Heavy haul truck hauling an oversized load in Alabama

Quickway Transports

Alabama Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul

Name: Quickway Transports
Address: 1271 West Main St, Riverhead, NY, 11901, US
Telephone: +1 (631) 898-4248

Alabama permit rules, legal limits and escort triggers, and how we book heavy haul carriers for moves in and through the state.

Quick answer

Do I need an oversize or overweight permit in Alabama?

Yes, once a load is over 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high or 80,000 lbs gross. ALDOT charges flat fees with no per-mile charge: $10 for a weight-only permit up to 100,000 lbs, and $20 to $110 when a load is both oversize and overweight. Permitted loads move in daylight and never on Sunday.

Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).

Heavy Haul | AL

Heavy haul and oversize freight in Alabama

Alabama's heavy freight runs on I-65 from Tennessee through Birmingham and Montgomery to Mobile, I-20 and I-59 across the north from Georgia through Birmingham to Mississippi, I-85 from Montgomery toward Atlanta, and I-10 along the Gulf. Auto plants and their suppliers, steel mills, shipbuilding and the Port of Mobile all ship oversize and overweight loads. We book carriers for moves within Alabama or across it.

Alabama keeps its rules simple: flat permit fees by weight band, daylight-only travel, Saturday moves allowed and Sundays off. The large holidays close the road for several days, so a long move is planned around them, and anything over 100,000 lbs needs a routing check from ALDOT before the permit is issued.

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What are the legal size and weight limits in Alabama?

Under the oversize load regulations in Alabama, a load above any of these limits needs a state oversize or overweight permit.

Width	8 ft 6 in
Height	13 ft 6 in
Semitrailer length	57 ft
Gross weight	80,000 lbs
Single axle	20,000 lbs
Tandem axle	34,000 lbs

Limits are set by Code of Ala. 32-9-20. On roads with lanes under 12 ft, ALDOT treats 8 ft as the legal width. Off the Interstate a 6-axle truck may reach 84,000 lbs, with a 10% tolerance that never applies on Interstates.

Who issues Alabama oversize permits?

ALDOT's Vehicle Enforcement Office in Montgomery issues permits through ALPASS, open Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 4:45 PM Central. Most single trip permits issue in under 2 hours, and one permit covers a round trip, loaded one way and empty the other, within 5 days.

Loads over 100,000 lbs, and mobile homes over 12 ft wide, need a routing authorization first, which takes about 2 hours. City streets and county roads fall outside an ALDOT permit, so the carrier's permit service gets local approval for those stretches.

Permit system: ALPASS (Alabama's Online OS/OW Permitting System)

What do Alabama oversize and overweight permits cost?

request_quote Weight only: $10 from 80,000 to 100,000 lbs, $30 to 125,000 lbs, $60 to 150,000 lbs and $100 above.
request_quote Oversize and overweight together: $20 up to 100,000 lbs, $40 to 125,000 lbs, $70 to 150,000 lbs and $110 above.
request_quote Over height only: $10. Other oversize loads: $20.
request_quote Annual permit: $100 per vehicle, for loads up to 12 ft wide, 14 ft high, 75 ft long and 150,000 lbs.
request_quote Superload escorts by state troopers are billed separately: a $200 application fee plus $100 an hour per officer, with a 4-hour minimum.

Worked example: a 140,000 lb excavator, 13 ft wide

The load is both oversize and overweight, in the 125,001 to 150,000 lb band, so the permit fee is a flat $70 whatever the distance. At 13 ft wide it needs one front escort on two-lane roads or one rear escort on multilane roads, and because it is over 100,000 lbs, ALDOT checks the route first.

Alabama pilot car and escort requirements

local_police Over 12 ft up to 14 ft wide: one front escort on two-lane roads, or one rear escort on multilane roads.
local_police Over 14 ft wide: front and rear escorts on every road.
local_police Over 15 ft 6 in high: a front escort with a height pole.
local_police Length: one rear escort from 90 to 125 ft, front and rear from 125 to 150 ft, and law enforcement escorts front and rear over 150 ft.
local_police Overhang: a rear escort when the load reaches more than 5 ft past the rear, and a front escort at 10 ft or more past the front.
local_police Escort drivers must be at least 18 and have completed a pilot and escort flagging course at least equal to Alabama's.

What hours can oversize loads move in Alabama?

calendar_today Daylight only, and no travel in visibility under 500 ft or hazardous weather.
calendar_today Saturday travel is allowed in daylight, and no permitted load moves on Sunday.
calendar_today Thanksgiving 2026: no travel from sunset Wednesday, November 25 to sunrise Monday, November 30.
calendar_today Christmas 2026: sunset Thursday, December 24 to sunrise Monday, December 28. New Year's: sunset Thursday, December 31 to sunrise Saturday, January 2, 2027.
calendar_today Most superloads move between 9 PM and 6 AM, Sunday night through Thursday, and permitted loads keep half a mile apart.

Seasonal weight limits in Alabama

Alabama has no frost law or spring thaw restrictions, so permit limits stay the same all year. ALDOT can post roads and bridges below the statutory limits and attach time limits to a permit to protect a road, and counties can set lower limits on county highways, so a route still gets checked for postings.

FAQ

Alabama Oversize Load Questions

Permits, escorts and travel rules for oversize moves in Alabama.

How much is an Alabama oversize permit?

ALDOT uses flat fees with no mileage charge. An over-height-only permit is $10, most other oversize loads are $20, and combined oversize-overweight loads pay $20 to $110 by weight band. A $100 annual permit covers loads up to 12 ft wide and 150,000 lbs.

Can oversize loads travel on weekends in Alabama?

On Saturday, yes, in daylight. Sunday is closed to permitted loads at any hour. Around the big holidays the stop stretches over several days, for example from sunset Wednesday, November 25 to sunrise Monday, November 30 for Thanksgiving 2026, so long moves are planned around those dates.

When does an Alabama load need a police escort?

Loads over 150 ft long need law enforcement escorts front and rear, and superloads over 16 ft wide, 16 ft high, 150 ft long or 300,000 lbs need at least two trooper or police escorts. ALEA schedules them after ALDOT pre-approves the move and bills $100 an hour per officer, with a 4-hour minimum.

How heavy can sealed containers from the Port of Mobile be?

Sealed ocean containers can run up to 100,000 lbs gross on a trip permit, on at least 5 load-bearing axles with no axle over 20,000 lbs and legal dimensions. The bill of lading and interchange report ride in the cab, and these loads can move 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

Does Alabama have spring load restrictions?

No. Alabama has no frost law or seasonal thaw program, so the same limits apply all year. ALDOT and the counties can still post individual roads and bridges below the normal limits, which is why a route is checked before a heavy move rather than assumed.

Sources

We last checked the figures above against these official sources in October 2026. Before each move, the carrier's permit service confirms the rules in force that day.

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