Louisiana

Width

8'6"

Height

14'

Length (any vehicle or combination)

65'

Legal overhang — front

4'

Legal overhang — rear

8'

Single axle

20,000 lb.

Tandem axle

34,000 lb.

Tridem axle

42,000 lb.

Quadrum axle

50,000 lb.

Max gross weight

80,000 lb.

Max gross weight with quadrum

88,000 lb. (83,400 lb. on Interstates)

Phone

800-654-1433

Fax

225-377-7154

Hours

6:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central

Website

dotd.louisiana.gov

Private escorts are required for all vehicles/loads over 12' up to 16' wide, or over 90' up to 125' long; an escort vehicle may accompany two overlength vehicles but only one overwidth vehicle at a time, and must carry a "LOUISIANA APPROVED ESCORT VEHICLE" permit. State Police escorts are required outside municipality limits for loads over 16' wide (either two-lane or multi-lane highway) or over 125' long with a steerable dolly. Loads over 18' high or over 18' wide generally require both a front and rear State Police escort. Travel through metropolitan areas may require separate city or parish escorts and/or permits — contacting those authorities is the hauler's responsibility.

Maximum legal weight on a tire is 650 lbs per inch of tire width. Maximum legal gross weight is 80,000 lbs for vehicles without a tridum or quadrum axle, or 83,400 lbs (Interstate) / 88,000 lbs (non-Interstate) for combinations that have one. A tandem group is properly distributed if no individual axle carries more than 20,000 lbs (Interstate) or 21,500 lbs (non-Interstate); a tridem group if no axle carries more than 16,000 lbs (Interstate) or 17,000 lbs (non-Interstate); a quadrum group if no axle carries more than 14,500 lbs (Interstate) or 15,500 lbs (non-Interstate). Maximum permit weight: single axle 24,000 lbs if GVW is 120,000 lbs or less (20,000 lbs if GVW exceeds 120,000 lbs); tandem axle group 48,000 lbs if GVW is 120,000 lbs or less (40,000 lbs if GVW exceeds 120,000 lbs, or 45,000 lbs if the spread between axle groups is at least 12 feet and between tires in a group at least 4 feet); each tandem axle group 44,000 lbs; each tridum axle group 60,000 lbs.

A vehicle registered in another state without Louisiana-indicated credentials must obtain a temporary permit valid for 48 continuous hours before operating on Louisiana highways. 48-hour trip permits are issued by the Louisiana State Police (DPS Weight Enforcement Division port scales), the Office of Motor Vehicles, or pre-approved wire service providers. Any properly registered out-of-state truck without a Louisiana-apportioned cab card is eligible, with proof of current base-state registration and a $50 fee (certified funds, or cash if paying in person).

A violation of DOTD rules, directives, or R.S. 32:380–385 carries a $100 penalty per violation. Vehicles with a GVWR under 26,000 lbs are penalized $100 for failing to stop at a weight scale (in addition to any other assessed penalties); vehicles with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs or more are penalized $500 for the same.

Permitted oversize load vehicles are generally prohibited from traveling at night — sunset to sunrise — and on certain designated holidays. In the New Orleans area specifically, permitted vehicles may not cross any bridge spanning the Mississippi, or be within 2 miles of one, from 6:30–9:00 AM or 3:30–6:00 PM Monday through Friday. Other local travel restrictions may be documented on the permit.

"OVERSIZE LOAD" warning signs are required front and back — 7' long, 18" high, black letters 10" high with a 1.5-inch stroke on a yellow background. 18-inch clean bright red flags are required at all four corners of over-width extremities and any protrusions/overhangs. During reduced visibility or inclement weather: two amber lights, visible front and side, at the widest points on the front (may be red and visible front/side/rear if the over-width part is near the rear). Rear overhangs greater than 4' require two red lights (one each side) and two red reflectors visible from the rear, indicating the maximum width; if the overlength/projecting part is 2 feet wide or less, one red light and one reflector suffices.

Tires must have at least 2/32 inch of tread in any two adjacent major grooves, with no knots, bulges, sidewall cracks, or exposed tread cords. Solid rubber tires must have at least 1 inch of rubber above the flange around the entire periphery, and no protuberance other than rubber may project beyond the tread — except non-damaging farm machinery, or tire chains for safety. The department may issue emergency permission for traction engines, tractors, or farm machinery with movable tracks. There is no legal restriction on truck tire width itself, but tires may not extend beyond the vehicle's fenders — wider fender flares are a common, legal way to accommodate extra-wide tires.

"The Envelope" — height

14'4"

"The Envelope" — width

12'

"The Envelope" — length

90'

"The Envelope" — overhang

25'

"The Envelope" — GVW

80,000 lbs

Cost — Annual Oversize

$500

Cost — Annual Oversize and Overweight

$2,500

Turnaround

1 business day, online/emailed

Loads exceeding the envelope require a separate oversize/overweight trip permit. Envelope-permit vehicles may not cross bridges with a posted weight limit or travel through restricted construction zones, and vertical clearance is the permittee's responsibility. The permit expires one year from the movement start date, is issued to the pulling unit, and is non-transferable and non-refundable; a GVW over 108,000 lbs requires at least a 6-axle combination. Vehicles with a valid permit are not prohibited from traveling at night, in moderate rain, or on holidays, provided width and length are legal. The permit does not allow extra length for specialized hauling equipment (car haulers, boat haulers, dromedary units) — legal length for that equipment is 75 feet, not including a 3-foot front and 4-foot rear overhang.

DOTD encourages safe driving with many active projects statewide — slow down in work zones, where fines are increased for speeding. Watch out for workers, stay focused, buckle up, use alternate routes when possible, and expect delays.

Annual permits are not available for manufactured homes. Oversize permits ($10.00 per day/trip) cover vehicles and loads exceeding legal length, width, height, or projecting-load limits. Overlength-only combinations (not mobile homes) hauling the same product all day may make more than one trip per permit, though any change of origin/destination requires an additional $10 permit; if also overwidth or overheight, only one trip per day is allowed per permit. Mobile homes that are oversize but not overweight are issued an Oversize Permit valid for a consecutive 72-hour period, with no extensions. A mobile home moved from a Louisiana origin (or any origin, in or out of state) must have a valid Louisiana registration certificate, unless it is properly registered in its home state; homes being delivered by manufacturers to dealers are exempt from licensing but must display an "IN-TRANSIT" sign.