Tennessee Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul
Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
Yes, once the load is wider than 8 ft 6 in, taller than 13 ft 6 in or heavier than 80,000 lbs, and Tennessee enforces those weights with no tolerance. TDOT charges $20 for each category the load exceeds, and overweight loads add 6 cents per ton-mile above 80,000 lbs. Permits come through TNTRIPS and stay valid for 10 days.
Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).
Heavy haul and oversize freight in Tennessee
Tennessee sits on some of the busiest freight lanes in the Southeast: I-40 crosses the state from Memphis through Nashville to Knoxville, I-24 and I-65 meet in Nashville, and I-75 and I-81 carry traffic toward Atlanta and the Northeast. Auto plants, Memphis distribution centers and construction across Middle Tennessee keep heavy equipment on the road. We book carriers for loads moving within the state or crossing it toward the Carolinas, Georgia and the Midwest.
Most permitted loads can run around the clock here, so the route matters more than the clock. Wide loads cannot use I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge to North Carolina, Memphis requires its own permit for city streets, and loads over 12 ft 6 in wide keep off the Interstate at rush hour in the five largest counties. We check those points before quoting.
What are the legal size and weight limits in Tennessee?
Under the oversize load regulations in Tennessee, 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 | 52 ft |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
Limits are set by TCA 55-7-201 to 55-7-203, with no weight tolerance on the Interstate. The statute allows a 52 ft towed unit, though some TDOT pages still show the older 50 ft.
Who issues Tennessee oversize permits?
TDOT's Oversize and Overweight Permit Office in Nashville issues permits through TNTRIPS or a third-party permit service, and it takes no orders by phone or email. A single trip permit is valid for 10 calendar days with no extensions or refunds, and routine permits can take up to 3 days.
The state permit covers state and federal routes only. The City of Memphis is the one local government TDOT says requires its own permit for local roads, and the carrier's permit service handles that alongside the state permit.
Permit system: TNTRIPS (TDOT online OS/OW permitting system)
What do Tennessee oversize and overweight permits cost?
- request_quote Overwidth up to 14 ft: $20. Over 14 ft to 16 ft: $30. Over 16 ft: $30 plus $5 for each extra foot or part of one.
- request_quote Overlength or overheight: $20 each, and every category a load exceeds is charged separately.
- request_quote Overweight: $20 plus $0.06 per ton-mile on the weight above 80,000 lbs, so a 100,000 lb load pays $0.60 per Tennessee mile.
- request_quote Bridge evaluation: $100 from 165,000 to 250,000 lbs, $300 up to 500,000 lbs, and actual cost above that.
- request_quote Tennessee Highway Patrol escort: $65 an hour per officer plus $0.13 a mile, with a minimum of 2 officers for 4 hours.
Worked example: a 120,000 lb load, 13 ft wide, on a 250-mile route
The 40,000 lbs over 80,000 is 20 tons, so the ton-mile charge is 20 x $0.06 = $1.20 a mile, or $300 for 250 miles. Add the $20 weight fee and $20 for the width, and the state permit is $340. The required escort is paid separately.
Tennessee pilot car and escort requirements
- local_police Over 10 ft to 12 ft 6 in wide: a front escort only on two-lane roads with less than 24 ft of pavement, plus a flagger at bridges narrower than 20 ft.
- local_police Over 12 ft 6 in to 13 ft 6 in wide: one rear escort on Interstates and four-lane highways, one front escort on two-lane roads.
- local_police Over 13 ft 6 in wide: front and rear escorts on every highway, in radio contact. Over 16 ft wide a route survey is required as well.
- local_police Over 15 ft high: a front escort with a height pole, and a route survey over 15 ft 6 in.
- local_police Over 90 ft to 120 ft long: one rear escort. Longer than 120 ft: escorts at both ends.
- local_police Over 18 ft wide or 18 ft high: a Tennessee Highway Patrol escort as well, requested at least 10 days ahead.
What hours can oversize loads move in Tennessee?
- calendar_today Permitted loads may move 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Superloads, mobile homes and houseboats move in daylight only.
- calendar_today Rush hours in Davidson, Rutherford, Knox, Shelby and Hamilton counties: no Interstate travel 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 6 PM on weekdays for any load past 12 ft 6 in of width, 15 ft of height or 90 ft of length.
- calendar_today Holidays: escorted loads stop around Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (noon Wednesday through Sunday), Christmas and New Year's, while loads that need no escort keep moving.
- calendar_today I-40 Pigeon River Gorge: loads over 8 ft 6 in wide detour by I-81 and I-26 until TDOT finishes restoration work.
- calendar_today At night, loads over legal width or length show red side marker lamps and rear lamps and reflectors.
Seasonal weight limits in Tennessee
Tennessee has no frost law or spring thaw season. TDOT can lower gross weights on weak secondary roads and bridges, and counties can do the same on their roads, but only where signs are posted, and no permit overrides a posted limit. TDOT's bridge lists matter more here, such as the 130,000 lb limit on the I-40 French Broad River bridge in Jefferson County.
Tennessee Oversize Load Questions
Permits, escorts and travel rules for oversize moves in Tennessee.
How much is a Tennessee oversize permit?
Can oversize loads travel at night in Tennessee?
What is a superload in Tennessee?
Is I-40 to North Carolina open to wide loads?
Do I need a separate permit for Memphis?
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.
- TDOT OS/OW Permit Office (address, phone, email, hours, holiday notice links)
- TDOT OS/OW Permit FAQs (legal limits, escorts, curfew counties, signs, THP, superloads, processing)
- TDOT Permit Prices (single trip and annual)
- TDOT Maps, Bridges, and Restrictions (height, weight and construction restrictions; clearance lists)
- TDOT Apply for OS/OW Permit (TNTRIPS)
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 1680-07-01, official compilation (May 2018 revised; amendments eff. May 15, 2018)
- TDOT 2026 OS/OW Holiday Travel Restrictions
- TDOT 2027 OS/OW Holiday Travel Restrictions (October 2026)
- TDOT Weight Per Mile Price Sheet (rev. 12/09/16)
- TDOT Oversize Truck Route Maps, Nashville and Memphis (undated)
- TDOT-THP Escort Request Form
- TDOT Hurricane Helene Recovery page (I-40 wide-load detour map: over 8.5 ft use I-81/I-26)
- TCA 55-7-205 (Justia 2025 Tennessee Code mirror)
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Heavy Haul Solutions for Oversized and Specialized Loads
Near Tennessee: states and services
- Heavy Haul in Kentucky →Oversize moves in and through Kentucky: Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and the KY permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Arkansas →Oversize moves in and through Arkansas: Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville and the AR permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Georgia →Oversize moves in and through Georgia: Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and the GA permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Alabama →Oversize moves in and through Alabama: Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and the AL 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.