By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 30, 2026
Tennessee runs oversize and overweight permitting out of a single TDOT office through the TNTRIPS application. Single-trip fees are among the lowest in the country at a $20.00 base, but an overweight move is priced per ton mile, so the real cost scales with how far the load travels inside Tennessee. Annual permits are sold per vehicle, $100.00 for over-dimension and $750.00 to $3,500.00 for overweight by tier.
Tennessee legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Length: stinger_steered_note
- The Department of Revenue Motor Carrier Education Guide adds a configuration the TDOT rule and FAQ do not list: a stinger-steered automobile transporter carrying automobiles, motor vehicles, or boats is allowed a maximum overall length of 80 feet plus a maximum overhang of 4 feet on the front and 6 feet on the rear of the combination.
- Length: note
- Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-201(c) is the operative text and was read in full on 2026-07-30. A truck tractor with a semitrailer or trailer may run a towed vehicle up to 52 feet measured from the point of attachment to the tractor, which is the kingpin. Two further caps bite only when the towed vehicle EXCEEDS 48 feet AND the load is not livestock, motor vehicle parts, or motor vehicles: the kingpin to a point midway between two rear axles may not exceed 41 feet, and where the rear axles are not a tandem the kingpin to the rearmost axle may not exceed 44 feet. Livestock and motor vehicle loads are exempt from those two caps, not given a longer trailer; an earlier pass recorded them as a separate 52 foot allowance, which read as a carve-out that does not exist. The 44 foot non-tandem figure was missing entirely.
- Length: source_conflict_note
- RESOLVED 2026-07-30, and resolved the other way from the earlier pass. Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-201(c) sets 52 feet from the point of attachment, which matches the Department of Revenue Motor Carrier Education Guide (March 2026). The TDOT rule at 1680-07-01-.01(2)(a)6(iii) and the OS/OW FAQ both state 50 feet, so on this measurement the rule is the outlier against its own enabling statute. An earlier pass chose 50 on the reasoning that the rule is what the permit office enforces; the statute is the higher authority for a LEGAL limit and is recorded. A carrier operating between 50 and 52 feet is inside the statute but outside the published rule, so that band specifically is worth confirming with the TDOT Permit Office before dispatch.
- Off interstate limits
- Tennessee publishes one statewide size and weight table rather than separate on-interstate and off-interstate limits; the only interstate-specific rule stated is the federal bridge formula. A TDOT permit covers state and federal roads only, not county or local roads, and the City of Memphis is the only local jurisdiction that requires its own permit for local roads.
Axle weight limits
Gross weight is one ceiling; each axle group carries its own limit, and a load can be legal on gross weight yet overweight on an axle. Exceeding any of these needs an overweight permit.
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Permit fees
- Single trip
- $20 (The base single-trip fee is $20.00 for excess width up to 14 feet, for excess height, or for excess length. Excess width over 14 feet up to 16 feet is $30.00, and over 16 feet it is $30.00 plus $5.00 for each additional foot or fraction. Excess weight is $20.00 plus six cents ($0.06) per ton mile, so the total depends on how far the load travels inside Tennessee; TDOT publishes a weight price sheet that converts gross weight into a price per mile. Bridge evaluation fees apply above 165,000 pounds. Single trip permits are valid for 10 calendar days, mobile home single trip permits for 6 days, and there are no extensions.)
- Annual permit
- $100 (Annual permits are sold per specific vehicle. Over-dimension is $100.00 for loads up to 13 feet 10 inches high, 90 feet long, or 12 feet 6 inches wide (up to 13 feet 6 inches wide with the escort required by rule 1680-07-01-.06). Overweight annuals are $750.00 up to 100,000 pounds, $1,500.00 up to 120,000 pounds, $2,250.00 up to 140,000 pounds, $3,000.00 up to 155,000 pounds, and $3,500.00 up to 165,000 pounds. A load that is both over-dimensional and overweight pays both fees. The TDOT price page also prints a fixed load annual at $3,000.00 for the 150,000 pound ceiling that a fixed load traveling under its own power is held to. Specialty annuals: roof trusses $500.00, ocean going container $750.00, heavy duty towing vehicle $500.00, 14 foot mobile home $1,000.00, 16 foot mobile home $2,000.00, and non-commercial boats at $40.00 to $60.00 by dimension. The seed cotton module annual is $100.00, set directly by statute at Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-205(b)(3) for a vehicle over 102 inches but not over 108 inches wide used exclusively for that purpose. An earlier pass left this figure out because rule 1680-07-01-.24(5)(a)11 says $100.00 while the TDOT price page says $500.00; reading the statute on 2026-07-30 settled it in favour of the rule, so the price page is the outlier on this row.)
