The Oklahoma answer
Legal limits
First escort trigger
- Width
- over 12'rev. · read · lowest across road classes
- Height
- 15'9" or morerev. · read
- Length
- over 80'rev. · read · lowest across road classes
- Rear overhang
- No trigger published
- Gross weight
- No trigger published
What the paper costs
- Single-trip base
- $0 · caveat ↓undated document · read
- Transaction / card
- $2 + 4% of the total · caveat ↓undated document · read
- How overweight is priced
- Graduated weight bandsrev. · read
- Superload above
- The state publishes none
The short version: a Oklahoma single-trip permit starts at $0 before bands, overweight and the transaction charge; an escort is first required at over 12' wide; and the load becomes a superload at a gross weight the state does not publish. Everything below carries the Oklahoma document it came from, that document's own revision date, and the date we read it.
1. Where the load goes next
The jurisdictions this one borders, each chip carrying the fact that decides whether that crossing is the expensive one — so the row is itself a small comparison. A multi-state lane is the actual job, and from here it is one click per state rather than a return to an alphabetical index.
2. Oklahoma legal limits
Anything over one of these needs a permit. Every value links to the document that sets it.
| Measure | Legal limit |
|---|---|
| Width | 8'6"rev. · read "no vehicle, with or without load, shall have a total outside width in excess of one hundred two (102) inches", excluding tire bulge, approved safety devices, qualifying recreational-vehicle appurtenances and qualifying safety or load-assisting pins. |
| Height | 14'rev. · read "fourteen (14) feet on any turnpike, interstate, U.S. or state highway, unless a greater height is authorized by a special permit". The same sentence sets 13 1/2 ft on a county road, and ODOT's undated FAQ states a flat "Anything over 13-6 high" for every route — see `ok-height-13-6-to-14-conflict`. |
| Semitrailer length | 53'rev. · read The statute states the same 53 ft semitrailer limit twice — once for the National Network of Interstate and four-lane divided Federal Aid Primary highways and once for roads outside it — so the trailing unit is capped identically on and off the network. It states no overall cap for an ordinary truck-tractor/semitrailer on the National Network. |
| Overall length | None published |
| Kingpin to rear axle | None published |
| Front overhang | None published |
| Rear overhang | None published |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbrev. · read ODOT requires an overweight permit above 80,000 lb on the Interstate System and above 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System, and in EITHER case above any Formula B or Table B provision. The Interstate figure is used because it is the lower and it is the network most permitted freight runs on; the ten-thousand-pound difference is worth $100 of permit fee and is flagged by `ok-excess-base-route-dependent`. 47 O.S. §14-109 sets the gross limit by reference to "the Federal Bridge formula imposed by 23 U.S.C., Section 127" rather than printing a number, and that formula is checked separately in `bridgeFormula.ts`. |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbrev. · read "No single axle weight shall exceed twenty thousand (20,000) pounds;" |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbrev. · read "In no event shall the maximum load in pounds carried by any set of tandem axles exceed thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds." Split tandems and tri-axles must also satisfy the Federal Bridge formula. |
3. The Oklahoma escort ladder
Not one number per dimension — the whole staircase. Each row is a condition the state actually publishes, what it requires when that condition holds, and the clause it comes from. Where a rule requires escorts and the source states no number, the row says that in the source's own words rather than reporting no requirement.
