Heavy haul truck hauling an oversized load in Kentucky

Quickway Transports

Kentucky Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul

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

Kentucky 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 Kentucky?

Yes, once the load is wider than 8 ft 6 in, taller than 13 ft 6 in or heavier than 80,000 lbs on the designated network. KYTC's single trip permit is $60 for one move over 10 days, ordered through its online portal, and permitted loads can travel at any hour, weekends and holidays included, outside weekday rush hours in three metro areas.

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

Heavy Haul | KY

Heavy haul and oversize freight in Kentucky

Kentucky's heavy freight moves between the Ohio River industrial corridor and the Southeast: I-65 links Louisville with Bowling Green and Nashville, I-75 runs from Northern Kentucky through Lexington toward Tennessee, and I-64 crosses from Louisville to Lexington and Ashland. Auto and equipment plants, steel mills and riverports, coal and construction keep oversize loads moving. We book carriers for moves inside Kentucky or across it.

Kentucky is one of the most open states for timing: permitted loads can travel day or night, on weekends and on holidays unless the permit says otherwise. The limits sit in the cities, where Louisville, Lexington and the Northern Kentucky counties close to permit loads at rush hour, and on narrower roads, where the escort rules tighten. We plan the route around both before quoting.

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What are the legal size and weight limits in Kentucky?

Under the oversize load regulations in Kentucky, 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	53 ft
Gross weight	80,000 lbs
Single axle	20,000 lbs
Tandem axle	34,000 lbs

Limits are set by KRS 189.221 and 189.222 for Interstates, parkways and designated highways. Kentucky adds a 48,000 lb tridem limit, and roads off the designated network are held to 8 ft wide and lower gross weights by road class.

Who issues Kentucky oversize permits?

KYTC's Division of Motor Carriers in Frankfort issues permits through the Kentucky Automated Permit System, where many routine permits self-issue around the clock, and it does not issue permits by phone. A single trip permit covers one move over 10 days, and the route is checked with the portal's pre-trip planning tool before each move.

Permits cover KYTC-maintained highways only, and any change of route needs the Division's written approval first. Under Kentucky law the permit holder is a bare licensee: KYTC takes no responsibility for whether the route fits the load, so the carrier measures clearances itself, and loads over 15 ft 6 in high file a route survey.

Permit system: Kentucky Overweight/Over-Dimensional Portal (Kentucky Automated Permit System, KAPS)

What do Kentucky oversize and overweight permits cost?

request_quote Single trip permit: $60 for one move, valid 10 days, plus 4% for card payments or $3 for ACH.
request_quote Metal commodities single trip: $100.
request_quote Annual non-divisible permits: $250 under 14 ft wide and $500 from 14 to 16 ft.
request_quote Amendments or duplicates: $10, and permits are not refunded.
request_quote KYTC has proposed raising the single trip fee to $120 and adding a $500 superload bridge analysis charge, so the fee is confirmed in the portal at order time.

Worked example: a 15 ft wide load from Louisville to Bowling Green

The single trip permit is $60, or $62.40 paid by card. On I-65 at 15 ft wide the load needs lead and trail escorts, and it cannot move in Jefferson County from 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM on a weekday. Outside those windows it can run at night to avoid traffic.

Kentucky pilot car and escort requirements

local_police Two-lane routes: lead and trail escorts over 12 ft wide, a lead escort over 75 ft long, and both over 85 ft.
local_police Four-lane routes: a trail escort over 12 ft wide, and lead and trail over 14 ft.
local_police Four-lane routes over 110 ft long: a trail escort.
local_police Taller than 14 ft 11 in: a lead escort carrying a height pole on every route, plus a route survey once the load passes 15 ft 6 in.
local_police KYTC adds two front and two rear escorts over 16 ft wide, and one front and two rear over 120 ft long.
local_police Kentucky sets no escort driver certification, and the Division can require extra escorts on any permit.

What hours can oversize loads move in Kentucky?

calendar_today Permitted loads can run at any hour on any day unless the permit says otherwise.
calendar_today Rush hours: no permit loads from 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM on weekdays in Jefferson, Fayette, Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, or on the KY 2155 bridge at Owensboro.
calendar_today Loads that start in Fayette County are exempt on I-64 and I-75 there and on connecting routes within 3 miles of them.
calendar_today Kentucky has no holiday travel restrictions unless the permit adds one.
calendar_today Loads over 12 ft wide stop while a National Weather Service wind advisory is in effect.

Seasonal weight limits in Kentucky

Kentucky has no frost law. KYTC and county judges/executive can post lower load limits on a road or bridge at risk from rain or deterioration, with notices at each end of the section. Coal haul routes run under their own extended weights, up to 120,000 lbs plus a 5% tolerance with an annual decal.

FAQ

Kentucky Oversize Load Questions

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

How much is a Kentucky oversize permit?

KYTC charges $60 for a single trip permit, good for one move over 10 days, plus 4% for card payments or $3 for ACH. Annual permits for non-divisible loads cost $250 under 14 ft wide and $500 from 14 to 16 ft. KYTC has proposed doubling the single trip fee, so we check the portal when ordering.

Can oversize loads travel at night in Kentucky?

Yes. Kentucky lets permitted loads move at any hour unless the permit restricts it, and it has no holiday travel restrictions. The main limits are the weekday rush hours in the Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky counties, and a stop for loads over 12 ft wide during a National Weather Service wind advisory.

When does a Kentucky load need an escort?

On two-lane roads, anything wider than 12 ft travels with lead and trail escorts, and length brings in escorts from 75 ft. On four-lane roads one trail escort covers a load over 12 ft wide, with both escorts past 14 ft. Over 14 ft 11 in high a lead escort carries a height pole, and over 16 ft wide KYTC asks for four escorts.

What are Kentucky's oversize curfews?

From 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 6 PM on weekdays, permit loads may not move in Jefferson County (Louisville), Fayette County (Lexington), or Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky, or on the Owensboro KY 2155 bridge. Loads starting in Fayette County may still use I-64 and I-75 there.

What is a superload in Kentucky?

Kentucky's regulation does not define one. KYTC's Bridge Preservation Branch analyzes trunnion axle loads and heavy routes, a route survey is required above 15 ft 6 in, and KYTC can permit loads above the usual maximums when the cargo serves the state's health, welfare or economy.

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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