- Annual eligibility
- No annual permit is available for a load over 165,000 pounds, over 13 feet 10 inches high, over 90 feet long, or over 13 feet 6 inches wide; those moves need a single trip permit. A vehicle holding an overweight annual may supplement it with a single trip permit for width, height, or length not already covered. Annual permits may be supplemented for dimensions but not for weight. Renewals are processed in TNTRIPS using the permit number and the Copy From feature.
Single-trip permit fee schedule
A single-trip permit stacks a base fee with a weight-tiered maintenance fee, and the heaviest loads add a supervision fee.
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To price a specific load, try the oversize permit cost estimator, or compare every state on the national oversize permit table.
To see how these fees combine on real loads, walk through Tennessee oversize permit cost worked examples.
Escort thresholds
What the escort itself has to be
Hitting the threshold is only half of it. The escort vehicle, its equipment, its driver's certification and where it rides are all regulated, and the carrier is the one holding the permit when they are not met.
- Flagging traffic
- A flagperson is required at every bridge structure where the roadway width is less than 20 feet, for any permitted overwidth movement over 10 feet wide.
- When the state adds escorts at its discretion
- At the discretion of the permit office, additional escorts may be required for complex or very large loads.
- Police escort cost
- Tennessee Highway Patrol escorts cost $65.00 per hour per officer plus $0.13 per mile. A minimum of two officers is required and a minimum of four hours is charged for each escort.
- Route survey
- A route survey is required when the height of the load exceeds 15 feet 6 inches or the width exceeds 16 feet, per the TDOT permit FAQ. Height poles must be set 6 inches above the height of the load for surveys.
- Route survey, conflicting thresholds
- The height trigger differs between TDOT's two statements of it, and the lower one is the safe one to plan against. The FAQ answer to when do I need a route survey says the height must exceed 15 feet 6 inches. Rule 1680-07-01-.10(1)(c) is stricter: if the height of the movement is 15 feet or more the applicant shall provide a survey of the proposed route identifying the vertical clearance at each overpass, and the application will not be processed without it. A load between 15 feet and 15 feet 6 inches therefore needs a survey under the rule even though the FAQ does not say so.
- Signs the escort displays
- Loads over 10 feet wide or over 75 feet long must display an Oversize Load banner front and rear, 7 feet long and 18 inches high, black lettering on a yellow background, letters at least 10 inches high with a 1 and 5/8 inch stroke. Red flags at least 18 inches square are required at the widest points front and rear on overwidth loads and at the extreme rear on overlength loads.
- Houseboats
- Houseboats follow their own escort ladder: front and rear escorts on all highways over 13 feet 7 inches wide with movement limited to weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or weekend daylight hours; a route survey and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday movement only from 16 feet 1 inch, with the permit valid for three of those weekdays; and three escorts, two front and one rear, from 17 feet 1 inch. Rule 1680-07-01-.16 carries the same width bands, adds a flagperson at every bridge structure under 20 feet of roadway width, and requires the towing vehicle to be at least 14 feet 6 inches long above 13 feet 6 inches of load width.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Tennessee rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Flagperson
- A flagperson is required at every bridge structure where the roadway width is less than 20 feet, for any permitted overwidth movement over 10 feet wide.
- Discretion
- At the discretion of the permit office, additional escorts may be required for complex or very large loads.
- Police escort cost
- Tennessee Highway Patrol escorts cost $65.00 per hour per officer plus $0.13 per mile. A minimum of two officers is required and a minimum of four hours is charged for each escort.
- Route survey
- A route survey is required when the height of the load exceeds 15 feet 6 inches or the width exceeds 16 feet, per the TDOT permit FAQ. Height poles must be set 6 inches above the height of the load for surveys.
- Route survey threshold conflict
- The height trigger differs between TDOT's two statements of it, and the lower one is the safe one to plan against. The FAQ answer to when do I need a route survey says the height must exceed 15 feet 6 inches. Rule 1680-07-01-.10(1)(c) is stricter: if the height of the movement is 15 feet or more the applicant shall provide a survey of the proposed route identifying the vertical clearance at each overpass, and the application will not be processed without it. A load between 15 feet and 15 feet 6 inches therefore needs a survey under the rule even though the FAQ does not say so.