| When | What is required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| the road is “divided” or “interstate” or “multilane undivided” and width from 12' (exclusive) to 14' | 1 certified escort1 behind |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” or “ok super two lane” and width from 12' (exclusive) to 14' | 1 certified escort1 in front |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “divided” or “interstate” or “multilane undivided” and width over 14' | 1 certified escort1 behind |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” or “ok super two lane” and width over 14' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| height of 15'9" or more | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behindHeight pole requiredAdvisory: OAC 730:50-5 requires "A current height measuring pole made of non-conductive, flexible, non-fragile material when escorting a load or vehicle which is fifteen (15) feet and nine (9) inches or more in height" and publishes no further dimensions, clearance margin or mounting specification. Utilities and railroads along the route must be contacted in advance; that coordination is the carrier's and is not a state fee. |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| width over 16' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” or “ok super two lane” and overall length from 80' (exclusive) to 100' | 1 certified escort1 in front |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” and overall length from 80' (exclusive) to 100' | 1 certified escort1 in front |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” or “ok super two lane” and overall length over 100' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interst…rev. · read |
The first trigger in each dimension
| Measurement | First escort trigger | First police escort trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Width | over 12'rev. · read · varies by road class | None published |
| Height | 15'9" or morerev. · read | None published |
| Length | over 80'rev. · read · varies by road class | None published |
| Rear overhang | None published | None published |
| Gross weight | None published | None published |
The same rules restated in plain sentences22 rules
- Over 12 ft up to 14 ft wide on a two-lane or super two-lane highway — one front escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Over 12 ft up to 14 ft wide on a multi-lane highway — one rear escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Over 14 ft wide on a two-lane or super two-lane highway — one front and one rear escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Over 14 ft wide on a multi-lane highway — one rear escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Over 16 ft wide — one front and one rear escort on all roads and highways — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- An overall height of 15 ft 9 in or more — one front and one rear escort, with a height-measuring pole — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- A truck-tractor/semitrailer over 80 ft up to 100 ft overall on a two-lane highway — one front escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- A combination other than a truck-tractor/semitrailer, over 80 ft up to 100 ft, on a two-lane or super two-lane highway — one front escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Any combination over 100 ft overall on a two-lane or super two-lane highway — one front and one rear escort — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Over 80 ft up to 100 ft on a super two-lane highway — the rule’s two length provisions cover different combinations — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Between 13 ft 6 in and 14 ft high — the statute needs no permit on a state highway and ODOT’s FAQ says one is required — "Anything over 13-6 high, 8-6 wide and length varies with type of vehicle." undated document · read
- Between 80,000 lb and 90,000 lb — whether a permit is needed at all depends on which highway the move uses — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- The $10-per-1,000-lb charge is counted from a legal load limit that differs by 10,000 lb between networks — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Neither the fee sheet nor the statute says how a part 1,000 lb step is charged — "a minimum permit fee of Forty Dollars ($40.00) for any permit issued"; "a fee of Ten Dollars ($10.00) for each thousand pounds in excess of the legal load limit" rev. · read
- Oklahoma defines a superload by configuration against Standard Drawing OL-1, not by a weight — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Oklahoma publishes no multi-lane length trigger and no overhang trigger at all — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Oklahoma publishes no weight-based pilot-car trigger — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Law-enforcement escort — required when ODOT, the Turnpike Authority or a federal agency directs, at an unpublished full-cost rate — "shall pay to the Department of Public Safety a fee covering the full cost to administer, plan, and carry out the escort within this state."; "The Department of Public Safety shall adopt a schedule of fees necessary to implement this section." rev. · read
- Every for-hire escort operator on this move must be ODOT-certified, and the reciprocal states are not published — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification rev. · read
- Oklahoma publishes no mandatory route-survey threshold and no survey cost — "Are you wanting ODOT to provide suggested routes based on Load dimensions and/or weight prior to issuing the permits so, the route can then be ran for Survey purposes by you the customer?" undated document · read
