Oversize load dispatch planned state by state, before you say yes
Tap states to build the route (3 selected)
- State permits
- 3
- one per state crossed
- Flags
- 2
- Width 10.5 ft is over 8.5 ft. Oversize permit in every state on the route.
- 92,000 lb is over 80,000 lb gross. Overweight permit, and axle weights checked state by state.
Escort, travel-time and route rules differ by state and change. Always confirm with each state's permit office before the move.
Try the planner above with a load you've been offered. Enter the overall width, loaded height, length and gross weight, then tap the states on the route. It flags what crosses the federal limits and counts the state permits you'd need. The limits it uses come from the Federal Highway Administration: 102 inches (8.5 ft) maximum width on the National Network; 80,000 lb gross vehicle weight on the Interstate System; and no federal height limit; state limits range from 13.6 to 14.6 ft.
What it can't tell you is each state's escort thresholds, travel windows and route restrictions, because those differ by state and change. That's the part we work through with permit offices before a heavy haul load reaches your phone.
Source: FHWA, October 2026
EXAMPLE move
An example oversize move, start to finish
An illustration of a three-state move of a 10.5 ft wide excavator on an RGN. Not a real carrier, not a quote, just the order things happen in.
Day -5
Shipper confirms dimensions and weight. We check the route states and the trailer's axle spread.
Day -4
Permits ordered for each state. Escort needs and travel windows noted for every leg.
Day -2
Permits in hand. Route checked for low bridges and construction. Escorts booked.
Day 0
Load at the shipper at first light. Securement and flags checked before rolling.
Day 1-2
Daylight-only travel across the states, check calls at each state line, delivery and release.
The rate for a move like this has to cover more than miles: permit time, slower daylight-only travel, escorts if the carrier provides them, and the days of planning. We price those in before the load reaches you.
Notice how much happens before day zero. On a heavy haul move, the days spent confirming numbers and ordering permits are where most of the risk gets removed, and they're exactly the days a dispatcher can take off your hands while you finish your current load.
Heavy haul dispatch
Permits and escorts: what we coordinate, what stays with you
Permits are where oversize moves go right or wrong. Here's the split of work between the desk and your truck.
We coordinate (on request)
- Gathering dimensions and axle weights from the shipper
- Ordering permits through permit services or state offices
- Lining up the route, dates and escorts
- Tracking travel windows and restrictions per state
- Check calls with the broker at each leg
Stays with you
- Permits issued to your company and carried in the truck
- Following every permit condition on the road
- Flags, signs and lights required for the load
- Securement and the final check before rolling
- Your decision to accept or decline the move
Permit and escort costs belong to the move, not to our fee. If a permit comes back with a route you didn't expect, we recheck the miles and the schedule with you before the load moves, because the permitted route is the one you have to drive. On most loads they're built into the rate or reimbursed by the broker, and we confirm which before the load reaches you.
Lowboy, RGN, stretch
Lowboy, RGN and stretch freight
Lowboy and RGN
Low deck height for tall, heavy equipment. A removable gooseneck lets equipment drive on from the front.
Stretch trailers
Extendable decks for long loads like beams, poles and wind or utility components.
Multi-axle setups
Extra axles spread weight for heavy loads so axle limits can be met under permit.
Oversize freight
Freight we find for heavy haul carriers
Heavy haul freight follows construction, energy, agriculture and industry. Each needs different equipment and planning.
Construction equipment
Excavators, dozers, loaders and cranes between dealers, rental yards and job sites.Industrial machinery
Presses, generators and plant equipment, often with rigging at both ends.Agricultural equipment
Combines, tractors and implements, busiest around planting and harvest.Energy components
Transformers, tanks and parts for power, oil and gas and wind projects.Long loads
Beams, poles and structural steel on stretch trailers.Permitted overweight
Loads within size limits but over weight, moved on multi-axle setups under permit.
Before you accept
The heavy haul load check
Most heavy haul problems start with a number that was wrong on the load details. Tap through the checks we run before a move reaches you.
Heavy haul load check
1/6 CHECKED
Width, height, length and weight confirmed by the shipper, with the equipment's actual configuration, not the brochure numbers.