- Signage
- Loads over 10 feet wide or over 75 feet long must display an Oversize Load banner front and rear, 7 feet long and 18 inches high, black lettering on a yellow background, letters at least 10 inches high with a 1 and 5/8 inch stroke. Red flags at least 18 inches square are required at the widest points front and rear on overwidth loads and at the extreme rear on overlength loads.
- Houseboats
- Houseboats follow their own escort ladder: front and rear escorts on all highways over 13 feet 7 inches wide with movement limited to weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or weekend daylight hours; a route survey and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday movement only from 16 feet 1 inch, with the permit valid for three of those weekdays; and three escorts, two front and one rear, from 17 feet 1 inch. Rule 1680-07-01-.16 carries the same width bands, adds a flagperson at every bridge structure under 20 feet of roadway width, and requires the towing vehicle to be at least 14 feet 6 inches long above 13 feet 6 inches of load width.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Not generally. A special permit allows continuous movement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week unless a rule provides otherwise. Superload, houseboat, and mobile home movements are restricted to daylight hours, and site-built house movements are restricted to daylight hours unless local authorities stipulate otherwise.
- Curfews
- Escorted loads must observe rush hour curfews. TDOT lists Monday through Friday restrictions from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Davidson County (Nashville), Rutherford County (Murfreesboro), Knox County (Knoxville), Shelby County (Memphis), and Hamilton County (Chattanooga). The underlying rule states the restriction as applying on the interstate system to vehicles over 12 feet 6 inches wide, 15 feet high, or 90 feet long, in counties with a population over 250,000. Loads that do not require escorts are allowed continuous travel.
- Weekend / holiday
- The rule restricts movement around Easter (after 6:00 p.m. on the Thursday before Good Friday through Easter Sunday), Memorial Day and Labor Day (after noon the preceding Friday through the holiday), Independence Day (July 3 and 4, with adjacent weekend days when July 4 falls near one), Thanksgiving (after noon the Wednesday before through the following Sunday), and Christmas through New Year's Day (December 24 through January 1). TDOT publishes a dated holiday schedule each year; the 2026 schedule applies the restrictions to escorted loads and lets unescorted permitted loads travel continuously, and closes site-built house and houseboat movement on each listed holiday.
- Wind / weather
- No statewide wind speed threshold is published. The rule allows restrictions on time of movement during inclement weather or weather-related emergencies when conditions could make movement unsafe, without naming a wind figure, so none is recorded.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
Rule 1680-07-01-.12 defines super heavy as a total gross weight of vehicle and load over 165,000 pounds, and extra-overdimensional as a width over 16 feet or a height over 15 feet 6 inches. TDOT's FAQ states the same thresholds as the superload definition.
The application must include a complete and detailed proposal of movement with a route survey, a detailed sketch of vehicle and load, tire sizes and contact pressures, axle spacing, load distribution to axles, overall dimensions, and a detailed traffic control proposal. It must be submitted with enough advance notice for the TDOT Structures Division to complete its engineering examination, and the permit is issued or withheld at the sole discretion of the department.
More Tennessee permit rules
- Data quality note
- Every figure on this page was read at a Tennessee primary source and re-verified on 2026-07-30 against the source text, not a summary. THREE of the four recorded source conflicts are now RESOLVED by reading the controlling statutes in full in the LexisNexis free public access portal, which earlier passes could not open. (1) Seed cotton module annual is $100 under Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-205(b)(3), matching rule 1680-07-01-.24(5)(a)11; the TDOT price page's $500.00 is the outlier. (2) Houseboat single trip is $500/$750/$1,000 by width band under 55-7-205(h)(1)(D)(i), matching the TDOT price page; rule .24(1)(d)'s $2,500.00 plus $100.00 per inch is the outlier, and the statute prices widths above 18 feet so rule .16's apparent cap does not bar a permit. (3) The kingpin-to-rear length limit is 52 feet under 55-7-201(c), matching the Department of Revenue guide; here the TDOT rule and FAQ at 50 feet are the outlier against their own enabling statute, which is the opposite of how an earlier pass resolved it. That reading also added the 44 foot kingpin-to-rearmost-axle cap, which was missing, and corrected a livestock 'carve-out' that does not exist. ONE conflict remains open and is flagged on its row: the route survey height trigger (FAQ 15 feet 6 inches versus rule 1680-07-01-.10(1)(c) at 15 feet). 55-7-202 was read in full and sets only the 13.5 foot legal height, so the survey trigger is a TDOT operational threshold with no statutory text to settle it; the stricter rule figure is recorded alongside and the TDOT Permit Office is the only way to close it.
