Alabama oversize load permits
Alabama caps at 13'6", the federal baseline and the limit in 26 states. 20 states allow 14'0" and two allow 14'6", so a load that ran legally elsewhere can be over-height here.
Alabama permit requirements
The same seven sections for every state, so two states can be compared without re-learning the layout.
Permit required above
Exceed any one of these in Alabama and the load needs a permit. No statutory overall combination cap — the 57' semitrailer, measured including load, is the length trigger, and a separate cap on total projection across both ends can bind before it. Overall length still matters at the escort thresholds. Permigo files it for a flat $20, with the state's own fee billed at cost.
Overhang is capped at 5' combined front and rear — 3' at the front plus 3' at the rear is 6', over the limit. Alabama publishes no separate cap for either end alone, so a short overhang at both ends can still break it. And the 57' semitrailer figure above is measured including the load (§ 32-9-20(2)), so the tail also spends the trailer’s remainder: on a 53' trailer that is 4', tighter than the 5' combined cap; on a 48' trailer the 5' cap binds first. Whichever is smaller governs.
Filed from Houston, TX. A permit agent answers +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, 7 days; no card needed for a quote.
Axle limits
Escorts by road type
Police escort required at the thresholds marked above.
Superload above
Allow about 3 business days for review.
Movement windows
| Load | Window |
|---|---|
| Any permitted load | daylight hours only |
| Sundays | No travel at any time ('Travel is not permitted at any time on Sundays…') |
| 6 holidays | banned (sunset before → sunrise after): New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, Christmas |
| Exceptions | sealed ocean containers 24/7; superloads move 9 p.m.–6 a.m. by special window |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
No additional tables published for this state.
Primary source: ALDOT — rules and regulations for over-dimensional vehicles (PDF) ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Get Alabama priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with Alabama’s fee, any other state on the way, and one total. Filed from Houston, TX; we answer +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, 7 days.
Already know the load? Start an order in FleetLynk, the filing app behind Permigo — or send the form and we set it up for you.
States that border Alabama
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
Alabama oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in Alabama?
You need a permit in Alabama once the load exceeds any one of these: 8'6" wide, 13'6" high, or 80,000 lb gross. There is no overall length cap on a normal tractor-semitrailer — the trailer itself is capped at 57' instead, measured with any rear overhang inside it. Axle limits apply too — 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.
When does Alabama require an escort?
Alabama requires no escort below 12' wide. Above that the requirement depends on the road type as well as the dimension, which is why the same load can need a front escort on a two-lane and a rear escort on a multilane.
Can I move an oversize load at night in Alabama?
Daylight hours only. Weekend restrictions apply. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in Alabama?
A load over 16' wide, over 16'0" high, over 150' long, over 300,000 lb is handled as a superload in Alabama. Allow about 3 business days for review.
How much does an Alabama oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. Alabama's own permit fee is billed at cost on the same invoice, itemised, with nothing added. Call +1 (786) 494-6912 and we will price your exact route.
What happens if I move without an Alabama permit?
Moving above Alabama's limits without a permit is a violation, not a paperwork gap. The load can be stopped at a scale or by a trooper and held until a permit is issued, the fine is set by Alabama and the citing officer, and a pattern of violations follows the carrier's safety record. If you are not sure the load needs one, when you need an oversize permit walks through the triggers.
Which kind of Alabama permit do I need?
Most moves take a single-trip permit: one load, one route, a set number of days. Many states also sell annual or blanket permits for loads that stay within routine dimensions; whether Alabama does, and for which loads, is on the state's own permit page. A superload is permitted separately and reviewed by the state — the thresholds are in the answer above. Permigo files whichever kind the load needs at the same $20 flat fee; what Alabama itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is an Alabama oversize permit the same as an Alabama truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross Alabama at all — a trip permit, a fuel permit (IFTA) or IRP plates — which the state's motor-carrier office issues. An oversize or overweight permit covers one load that exceeds Alabama's legal size or weight, and that is what Permigo files.
Also useful: when you need a permit, pilot car requirements by state, and the interactive map of all 48 states.
Moving through Alabama?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.