Heavy haul truck hauling an oversized load in Florida

Quickway Transports

Florida Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul

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

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

Quick answer

What permit does an oversize load need in Florida?

An FDOT trip permit from the State Permit Office, issued through the Permit Application System (PAS) before the load enters Florida. Oversize-only trip permits cost $5 to $25 by size, and overweight loads pay a per-mile rate by gross weight, starting at 27 cents a mile up to 95,000 lbs. FDOT permits cover state roads only; local roads need local permits.

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

Heavy Haul | FL

Heavy haul and oversize freight in Florida

Florida's oversize freight runs on a few long corridors: I-95 down the Atlantic coast, I-75 along the Gulf side to Tampa and Fort Myers, I-4 across the middle through Orlando, and I-10 in the Panhandle. Ports at Jacksonville, Tampa, Port Everglades and Miami bring in machinery and project cargo, and construction keeps equipment moving between the big metros.

Florida permits are cheap but strict on timing. Many permitted loads may move only in daytime, weekends are off unless the permit says otherwise, and loads over 12 ft wide or 85 ft long stop during weekday rush hours in the seven largest counties. Every permitted truck and its escorts must also pull into each open weigh station.

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What are the legal size and weight limits in Florida?

Under the oversize load regulations in Florida, 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	48 ft
Gross weight	80,000 lbs
Single axle	22,000 lbs
Tandem axle	44,000 lbs

Florida's unconditional semitrailer limit is 48 ft; a trailer up to 57 ft is legal with a kingpin setting of 41 ft or less and a rear underride guard. Axle limits include a 10% scale tolerance: 22,000 lbs single and 44,000 lbs tandem.

Who issues Florida oversize permits?

FDOT's State Permit Office in Tallahassee issues oversize and overweight permits through PAS (Permit Application System), and Florida law requires the permit before the load enters the state. Loads up to 16 ft wide, 18 ft high, 150 ft long and 200,000 lbs can be self-issued in PAS with its GIS routing.

FDOT permits cover state-maintained roads only, so a jobsite on a county or city road needs that authority's permit too. Florida has no formal superload category; permits that need a structural evaluation are non-routine and must be requested at least 10 business days ahead. The carrier's permit service handles the filings.

Permit system: Permit Application System (PAS)

What do Florida oversize and overweight permits cost?

request_quote Oversize trip permit (10 days): $5 up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 85 ft long; $15 up to 14 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 95 ft long; $25 above that.
request_quote Overweight trip permit: a per-mile rate by gross weight, from $0.27 a mile up to 95,000 lbs to $0.47 a mile up to 162,000 lbs, with miles billed in 25-mile steps.
request_quote Over 80,000 lbs: a $3.33 administrative cost, and the total is rounded up to the next dollar; a $5 transmission fee can apply.
request_quote An overweight load that is also over 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high or 85 ft long adds a dimension fee, with the combined fee capped at $500.

Worked example: a 12 ft wide, 110,000 lb load moving 190 miles

The 190 miles bill as 200 (the next 25-mile step), and 110,000 lbs falls in the band up to 112,000 lbs at $0.32 a mile: 200 x $0.32 = $64, plus $3.33 = $67.33, rounded up to $68, plus the $5 transmission fee, for $73. At exactly 12 ft wide it pays no dimension fee and needs no escort.

Florida pilot car and escort requirements

local_police Over 12 ft and up to 14 ft wide: one qualified escort, in front on two-lane highways and behind on four-lane divided highways.
local_police Over 14 ft and up to 16 ft wide: two escorts, front and rear, on trip permits only, with no peak-hour movement in congested areas.
local_police Over 16 ft wide: local moves within 50 miles only, after a district traffic engineering review.
local_police Over 14 ft 6 in and up to 16 ft high: a front escort with a non-conductive height pole set at least 6 in above the load; over 16 ft, a law enforcement escort as well.
local_police Over 95 ft long: one escort (none for tractor-semitrailers up to 105 ft with three points of articulation); over 150 ft, two; over 250 ft, a law enforcement escort plus one more.

What hours can oversize loads move in Florida?

calendar_today Over-width loads, and loads over 14 ft 6 in high or 80 ft long, move in daytime only: half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
calendar_today Weekends and holidays are off unless the permit states otherwise, so the permit face decides whether a Saturday move is possible.
calendar_today Loads over 12 ft wide or 85 ft long: no movement 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM on weekdays in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Duval, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and on state roads in a list of other cities.
calendar_today Night moves only when FDOT district traffic engineering recommends them, with law enforcement escorts.
calendar_today Every permitted vehicle and its escorts must enter every open weigh station.

Seasonal weight limits in Florida

Florida has no frost laws. Its seasonal factor is hurricane season, June through November: after a Governor's emergency declaration FDOT issues temporary emergency road use letters, and storm closures can hold up permitted moves, so loads in those months need some slack in the schedule.

FAQ

Florida Oversize Load Questions

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

How much does a Florida oversize permit cost?

An FDOT oversize trip permit is $5 up to 12 ft wide, $15 up to 14 ft wide, and $25 above that or over 14 ft 6 in high or 95 ft long. Overweight loads pay a per-mile rate by gross weight, from 27 cents a mile up to 95,000 lbs, plus a $3.33 administrative cost, and combined fees are capped at $500.

Do I need the Florida permit before entering the state?

Yes. Florida law requires an oversize or overweight permit before the load enters Florida, so a load coming from Georgia or Alabama cannot pick one up at the line. Permits are issued through FDOT's PAS system, and loads up to 16 ft wide, 18 ft high, 150 ft long and 200,000 lbs can be self-issued there.

Can oversize loads move on weekends in Florida?

Usually not. Florida's permit rule bars weekend and holiday movement unless the permit says otherwise, and FDOT's blanket permit conditions allow every-day movement only for some categories. Read the permit face before planning a Saturday move, and expect wide loads in the big metros to wait out the weekday rush hours as well.

When does a Florida load need escorts?

One qualified escort is needed over 12 ft wide, over 14 ft 6 in high, or over 95 ft long. Over 14 ft wide, a load needs front and rear escorts and a trip permit. Loads over 16 ft wide are limited to local moves within 50 miles, and law enforcement escorts are added over 16 ft high or 250 ft long.

Can you move equipment from Florida ports?

Yes. We book carriers for machinery and project cargo leaving Jacksonville, Tampa, Port Everglades, Miami and other Florida ports. Send the piece dimensions and weights and the delivery site, and we plan the FDOT permit, any local permits, the escorts and the route, including the rush-hour curfews in the port counties.

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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