- A newly manufactured item over 16 ft and up to 23 ft wide carries a separate $500 Special Movement Fee — "a special movement permit shall be issued for a fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) ... shall be in addition to the permit and fees required by Section 14-116 of this title." rev. · read
- The $2.00 electronic-delivery fee applies only to a faxed or emailed permit — "a fee of Two Dollars ($2.00) for each permit requested to be issued by facsimile machine or by any other means of electronic transmission ... shall be in addition to any other fee or fees assessed for the permit." rev. · read
4. Oklahoma single-trip permit fees
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Single-trip base | $0undated document · read ODOT's table charges $40.00 for an oversize permit, $40.00 plus the excess-weight charge for an overweight one, and $80.00 plus the excess charge when the load is both — two permits, not a base and a surcharge. Nothing further is charged for issuance; the only additions are the $2.00 electronic-delivery fee and the 4% card charge. |
| Transaction / card | $2 + 4% of the totalundated document · read "1. Fax/ETF (Faxed or emailed permits only) $2.00" and "2. Credit Card Convenience Fee (% of total credit card charges) 4%". The order matters and this engine matches Oklahoma's: the $2.00 is added to the permit fee first and the 4% is taken on the whole charge, which is what "% of total credit card charges" means. On an $80 combined permit with $20 of excess weight that is $100, then $102, then $106.08. |
| Route analysis review | Not yet covered |
| Route with no bridges | Not yet covered |
Dimension bands
| Band | Fee |
|---|---|
| single trip oversize permit, any over-legal dimension | $40undated document · read "(a) Single trip/monthly 1. Oversize $40.00". 47 O.S. §14-116 states the same as "a minimum permit fee of Forty Dollars ($40.00) for any permit issued". |
5. How Oklahoma prices overweight
Graduated weight bands. 47 O.S. §14-116: "The Executive Director of the Department of Transportation shall charge a minimum permit fee of Forty Dollars ($40.00) for any permit issued ... In addition to the permit fee, the Executive Director of the Department of Transportation shall charge a fee of Ten Dollars ($10.00) for each thousand pounds in excess of the legal load limit." The statute and the fee table agree on the structure, so these two rows corroborate rather than conflict.
The bands, as published
| Gross weight | Axles | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80,001 lb and up | any | $40plus $10 per 1,000 lb above 80,000 lb (any part increment is charged in full) | Single trip/monthly Oversize $40.00, Overweig…undated document · read |
6. Oklahoma seasonal posting windows
A permit priced against an unposted-road assumption in March is simply wrong, and wrong in the expensive direction. This is the window we watch, the basis for that window in the state's own orders or statute, and the authority that posts it.
Oklahoma is not in the seasonal-restriction registry, so we hold no posting window for it and are not inventing one.
7. Oklahoma's superload threshold
Above one of these, the state stops issuing over the counter and prices the move after an engineering review.
| Trigger | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | None published |
| Width | None published |
| Height | None published |
| Length | None published |
| Short axle spacing | Not yet covered |
8. Route survey and bridge review
The dimensions at which Oklahoma triggers a physical route inspection or an engineering review, and what the agency charges to review it.
| Measurement | Inspection / review trigger |
|---|---|
| Width | Not yet covered |
| Height | Not yet covered |
| Length | Not yet covered |
9. Police escorts
Charges exist and no schedule is published. The charge is "a fee covering the full cost to administer, plan, and carry out the escort within this state" and, although the statute directs DPS to adopt a schedule of fees, no hourly, mileage or fixed schedule is published.
This is a positive finding: we searched and there is nothing to quote. It is not the same as "no police escort is ever required here".
10. When you can move it
Holiday, curfew and night-travel windows are not yet encoded for Oklahoma. The seasonal picture — which is a different question — is in section 6 above.
Why those windows are absent rather than estimated
They are not guessed at here. What we do publish is the seasonal weight-restriction picture, with the date we last read each state's own bulletin — a curfew invented from a plausible pattern is worth less than an honest gap, because a reader cannot tell the two apart on the page.
11. Permit office
The agency behind each figure above is linked from that figure. We publish no per-state permit-office phone number.
Why there is no phone number here
We are not publishing per-state permit-office phone numbers yet, and the reason is worth stating: the two seed lists available for them are both demonstrably stale — the federal one gives two different states the same phone number — and a wrong number on a page like this costs somebody a morning. The agency behind each figure above is linked from that figure, which is the part we can stand behind today.
12. What this does not include
Named rather than gestured at, because each of these can exceed the permit itself. Every item is listed; open one for why it is excluded.
Line haul, fuel and driver time
This is a permit fee, not a freight rate.
Civilian pilot car rates
We hold no rate data, and the two commercial sites that publish market rates disagree by nearly a factor of two on the same service.