Deck height and length, and axle weights within permit limits for the trailer setup you run.
Low bridges, overhead wires, construction and weight-restricted bridges on the route.
Daylight, weekend, holiday and city rush-hour restrictions for every state on the route.
Who rigs and loads the equipment at each end, and whether a crane or ramp is needed.
Terms for permit delays and weather holds, on the rate con before you accept.
Time is the constraint
Planning around travel windows
On a regular load, the clock is hours of service. On an oversize load, it's also the permit: many states allow oversize travel only in daylight, keep it off the road on weekends and holidays, and block city rush hours. A multi-state move has to fit the strictest window on every leg.
Daylight
Most moves run sunrise to sunset, which cuts a winter day short. We plan legs to end at a safe, legal parking spot before dark.
Weekends and holidays
A load that misses Friday's window may sit until Monday. We schedule pickups so the move finishes before the restriction.
Cities
Rush-hour bans around big cities can mean waiting outside town. We time the approach so you aren't parked on a shoulder.
Weather adds another layer. High winds, ice and heavy rain can make an oversize move unsafe or stop it under the permit's conditions. When a weather hold hits, we tell the broker and receiver right away, push for layover pay, and reset the plan so the next legal window isn't missed too.
Seasons
Frost laws and seasonal restrictions
In northern states, spring thaw can bring seasonal weight restrictions on certain roads while the ground is soft, sometimes called frost laws. Heavy loads that move freely in summer may need a different route or have to wait. Harvest season, construction season and year-end project deadlines also shift where heavy freight is moving. We check seasonal restrictions for the route along with the permits, so a spring move doesn't stall at a posted road.
Avoid these
Where heavy haul carriers lose money
Trusting the shipper's numbers blindly
A load that's a few inches wider or a ton heavier than listed can void a permit. Measure at pickup.Ignoring weekend and holiday rules
A Friday pickup that can't move until Monday is a layover nobody priced.Pricing by miles alone
Daylight-only travel, slow speeds and permit days stretch a 500 mile move over several days.No layover terms for permit delays
Permits and escorts don't always arrive on time. Without layover terms, the wait is on you.
Getting set up
What shippers and brokers check on a heavy haul carrier
Heavy haul shippers trust carriers with expensive equipment, so they check more than usual.
- Active authority with insurance and cargo limits sized to the equipment's value
- Trailer type, deck heights, axle count and capacity
- Experience with permitted loads and the kind of equipment involved
- Flags, signs, lights and securement gear on hand
- Safety record and any recent inspections
- Whether you provide escorts or use outside escort services
Moving up
From flatbed to heavy haul
Many heavy haul carriers start on a flatbed or step deck hauling loads that are just over width, where permits are routine and escorts are rarely needed. That builds a permit history and a relationship with brokers who move bigger equipment. The jump to an RGN or lowboy opens heavier, better-paying freight, but it also adds equipment cost, insurance and planning time. We can show you what the loads in your region actually look like at each step before you buy the trailer.
Whether you run a step deck taking occasional wide loads or a multi-axle lowboy, the desk works the same way: we plan, you decide, and the rate confirmation comes straight to you.
Your call, every load
How a heavy haul load reaches you, and what it costs
Every move comes to you with dimensions, weight, route, permit and escort plan, travel windows, schedule and pay. You say yes or no; nothing is booked without your yes. On a yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation to you. The fee is 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than 6 months, 7% for newer authorities and 4% for fleets. EXAMPLE: a $6,000 move costs $300, with permits and escorts handled separately.
Check axle weights with the axle weight calculator, see step deck dispatch for tall freight within legal width, read flatbed dispatch, or compare fees on the pricing page.
Oversize and lowboy dispatch: straight answers
Q01What counts as an oversize load?
Q02Do you handle oversize permits?
Q03Do oversize loads have travel time limits?
Q04What is a superload?
Q05How much does heavy haul dispatch cost?
Q06Can a new MC haul oversize?
Big loads, planned before you roll.
Apply in about 2 minutes. Every move is your call.