 or higher. While the driver is responsible for getting the permits necessary to move oversized freight, the costs will be factored into the shipper’s final bill.

If drivers do not comply with state regulations or apply for a permit, states can fine drivers and carriers upwards of thousands of dollars in fines. To avoid legal consequences, drivers transporting oversized loads must get the correct permits on time.

3. When Can Drivers Haul Oversized/Wide Loads?

Many states restrict when these loads can travel daily and prohibit travel on certain holidays and weekends. Most states allow drivers with oversized loads to travel just before sunrise until just after sunset, with major holidays and weekends prohibited. However, it varies between states and even counties.

In Florida, for example, oversized loads can move one half-hour before dawn until one half-hour after dusk every day, including on weekends during limited hours. Travel is prohibited during the main six holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day) plus Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with travel restricted on the days before and after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

In New Jersey, oversized loads can travel during daylight hours seven days a week. However, travel is forbidden during major holidays, and loads cannot travel on NJ Route 495, the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, the Atlantic City Expressway, and through the Holland Tunnel. Almost all of these infrastructures are connected to major cities, such as New York City, Atlantic City, or Philadelphia, which could cause major traffic jams.

4. Does Your Shipment Require Travel Escorts?

Travel escorts (or pilot cars) are smaller vehicles that travel with an oversized load as a guide. They warn truck drivers of hazards like accidents, traffic jams, construction zones, bridges, and other special circumstances that could jeopardize the load. They also warn pedestrian cars of the incoming truck so they have time to avoid or pass it.

Every state has a limit on when escorts are needed. The width of the load must be 12 ft. wide to require travel escorts, while 16 ft. wide loads (known as super loads) require police escorts and road closures. In Florida, 12 ft. wide loads require one escort, 14 ft. wide require two escorts, and 15 ft and above need a police escort, while in New Jersey, escorts are needed for any loads exceeding width, length, and height.

5. What Equipment and Special Markings are Needed?

A truck carrying an oversized load must have the right equipment. If weight is the only oversized dimension, loads can get away with using a standard semi-truck and trailer. However, some oversized loads require specialized equipment, such as flatbeds, step decks, and extendable trailers.

Oversized loads must also be marked with flashy signals to be visible to other drivers. Red flags, amber lights, and banner signs that read “Oversize Load” on the back bumper are some of the necessary unique markings required.

Each state also may have its own markings drivers must use to mark their loads properly. Florida, for example, requires the “Oversize Load” sign to be yellow, while the flags can be red or orange but must be 12-inch squares and clean; New Jersey also requires low-beam headlights and red tail lights to be lit.