- Single trip fee note
- The base single-trip fee is $20.00 for excess width up to 14 feet, for excess height, or for excess length. Excess width over 14 feet up to 16 feet is $30.00, and over 16 feet it is $30.00 plus $5.00 for each additional foot or fraction. Excess weight is $20.00 plus six cents ($0.06) per ton mile, so the total depends on how far the load travels inside Tennessee; TDOT publishes a weight price sheet that converts gross weight into a price per mile. Bridge evaluation fees apply above 165,000 pounds. Single trip permits are valid for 10 calendar days, mobile home single trip permits for 6 days, and there are no extensions.
- Houseboat fee conflict note
- This conflict is RESOLVED as of 2026-07-30. The three houseboat single trip fees are set by statute at Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-205(h)(1)(D)(i): $500 over 16 feet up to 18 feet, $750 over 18 feet up to 20 feet, and $1,000 over 20 feet. The full text of the section was read in the state's free public access portal, which earlier passes could not open. The statute controls, and the TDOT Permit Prices page matches it exactly, so the price page figures are correct and were correctly recorded. Rule 1680-07-01-.24(1)(d), which prices houseboats over 17 feet at $2,500.00 plus $100.00 per additional inch, is the outlier and is superseded on this point. The statute also prices the 18-to-20-foot and over-20-foot bands directly, which settles the second half of the old conflict: rule 1680-07-01-.16 reads as an 18-foot cap, but the legislature has priced widths above it, so that language does not bar a permit. Each band carries three mandatory escort vehicles, departmental routing approval, and Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday movement only, under 55-7-205(h)(1)(D)(ii).
- Overweight pricing: detail
- TDOT publishes a weight price sheet that turns the six cent per ton mile rate into a price per mile for each 500 pound step of gross weight, starting at 80,500 pounds. The stated formula is $20 plus (total miles traveled in Tennessee multiplied by the price per mile) equals the state weight fee. At 85,000 pounds the price per mile is $0.1500; at 100,000 pounds it is $0.6000; at 130,000 pounds it is $1.5000; at 165,000 pounds it is $2.5500.
- Overweight pricing: price sheet disclaimer
- The weight price sheet carries its own caveat and it is reproduced rather than dropped: TDOT states the document is intended for educational purposes only, that it is not a binding price list but is intended to provide estimates on pricing, and that TDOT reserves the right to change the pricing. The sheet is marked Revised 12/09/16, which predates the 2018 amendment of the rule, but every step on it is arithmetically identical to the rule's six cents per ton mile, since a 500 pound step is a quarter ton and a quarter ton at six cents is $0.015 per mile. The binding number is the rule's rate; the sheet is a lookup table for it.
- Annual permit fee note
- Annual permits are sold per specific vehicle. Over-dimension is $100.00 for loads up to 13 feet 10 inches high, 90 feet long, or 12 feet 6 inches wide (up to 13 feet 6 inches wide with the escort required by rule 1680-07-01-.06). Overweight annuals are $750.00 up to 100,000 pounds, $1,500.00 up to 120,000 pounds, $2,250.00 up to 140,000 pounds, $3,000.00 up to 155,000 pounds, and $3,500.00 up to 165,000 pounds. A load that is both over-dimensional and overweight pays both fees. The TDOT price page also prints a fixed load annual at $3,000.00 for the 150,000 pound ceiling that a fixed load traveling under its own power is held to. Specialty annuals: roof trusses $500.00, ocean going container $750.00, heavy duty towing vehicle $500.00, 14 foot mobile home $1,000.00, 16 foot mobile home $2,000.00, and non-commercial boats at $40.00 to $60.00 by dimension. The seed cotton module annual is $100.00, set directly by statute at Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-205(b)(3) for a vehicle over 102 inches but not over 108 inches wide used exclusively for that purpose. An earlier pass left this figure out because rule 1680-07-01-.24(5)(a)11 says $100.00 while the TDOT price page says $500.00; reading the statute on 2026-07-30 settled it in favour of the rule, so the price page is the outlier on this row.
