Arkansas Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul
Arkansas 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 a permit to move an oversize load in Arkansas?
You do once the load passes 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high or 80,000 lbs gross. The Arkansas Highway Police permit section issues permits for a $17 base fee, and overweight loads add $8 to $16 for each ton over legal, depending on trip miles. Permitted loads move from sunrise to sunset unless they are only overweight.
Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).
Heavy haul and oversize freight in Arkansas
Arkansas sits between Texas, Oklahoma and the Mississippi River crossings at Memphis. I-40 runs east to west through Fort Smith, Little Rock and West Memphis, I-30 heads southwest from Little Rock toward Texarkana and Dallas, and I-49 and I-555 serve the northwest and northeast corners. Steel mills in the Delta, poultry and farm operations, and manufacturing across the state keep heavy equipment on the road. We book carriers for moves inside Arkansas or across it.
Arkansas has no toll roads and a 14 ft legal height, which keeps many routes simple. The limits are on time instead: oversize loads move in daylight, six holidays close movement, and a holiday observed on a Monday or Friday closes the weekend next to it as well. Greater Little Rock keeps weekday rush hours on I-30, I-40 and I-630, so we schedule around them before quoting.
What are the legal size and weight limits in Arkansas?
Under the oversize load regulations in Arkansas, a load above any of these limits needs a state oversize or overweight permit.
| Width | 8 ft 6 in |
|---|---|
| Height | 14 ft |
| Semitrailer length | 53 ft 6 in |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
Limits are set by A.C.A. 27-35-203 to 27-35-208. The legal height rose from 13 ft 6 in to 14 ft in 2021, and the statute keeps a 53 ft 6 in semitrailer limit.
Who issues Arkansas oversize permits?
The Arkansas Highway Police permit section in Little Rock, part of ARDOT, issues oversize and overweight permits by phone, in person, or through ARPARS for carriers that already hold Arkansas permits. It is the only source of permits for the state highway system, and a load that leaves that system has to coordinate with the city or county.
Superloads, which in Arkansas start at 180,000 lbs, 16 ft 6 in wide, 100 ft long or 15 ft 6 in high, are issued at ARDOT's discretion and can need engineering review. Loads over 20 ft wide are permitted only when they start or end in Arkansas, and they move on Sundays.
Permit system: Arkansas Permitting and Routing System (ARPARS)
What do Arkansas oversize and overweight permits cost?
- request_quote Base fee: $17 for each permit, oversize or overweight.
- request_quote Overweight: $17 plus a charge for each ton over legal, $8 a ton for 100 miles or less, rising $2 per 50-mile band to $16 a ton beyond 250 miles.
- request_quote Mobile construction equipment of special design pays lower per-ton rates in three steps.
- request_quote Superloads of 180,000 lbs or more add a surcharge, which ARPARS lists at $250.
- request_quote There is no escort permit fee, and card payments carry a $6 fee where it applies.
Worked example: 20 tons over legal on a 180-mile trip
A 180-mile trip falls in the 151 to 200 mile band at $12 a ton, so 20 tons over legal costs 20 x $12 = $240. With the $17 base fee the permit is $257, plus $6 if it is paid by card.
Arkansas pilot car and escort requirements
- local_police From 12 to 14 ft wide: a lead escort, which divided controlled-access highways of four or more lanes do not require.
- local_police Over 14 ft wide: one rear escort on controlled-access four-lane highways, and front and rear on every other road.
- local_police 18 ft 1 in to 20 ft wide: four escorts and travel only from 9 AM to 3 PM, and never on the Interstate, where the limit is 18 ft.
- local_police Over 15 ft high: a lead pole car whose clearance bar rides 6 in higher than the load; and past 17 ft, signed agreements with the companies that own overhead lines and signals on the route.
- local_police 100 ft long or more: one escort, following on four-lane divided highways and leading elsewhere, and two over 115 ft on roads with fewer than four lanes.
- local_police Arkansas requires no escort permit or driver certification, but escort companies must carry liability insurance from an Arkansas-licensed insurer.
What hours can oversize loads move in Arkansas?
- calendar_today Permits are good from sunrise to sunset, while overweight loads of legal size can move day and night, on weekends and on holidays.
- calendar_today Over-dimensional loads keep at least 1,000 ft apart, no permit is valid in visibility under 500 ft, and movement can be restricted in winds over 20 knots.
- calendar_today Greater Little Rock: no oversize movement from 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM on weekdays on I-30, I-40 and all of I-630.
- calendar_today Holidays: no permits for Christmas, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day or Independence Day, and a Monday or Friday holiday closes the weekend beside it.
- calendar_today Weekends are otherwise open, and loads over 20 ft wide move on Sundays only.
Seasonal weight limits in Arkansas
Arkansas has no frost law. Cities and counties may post limits on their roads, capped at 90 days a year and effective when signs go up, and ARDOT keeps weight-restricted highways and bridges posted all year on IDriveArkansas.com. An overweight load that has to use a restricted highway goes through a Master Agreement and pays a Roadway Maintenance Assessment that ARDOT sets after testing the pavement.
Arkansas Oversize Load Questions
Permits, escorts and travel rules for oversize moves in Arkansas.
How much is an Arkansas oversize permit?
Does Arkansas allow oversize loads at night?
Which holidays close Arkansas roads to oversize loads?
What is a superload in Arkansas?
Does Arkansas have toll roads?
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.
- ARDOT/AHP Oversize and Overweight Permits page
- ARPARS login page and bulletin (AHP Permit Office)
- ARPARS Arkansas Permit Frequently Asked Questions (rev. 7-28-2021)
- 27 CAR Part 111 Permit Rules for the Movement of Oversize and Overweight Vehicles
- 27 CAR 111-102 Legal dimensions and weights table
- 27 CAR 111-106 Movement restrictions (Little Rock curfew, daylight, holidays)
- 27 CAR 111-110 Super loads
- 27 CAR 111-205 Overwidth movements
- 27 CAR 111-206 Overheight movement
- 27 CAR 111-207 Overlength movement
- 27 CAR 111-505 Assignment of escorts for travel
- 27 CAR 111-1701 Weight-restricted highways
- 27 CAR Part 111 Appendix (permit types, application data, fee charts, weigh stations)
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Heavy Haul Solutions for Oversized and Specialized Loads
Near Arkansas: states and services
- Heavy Haul in Oklahoma →Oversize moves in and through Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman and the OK permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Louisiana →Oversize moves in and through Louisiana: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and the LA permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Tennessee →Oversize moves in and through Tennessee: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and the TN permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Texas →Oversize moves in and through Texas: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and the TX permit rules.
- Heavy Equipment Transport →Which trailer, permits and preparation each kind of construction, farm, mining and industrial machine needs.
- Heavy Haul Trucking →Oversize and overweight loads on RGN, step-deck and flatbed trailers, with permits, pilot cars and route surveys arranged.