NORTH CAROLINA OVERSIZE PERMITS INFORMATION
PERMITS: North Carolina oversize permits are valid for ten days. Must have permit prior to entering the state.
OPERATING TIME: Sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday, no Sunday travel. Overweight only, not exceeding 112,000 pound gross (or 94,500 for sealed ship container) and travelling only on Interstate routes may travel 24/7, but it must be requested with the permit order.
RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Loads over 10 feet wide are restricted within a 10 mile radius of the following cities: Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Loads over 14’ height are subject to speed and escort restrictions in I-40 tunnels near Tennessee line. (See Escort Section, below). No travel on major holidays or holiday weekends. Double check with permit office for holiday restrictions.
LEGAL DIMENSIONS
Length:
- 53′ trailer* on designated highways
- 48′ trailer on all other roads
- No overall designated legal length on all highways for 48′ trailer 60′ overall on non-designated
- For 53′ trailer, no overall designated length on Interstates or federally designated highways
In NC, only Interstates and a few sections of 4-lane US Highways are considered federally designated highways. On other routes, including most US Highways, the legal overall length is 60 feet.
*(53′ semitrailer must not exceed 41′ center of kingpin to center of rear tandem).
Overhang:
- Front – 5′
- Rear – 5′
Note: length restriction for non-designated routes on 53′ trailers).
Width:
- 8’6″ Interstate and designated highways
- 8′ on other roads
Height: 13’6
Weight: 80,000 Gross
- Single – 20,000
- Tandem – 38,000
- Tridem – depends on spacings
ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS
Length:
- 105′
- Beams and girders maximum 120′
Width: 15′
Height: No set limits – determined by route. Loads over 14′ may take extra processing time.
Weight:
- Gross Weights
- 5 axles – 112,000
- 6 axles – 120,000
- 7 axles – 132,000
- Axle Weights
- Steer Axle – 20,000*
- Single – 25,000
- Tandem – 50,000
- Tridem – 60,000
- Quad – 68,000
Weight over 132,000 or widths over 15′ are superloads.
Letter from shipper must be included with a superload application.
ESCORTS
Length:
- Over 110′ – 1 escort
- Over 150′ – 2 escorts
Overhang: Over 15′ front or rear – 1 escort
Width:
- Over 12′ – 1 escort
- Over 14′ – 2 escorts on 2 lane or 2 way roads
- Over 15′ wide may require police escorts
Height:
- Over 14’5″ – 1 escort with high pole
Note: For I-40 tunnels near TN line:
- Eastbound and over 13’11” – 1 escort with height pole
- Westbound and over 14’2″ – 1 escort with height pole
Weight: Over 149,999 pounds – 1 escort.
MISCELLANEOUS: Blades and buckets which cannot be angled to not exceed 14 feet in width must be removed. A blade or bucket, if it is part of the original equipment being hauled, may be detached and hauled with the equipment without being considered a divisible load. Beams, poles, pipes, structural material don’t need permit up to 85 feet long, daylight only, on Interstates and designated roads.
Multiple pieces rule: NC does not allow or permit for multiple pieces on an overlength vehicle/load (over 60’ overall length) on “non-designated” highways. If you are hauling two farm tractors end-to-end and your overall length is 70 feet, we cannot get a NC permit except for Interstate and “designated” US routes (mainly 4-lane US highways). If your route is on other highways (including most US Highways), NC will not give us a permit unless we claim that it is for a single piece.
SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: “Oversize Load” signs are required at front and rear for all loads exceeding 10 feet wide. Flags are required on each corner and at the widest point of the load for all loads over 8’6″ wide, but the flags “…shall be so mounted as to not increase the overall width of the load.” Rear overhang in excess of 4 feet requires a flag, or at night a red or amber light visible for at least 200 feet.