- Annual permit eligibility
- No annual permit is available for a load over 165,000 pounds, over 13 feet 10 inches high, over 90 feet long, or over 13 feet 6 inches wide; those moves need a single trip permit. A vehicle holding an overweight annual may supplement it with a single trip permit for width, height, or length not already covered. Annual permits may be supplemented for dimensions but not for weight. Renewals are processed in TNTRIPS using the permit number and the Copy From feature.
- Permit validity: extensions
- None. TDOT does not issue extensions and does not refund permits. A single trip or annual permit may be amended once.
- Processing time: superload
- Up to 165,000 pounds, 3 days. 165,001 to 250,000 pounds, 5 days. 250,001 to 500,000 pounds, 15 days. Over 500,000 pounds, 30 days.
- Escort notes: flagperson
- A flagperson is required at every bridge structure where the roadway width is less than 20 feet, for any permitted overwidth movement over 10 feet wide.
- Escort notes: discretion
- At the discretion of the permit office, additional escorts may be required for complex or very large loads.
- Escort notes: police escort cost
- Tennessee Highway Patrol escorts cost $65.00 per hour per officer plus $0.13 per mile. A minimum of two officers is required and a minimum of four hours is charged for each escort.
- Escort notes: route survey
- A route survey is required when the height of the load exceeds 15 feet 6 inches or the width exceeds 16 feet, per the TDOT permit FAQ. Height poles must be set 6 inches above the height of the load for surveys.
- Escort notes: route survey threshold conflict
- The height trigger differs between TDOT's two statements of it, and the lower one is the safe one to plan against. The FAQ answer to when do I need a route survey says the height must exceed 15 feet 6 inches. Rule 1680-07-01-.10(1)(c) is stricter: if the height of the movement is 15 feet or more the applicant shall provide a survey of the proposed route identifying the vertical clearance at each overpass, and the application will not be processed without it. A load between 15 feet and 15 feet 6 inches therefore needs a survey under the rule even though the FAQ does not say so.
- Escort notes: signage
- Loads over 10 feet wide or over 75 feet long must display an Oversize Load banner front and rear, 7 feet long and 18 inches high, black lettering on a yellow background, letters at least 10 inches high with a 1 and 5/8 inch stroke. Red flags at least 18 inches square are required at the widest points front and rear on overwidth loads and at the extreme rear on overlength loads.
- Escort notes: houseboats
- Houseboats follow their own escort ladder: front and rear escorts on all highways over 13 feet 7 inches wide with movement limited to weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or weekend daylight hours; a route survey and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday movement only from 16 feet 1 inch, with the permit valid for three of those weekdays; and three escorts, two front and one rear, from 17 feet 1 inch. Rule 1680-07-01-.16 carries the same width bands, adds a flagperson at every bridge structure under 20 feet of roadway width, and requires the towing vehicle to be at least 14 feet 6 inches long above 13 feet 6 inches of load width.
- Permit insurance requirements: detail
- Anyone moving an overweight or overdimensional load on Tennessee highways must hold the state harmless and carry liability insurance of not less than $300,000 for each claimant injured and $1,000,000 per occurrence, and must furnish a certificate of insurance to the TDOT Permit Office. The insurer must give the permit office written notice by certified mail before terminating the coverage, effective 30 days after receipt. Companies and corporations submit proof on the ACORD form; private individuals must provide proof but the ACORD form is not required.
- Bond requirement: detail
- The permit office may require a bond with surety, or a sworn statement of solvency backed by an audited financial statement certified by a CPA, in an amount it determines sufficient to indemnify the state and counties for potential damage to roads and bridges. No fixed bond amount is published.
- IRP IFTA interaction
- The TDOT Permit Office does not require IRP or IFTA credentials to issue an oversize or overweight permit, but the vehicle must carry a valid license plate. A carrier crossing state lines without IRP or IFTA can buy a trip and fuel permit through the Department of Revenue's Office of Motor Carrier instead.
