Ohio

Ohio Oversize Permits & Escorts Information

Do you need oversize load permits in the state of Ohio? Find out the maximum width and weight allowed on Ohio highways, the legal operating times, the oversize load signage rules, and when Ohio requires pilot cars. The following data is for informational purposes only. We are not a permit service, do not arrange permits for carriers, and do not answer permit and escort requirement questions.

Oversize Load Limits

Maximum load sizes before a permit is required:

• Length: 53′
• Width: 8’6″
• Height: 13’6″
• Weight: 80,000 lbs gross
• Overhang: 53′ maximum length (not including front overhang)

Permits

Ohio oversize permits are valid for five days. Permits are required prior to entering the state. For more information, visit the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Legal Operating Times

• One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, including Saturday and Sunday, for loads up to 12′ wide.
• Until 3:00 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and on Fridays from April 1 through November 30, for loads over 12′ wide.
• Overweight only loads, and loads under 53′ long, allowed continuous travel, provided they can keep up with traffic.
• No travel on major holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day). Ove-rdimension loads typically prohibited to travel from noon the weekday before major holidays until sunrise the following weekday.
• Many counties prohibit travel for loads over 12′ wide prohibited from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pilot Cars & Escort Vehicles

Escort vehicle or pilot car required for heavy-haul or oversize loads if:

• The length is over 90′. (On two-lane highways, one front required. On multi-lane highways, one rear required.)
• The width is between 13′ and 14’6″. (One pilot car required.)
• The width is between 14’6″ and 16’6″. (One pilot care and one escort vehicle required.)
• The width is over 16’6″. (On multi-lane highways, one rear required.)
• The width is over 16′. (One pilot care, one escort vehicle, and one police escort required, except on some four-lane highways.)
• The height is between14’6″ and 14’10”. (One pilot car equipped with a height pole required.)
• The height is over 14’6″. (One pilot car equipped with a height pole and one rear chase required.)

Pilot Car and Escort Vehicle Requirements

Pilot car and escort vehicles must have an amber light mounted on the vehicle’s roof. The amber light must strobe or flash and have 360-degree visibility from a at least 500′. A yellow “OVERSIZE LOAD” or “WIDE LOAD” sign no less than 5′ long and 12′ tall with black letters at least 8″ and 1″ in thickness must be single roof- or front/rear-mounted. All pilot cars or escort vehicles must be equipped with a CB radio or 2-way communication device that enables constantly communications with all parties working on the move and a handheld paddle sign with “STOP” on one side and “SLOW” on the other.

Oversize Load Sign Requirements

“OVERSIZE LOAD” signs required on front and rear when load is over 10′ wide, 14’6″ high, or over legal length. Flags must be displayed on all over-dimensional loads. Over-width loads must display one flag at each corner of the load and two flags at the widest extremities of the load. Over-length loads and loads with a rear overhang exceeding 4′ must display a single flag at the extreme rear when the overhang is less than 2′ wide or two flags when over 2′. The Overhang must be lighted at night. Headlights must be turned on during while an over-dimension load is traveling.

The data on this page is for informational purposes only, and we do not guarantee its accuracy.