Route-survey engineering
The agency's review fee is shown where the state publishes one; the engineer's own fee is a private cost with no schedule.
Bonds and escrow
Set per move by the agency, and in at least one state the escort is billed at actual cost against it.
Utility coordination and line lifts
Arranged with each utility, priced by each utility.
Second-issuer permits
A toll, bridge or city authority inside the same state issues its own permit, and a state total that omits it is missing a whole permit.
Need a pilot car for this lane? Browse the pilot car & escort directory.
13. Every source behind this page (10)
Every document behind Oklahoma10 sources
- 47 O.S. §§14-120.1, 1120 — Escort certification and OHP escort cost recovery — Oklahoma Legislature — "shall pay to the Department of Public Safety a fee covering the full cost to administer, plan, and carry out the escort within this state."; "The Department of Public Safety shall adopt a schedule of fees necessary to implement this section."
rev. · read - 47 O.S. §14-103 — Width, height and length limits — Oklahoma Legislature — width 102 in; height 13 1/2 ft on a county road and 14 ft on a turnpike, interstate, U.S. or state highway; single truck 45 ft; semitrailer 53 ft on and off the National Network; other combinations 70 ft
rev. · read - 47 O.S. §14-109 — Axle and gross weight limits — Oklahoma Legislature — "No single axle weight shall exceed twenty thousand (20,000) pounds;"; "In no event shall the maximum load in pounds carried by any set of tandem axles exceed thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds."; gross weight per the Federal Bridge formula imposed by 23 U.S.C. §127
rev. · read - 47 O.S. §14-116 — Permit fees — Oklahoma Legislature — "a minimum permit fee of Forty Dollars ($40.00) for any permit issued"; "a fee of Ten Dollars ($10.00) for each thousand pounds in excess of the legal load limit"
rev. · read - 47 O.S. §14-118 — Electronic delivery fee — Oklahoma Legislature — "a fee of Two Dollars ($2.00) for each permit requested to be issued by facsimile machine or by any other means of electronic transmission ... shall be in addition to any other fee or fees assessed for the permit."
rev. · read - 47 O.S. §14-120 — Special movement permit — Oklahoma Legislature — "a special movement permit shall be issued for a fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) ... shall be in addition to the permit and fees required by Section 14-116 of this title."
rev. · read - OAC 730:50-5 — ODOT size and weight permit rules (Size and Weight Permit Load, PDF) — Oklahoma Department of Transportation — permit thresholds of 80,000 lb on the Interstate and 90,000 lb elsewhere on the State Highway System; escort triggers by width, height and length; "A superload is defined as any overweight permit load that exceeds the Standard Drawing OL-1 trucks"; escort operator certification
rev. · read - ODOT — Large Project Preparation Worksheet (PDF, undated) — Oklahoma Department of Transportation — "Are you wanting ODOT to provide suggested routes based on Load dimensions and/or weight prior to issuing the permits so, the route can then be ran for Survey purposes by you the customer?"
undated document · read - ODOT — Permit Fees (PDF, undated) — Oklahoma Department of Transportation — Single trip/monthly Oversize $40.00, Overweight $40.00 plus $10 per 1,000 lb over the legal load limit, Oversize & Overweight $80.00; Additional Fees "Fax/ETF ... $2.00" and "Credit Card Convenience Fee (% of total credit card charges) 4%"
undated document · read - ODOT — Size and Weight Permits FAQ (undated) — Oklahoma Department of Transportation — "Anything over 13-6 high, 8-6 wide and length varies with type of vehicle."
undated document · read
Questions
How much is an oversize permit in Oklahoma?
The single-trip base is $0, before the dimension bands, the overweight component and the transaction charge. The base alone is rarely what is paid.
When does Oklahoma require a pilot car?
The first width trigger is over 12', and it varies by road class — the figure shown is the lowest across classes.
What is a superload in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma publishes no gross-weight superload threshold in the documents on file — see the superload section, which shows the dimensional triggers it does publish.