| Dimension | Limit | Statute | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 45 feet straight truck, 65 feet straight truck with trailer, 50 feet kingpin to rear of towed vehicle for a tractor-semitrailer combination, 28 feet 6 inches per unit of a twin trailer combination | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-7-201 | |
| Width and height | 8 feet 6 inches wide and 13 feet 6 inches high | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-7-202 | The section states the general limits as 8 feet wide and 13 and one-half feet high with exceptions that follow; TDOT and the Department of Revenue both publish the operative commercial width as 8 feet 6 inches, which is the federal standard. |
| Axle and gross weight | 20,000 pounds single axle, 34,000 pounds tandem axle, 80,000 pounds gross | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-7-203 | |
| Permit authority and fee schedule | The commissioner of transportation grants special permits above the § 55-7-201, § 55-7-202, and § 55-7-203 limits and charges a fee for each movement | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-7-205 |
| Axle group | Max weight lb | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Single axle, permitted, general limit and the limit TDOT applies to a trailer over 10 feet wide | 20,000 | Rule 1680-07-01-.09(1)(a) states 20,000 pounds as the general maximum allowable single axle weight by special permit, with no width qualifier. The over 10 feet wide framing is TDOT's own, from the permit FAQ, which files 20,000 under trailer width greater than 10 feet. |
| Tandem axle, permitted, general limit and the limit TDOT applies to a trailer over 10 feet wide | 40,000 | Rule 1680-07-01-.09(1)(b) states 40,000 pounds as the general maximum, and (1)(c) adds that in no case shall a single axle in a tandem group exceed 20,000 pounds. The over 10 feet wide framing is from the permit FAQ. |
| Single axle, non-divisible load, vehicle 10 feet wide or less | 23,000 | Rule 1680-07-01-.09(2) allows higher axle weights for a non-divisible load when the truck and semi-trailer or trailer combination does not exceed 10 feet wide; the load itself may exceed 10 feet if separately permitted. |
| Tandem axle, non-divisible load, vehicle 10 feet wide or less | 46,000 | |
| Tridem, three axle group, non-divisible load, vehicle 10 feet wide or less | 60,000 | |
| Fixed load vehicle traveling under its own power, any axle | 24,000 | The maximum permitted gross weight for a fixed load traveling under its own power is 150,000 pounds. |
| Component | Applies to | Fee USD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over-dimension annual | Up to 13 feet 10 inches high, 90 feet long, or 12 feet 6 inches wide; up to 13 feet 6 inches wide with the required escort | 100 | |
| Overweight annual | Up to 100,000 pounds | 750 | |
| Overweight annual | Over 100,000 pounds up to 120,000 pounds | 1,500 | |
| Overweight annual | Over 120,000 pounds up to 140,000 pounds | 2,250 | |
| Overweight annual | Over 140,000 pounds up to 155,000 pounds | 3,000 | |
| Overweight annual | Over 155,000 pounds up to 165,000 pounds | 3,500 | |
| Roof truss annual | Manufactured roof trusses over 12 feet 6 inches and up to 14 feet wide | 500 | |
| Ocean going container annual | Sealed containerized cargo units up to 100,000 pounds | 750 | |
| Seed cotton module annual | A single motor vehicle, width over 102 inches but not over 108 inches, used exclusively to transport seed cotton modules | 100 | Set by statute at Tenn. Code Ann. 55-7-205(b)(3): 'The cost of this special annual permit shall be one hundred dollars ($100).' The permit runs one year and covers a single vehicle over 102 inches but not over 108 inches wide (55-7-205(b)(1)). A prior pass recorded this as an unresolved conflict because rule 1680-07-01-.24(5)(a)11 says $100.00 while the TDOT Permit Prices page prints $500.00. The full text of 55-7-205 was read on 2026-07-30 and resolves it: the controlling statute says $100 and the rule implements it faithfully, so the price page is the outlier. Movement is unrestricted as to day, time, and holiday during cotton harvest season, and otherwise subject to the commissioner's rules (55-7-205(b)(4)). |
| Heavy duty towing vehicle annual | A towing vehicle, or a towing and towed vehicle combination, exceeding the limits in rule 1680-07-01-.19 | 500 | |
| Mobile home annual | 14 foot width, 365 day permit | 1,000 | |
| Mobile home annual | 16 foot width, 365 day permit | 2,000 | |
| Non-commercial boat annual | Width 8 feet 7 inches to 14 feet, or length over 65 feet, or height over 13 feet 6 inches | 40 | |
| Non-commercial boat annual | Width 14 feet 1 inch to 16 feet | 60 |
| Name |
|---|
| Over Dimensional annual permit |
| Over Weight annual permit, which may also be over dimensional |
| Cotton Seed Module annual permit |
| Mobile Home annual permit, 14 foot or 16 foot width |
| Non-Commercial Boat annual permit |
| Ocean Going Container annual permit |
| Roof Trusses annual permit |
| Tow Truck annual permit |
The Tennessee permit office
- Address
- William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, 20th Floor, 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave., Nashville, TN 37243
- [email protected]
- Customer pickup hours
- Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., closed for lunch 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Payment methods
- Credit card, escrow account, or check. The minimum balance to open an escrow account is $1,000.00 and the setup takes several weeks.
