Routing the load…
Over 8 ft 6 in · permits + escorts
Wide load
transport, quoted to the line.
Anything past 8'6" wide is a permitted move — and width is the dimension with the most state-by-state variation in escort rules, banners, lights, and travel windows.
Legal width
8 ft 6 in
Routine permits
to 12 ft
Escorts phase in
12–14 ft (state rules)
Superload review
~16 ft+ (varies)
How this equipment runs
Wide Load Shipping.
Width is the most common way freight goes oversize, and the most rule-fragmented. Past 8'6" you need a permit in every state the load touches. To about 12 feet it's routine — issued from a table, modest fees. From 12 to 14 feet, escort requirements phase in differently per state: one pilot car here, front-and-rear there, height poles when the load is also tall. Past 16 feet many states treat it as a superload with individual review.
The operational details are where wide loads go wrong: travel restricted to daylight, no-weekend or no-holiday rules, metro curfews, banner and amber-light specs, escort certification requirements that differ across the state line. A compliant plan in the first state can be a violation in the second. We build the escort and travel-window plan across the whole route before dispatch, not state-by-state as the truck rolls.
Combine width with height or weight and the permits compound — a 13-foot-wide, 14-foot-tall press is two restricted dimensions and a tighter route set. The quote we send prices the actual permit stack and escort miles on your route, line by line, same day for routine widths.
Frequently asked
Wide load questions.
At what width do I need pilot cars?
It varies by state — commonly starting between 12 and 14 feet, sometimes earlier on two-lane routes. Some states want one escort, some front and rear, some add a height-pole car when the load is also tall. The route decides; we map it before quoting escort miles.
Can wide loads travel at night or on weekends?
Usually not: daylight-only is the norm, with weekend and holiday restrictions common and metro-area curfews on top. Multi-state wide loads are scheduled around the most restrictive segment — that's part of the transit estimate we give you.
How much do width permits cost?
Routine width permits are modest per state — the real money is escorts (priced per mile, per car) and routing. A 13-foot load that needs two pilot cars for 800 miles costs meaningfully more than its permits. The quote breaks both out.
Got a wide load load?
Quote it now.
Line by line, no TBDs.
Over 8 ft 6 in · permits + escorts. Permits, escorts, and route checks included. A named coordinator quotes it the same day.