Heavy haul truck hauling an oversized load in California

Quickway Transports

California Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul

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

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

Quick answer

How do oversize permits work in California?

Caltrans issues them through CTPS, its online permit system, for a flat $16 per single trip and $90 for an annual or repetitive permit, with no weight or mileage charge. A single-trip permit is valid seven days, one way. What a California permit allows depends on each route's color rating, which sets the pilot cars and travel hours for every width.

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

Heavy Haul | CA

Heavy haul and oversize freight in California

California's oversize freight runs along I-5 through the Central Valley, I-10 and I-15 through the Inland Empire, I-80 over the Sierra to Nevada and US-101 on the coast. The Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland bring in machinery, and construction, agriculture and renewable energy projects keep equipment moving across the state.

Caltrans grades its highways by color: yellow for multilane freeways, then green, blue and brown as lanes and shoulders narrow, and red for restricted routes. A 13 ft 6 in wide load needs one pilot car on a yellow freeway route but two on a blue or brown two-lane road, so we check the route colors before we price a California move.

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What are the legal size and weight limits in California?

Under the oversize load regulations in California, 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
Gross weight	80,000 lbs
Single axle	20,000 lbs
Tandem axle	34,000 lbs

California allows 14 ft high and 102 in wide. A 53 ft semitrailer is legal on the STAA network (Interstates and designated routes) when its kingpin is within 40 ft of the rear axle; on California Legal routes the whole combination is limited to 65 ft.

Who issues California oversize permits?

The Caltrans Transportation Permits Office in Sacramento issues permits through CTPS (Caltrans Transportation Permit System), which routes loads with the CalRoute database. Caltrans permits cover state highways only; cities and counties issue permits for their own roads, and their fee may not exceed the Caltrans fee.

A single-trip permit can be issued up to 3 days ahead and allows up to 16 ft wide on yellow routes, less on narrower ones, and 135 ft long. Loads over 15 ft wide, 17 ft high or 135 ft long need a variance permit, requested at least 30 days ahead. The carrier's permit service files in CTPS.

Permit system: Caltrans Transportation Permit System (CTPS), formerly STARS2, with the CalRoute route clearing database

What do California oversize and overweight permits cost?

request_quote Single-trip permit, or a rider changing any permit: $16.
request_quote Annual or repetitive permit: $90.
request_quote No weight or distance surcharge, and fees are not refunded.
request_quote Engineering investigations for unusually large or heavy loads may be billed separately.

Worked example: a 12 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 8 in high excavator from Long Beach to Bakersfield

One $16 single-trip permit covers the state highway part of the route, with no charge for weight or miles. At 12 ft 6 in wide it needs one pilot car on the yellow freeway route, and it must stay out of the Los Angeles curfew area from 6 to 9 AM and 3 to 6 PM on weekdays. Any city or port road permit is extra.

California pilot car and escort requirements

local_police Pilot cars depend on width and route color. Over 10 ft to 11 ft: one only on brown routes. Over 11 ft to 12 ft: one on blue and brown routes.
local_police Over 12 ft to 13 ft: one pilot car on yellow, green and blue routes, two on brown.
local_police Over 13 ft to 15 ft: one or two pilot cars, more as the route gets narrower.
local_police Over 15 ft to 16 ft: two pilot cars on yellow routes and a California Highway Patrol escort on all others. Over 16 ft: a CHP escort on every route.
local_police Length: a pilot car over 120 ft on yellow and green routes, over 100 ft on blue and over 85 ft on brown.
local_police Front or rear overhang over 25 ft: a pilot car.

What hours can oversize loads move in California?

calendar_today Loads that need no pilot car can travel 24 hours a day on all but red routes, unless the permit says No Night Travel.
calendar_today Pilot-car loads: around the clock on yellow routes up to 16 ft wide; daylight on green routes up to 15 ft (darkness up to 14 ft); weekday daylight only on blue and brown routes, plus weekend mornings until noon.
calendar_today Over 10 ft wide in metro curfew areas: no movement 6 to 9 AM or 3 to 6 PM on weekdays around Los Angeles, and 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM around the Bay Area, Sacramento and San Diego.
calendar_today Holidays: permitted movement stops around the state's listed holidays, which include New Year's Day, Presidents Day and Memorial Day.
calendar_today No permit movement in visibility under 1,000 ft, on roads made hazardous by rain, ice or snow, or when chains are required.

Seasonal weight limits in California

California has no frost-law program. Winter weather does the same job in the mountains: no permitted load may move when tire chains are mandatory or the road is icy, so winter loads crossing the Sierra on I-80 or US-50 need a weather window.

FAQ

California Oversize Load Questions

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

How much is a California oversize permit?

Caltrans charges a flat $16 for a single-trip permit and $90 for an annual or repetitive permit, with no charge for weight or distance. A rider that changes an existing permit is also $16. Fees are not refunded for any reason, and cities and counties may charge for their own road permits, though never more than the Caltrans fee.

What do Caltrans route colors mean?

Caltrans rates every highway for permit loads: yellow for multilane freeways, green for wider two-lane roads with shoulders, blue for two-lane roads with narrow shoulders, brown for narrow two-lane roads, and red for restricted routes. The color sets how many pilot cars a given width needs and when the load may travel.

When does a California load need a CHP escort?

A California Highway Patrol escort is required for loads over 16 ft wide on every route, and from 15 to 16 ft wide on green, blue and brown routes. CHP then sets the travel hours for the move. Loads over 15 ft wide also need a variance permit, which Caltrans asks to receive at least 30 days ahead.

Can oversize loads travel at night in California?

Often, yes. Loads that need no pilot car may run around the clock on every route except red ones, unless the permit says otherwise, and pilot-car loads up to 16 ft wide may travel at night on yellow freeway routes. Loads on blue and brown routes are limited to daylight, and metro curfews still apply on weekdays.

Can you move equipment from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach?

Yes. We book carriers for machinery and project cargo leaving the San Pedro Bay ports. Port-area roads can need local permits in addition to the Caltrans permit, and wide loads must clear the Los Angeles curfew windows, so send the dimensions, weights and terminal details and we plan the route before dispatch.

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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