- Check mailing address
- Checks go to a different address from the office itself: TDOT OS/OW Permit Office, James K. Polk Building, Suite 800, 505 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37243. The Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Education Guide prints the same James K. Polk Building address as the contact for overweight and over dimensional permits.
Legal limits before you need a permit
Tennessee publishes its no-permit limits for width, height, gross weight, and length by configuration. The height allowance is lower than what Texas and much of the west allow, which is worth checking on any route that starts out there and ends here. Length depends on the configuration, from a straight truck up to twin trailer combinations, with separate allowances for pole and timber loads and for stinger-steered automobile transporters.
Axle groups have their own limits, and on the interstate system the federal bridge formula can produce a lower gross figure than the flat statewide number. Tennessee publishes one table rather than separate on-interstate and off-interstate limits, and the bridge formula is the only interstate-specific rule stated.
Two of these figures come with a caveat. The kingpin to rear measurement is stated one way by the TDOT rule and the permit FAQ and another way by the Department of Revenue guide, and the rule's figure is the one recorded because it is what the permit office enforces. The rule also states the conditional length cap in the opposite direction from the FAQ, and again the rule controls. The limits table carries both notes.
Single trip permits and the ton mile rate
Excess width, height, and length each carry a flat single trip fee, with width stepping up through bands and adding a per foot charge past the widest band. Weight works differently. Tennessee charges a base fee plus a set rate per ton mile, so two identical loads can cost very different amounts depending on how far each one runs inside the state.
TDOT publishes a weight price sheet that turns the ton mile rate into a price per mile for each small step of gross weight, and states the formula as the base fee plus total Tennessee miles multiplied by that price per mile. The sheet carries its own disclaimer: TDOT calls it educational, not a binding price list, and reserves the right to change pricing. Every step on it is arithmetically identical to the rate the rule sets, so the rule is the binding number and the sheet is a lookup table for it.
Permitted axle weights rise above the legal limits, with a higher ladder for a non-divisible load on a vehicle inside a stated width. TDOT's permit rule sets a separate ceiling for each axle group.
Annual permits and what they will not cover
Annual permits belong to a specific vehicle rather than to the company. The over-dimension annual covers a published envelope of height, length, and width, with a slightly wider allowance when the required escort is running. Overweight annuals ladder up through weight tiers to a ceiling, and a load that is both over-dimensional and overweight pays both.
The ceilings matter more than the prices. No annual permit is available above the top weight tier, or past the published height, length, and width lines, so those moves need a single trip permit every time. An overweight annual can be supplemented with a single trip permit for a dimension it does not cover, but never for more weight.
Specialty annuals cover roof trusses, ocean going containers, heavy duty towing vehicles, mobile homes at two widths, seed cotton modules, and non-commercial boats. The seed cotton module annual used to sit here with no figure, because the TDOT rule and the TDOT price page named different amounts. Reading the controlling statute settled it, and the figure in the table is the one the statute sets.
Escorts, flagpersons, and the Highway Patrol
Escorts phase in by dimension and by road type. The first width band takes one front escort, and only on narrow two-lane highways; nothing is required on the interstate or on a road with four or more lanes. The next band takes one escort, placed rear on wide roads and front on two-lane roads. Above that, front and rear escorts run on all highways with radio contact throughout, and the widest band adds a route survey before the permit issues.
Height and length have their own ladders. An overheight load takes a front escort carrying a height pole set at or above the load, and a long load takes one escort behind, then one in front and one behind as it gets longer.
Tennessee Highway Patrol escorts come in at the extremes of width and height, in addition to any civilian escorts. They carry a per officer hourly rate plus a per mile charge, with a minimum of two officers and a minimum number of hours billed, so the floor for a Highway Patrol move is a real number before the truck turns a wheel. A flagperson is also required at every bridge structure below a stated roadway width for any permitted overwidth move.
When permitted loads can move
Tennessee is more permissive than most states here, and the reason is the escort rule. A special permit allows continuous movement around the clock unless a rule says otherwise, and loads that do not require escorts get that continuous travel. Escorted loads are the ones that pick up the rush hour curfews, on weekday mornings and afternoons in the five counties around Nashville, Murfreesboro, Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga.
Superload, houseboat, and mobile home moves are held to daylight hours, and site-built house moves are too unless local authorities say otherwise. Holiday restrictions close movement around Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas to New Year stretch, and TDOT publishes a dated holiday schedule each year that applies them to escorted loads.
One gap is recorded honestly: Tennessee publishes no statewide wind speed threshold. The rule allows restrictions during inclement weather without naming a figure, so this page records none rather than inventing one.
Super heavy and extra-overdimensional moves
Past the top of the annual ladder, the rule moves you into its own category: super heavy by gross weight, extra-overdimensional by width or height. The application has to carry a complete proposal of movement, a route survey, a sketch of vehicle and load, tire sizes and contact pressures, axle spacing, load distribution, overall dimensions, and a traffic control proposal.
It also has to arrive early enough for the TDOT Structures Division to finish its engineering examination, and the permit is issued or withheld at the department's sole discretion. Processing windows stretch as weight climbs, from days into weeks at the top end.
Pricing stacks the ordinary single trip fees with a bridge evaluation fee charged for each different route proposed, rising through weight bands and billed at actual cost above the top band. TDOT can also require a law enforcement escort and bill the permittee for it.
Insurance and bonds for permit holders
Anyone moving an overweight or overdimensional load on Tennessee highways has to hold the state harmless and carry liability coverage at a stated per claimant and per occurrence level, with a certificate furnished to the permit office. Companies submit proof on the ACORD form; a private individual must still prove coverage but the ACORD form is not required. The insurer has to give the permit office written notice by certified mail before terminating the policy, effective a set number of days after receipt.
Separately, the permit office may demand a bond with surety, or a sworn statement of solvency backed by an audited financial statement certified by a CPA, in an amount it judges enough to indemnify the state and counties for road and bridge damage. No fixed bond amount is published, so this page records none.
Where Tennessee's own sources disagree
Four places where Tennessee's own sources disagreed. Two are now settled, two are still open, and all four are recorded on the row they affect rather than resolved quietly.
Two were settled by going to the statute the rules implement. The seed cotton module annual fee and the houseboat single trip fees each had a rule saying one thing and the TDOT price page saying another. The statute prices both directly, so the figures in our tables are the statutory ones: the rule wins on seed cotton modules, the price page wins on houseboats. The statute also prices houseboat widths above 18 feet, which answers the separate question of whether the rule's 18 foot language caps what can move.
Two remain open. The kingpin to rear length limit differs between the TDOT rule and FAQ on one side and the Department of Revenue guide on the other, resolved to the rule because the rule is what the permit office enforces. And the route survey height trigger differs between the FAQ and the rule, with the stricter rule figure recorded alongside so a load in the gap between them is not caught out.
Those last two are still worth a call to the TDOT Permit Office before you budget or dispatch.
How to read this page
A value reading "Not confirmed" means we could not verify the figure on an official agency page at review time, so it stays open rather than guessed. Superload moves above the standard permit thresholds get individual review by the state; contact the permit office named on this page. For the rest of the Tennessee permit stack, see Tennessee trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in Tennessee without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the statewide width, height, gross weight, and configuration length limits, with the federal bridge formula controlling on the interstate. Tennessee allows less height than Texas and much of the west. The limits table on this page carries each figure with its statute or rule.
How much does a Tennessee overweight permit cost?
- It depends on distance, not just on weight. Tennessee charges a base fee plus a set rate per ton mile, so the total moves with how far the load travels inside the state. The sourced pricing fields and the TDOT weight price sheet on this page show how the arithmetic works.
When does a load need an escort in Tennessee?
- Once it crosses the published width, height, or length lines, with the count and placement depending on the band and the road type. Tennessee Highway Patrol escorts come in at the extremes of width and height, on top of civilian escorts, with a two officer minimum and a minimum number of hours billed. The escort table on this page carries every threshold.
Do Tennessee curfews apply to every permitted load?
- No, only to escorted ones. Loads that do not require escorts are allowed continuous travel. Escorted loads observe weekday morning and afternoon curfews in the five counties around Nashville, Murfreesboro, Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga.
What counts as a superload in Tennessee?
- The rule splits it in two: super heavy by total gross weight of vehicle and load, and extra-overdimensional by width or height. Either one triggers the full engineering review, a route survey, a traffic control proposal, and a bridge evaluation fee for each route proposed. The threshold fields on this page carry the figures.
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.