Oregon OS/OD Overview
Permit Required
Yes – all oversize or overweight loads require a permit from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Motor Carrier Transportation Division.
Legal Limits (Without Permit)
- Width: 8'6"
- Height: 14'
- Length: 65' (combo); 53' trailer allowed
- Weight: 80,000 lbs GVW (with legal axle spacing)
Permitted Load Maximums (Typical Upper Limits)
- Width: Up to 16' or more with proper escorting
- Height: Over 14' requires route survey and utility notification
- Length: Over 105' requires escort and special routing
- Weight: Over 200,000 lbs with bridge analysis and engineering approval
Superloads require advance notice, route clearance, and may be subject to seasonal or weather-based restrictions.
Travel Hours
- Standard: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset
- Weekend: No movement after 12:00 PM Saturday or all day Sunday for most OS/OW loads
- Holidays: No movement on major holidays or after noon the previous day
- Night travel: May be permitted for loads under 10' wide and 14' high with proper lighting
Escort Requirements (General Guidelines)
| Dimension | Escort Requirement |
|---|---|
| Width > 12' | 1 Escort (rear on 4-lane, front on 2-lane roads) |
| Width > 14' | 2 Escorts (front and rear) |
| Height > 14' | High pole escort and utility clearance |
| Length > 105' | 1 or more Escorts depending on route |
Additional Notes
- “Oversize Load” signs, red/orange flags, and amber warning lights are required
- Mountain passes and coastal roads may have seasonal closures or width/weight limits
- Permits are issued via the Oregon Trucking Online System (TOL)
Detailed Information
PERMITS: Permits valid for 10 days. Must have permit prior to entering the state.
OPERATING TIME: ½ hr before sunrise to ½ hr after sunset. Saturday and Sunday is daylight hours only, except between Memorial Day to Labor Day then allowed Saturday until 12:00 noon, Sunday no travel.
RESTRICTED TRAVEL: In Portland, Salem, Eugene, Grants Pass and Medford urban areas, on non-Interstate highways, on I-5 in Portland from WA line to junction of OR217, and in Medford on I-5 between exits 24 and 33, travel not allowed over 12 feet wide from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Over 14 feet wide see provision sheet for additional curfew areas.
LEGAL DIMENSIONS: Width: 8'6" Height: 14' Length: 53' semitrailer and no overall limit on designated routes. Group 1 routes – 60' Overhang: 5' Note on trailer lengths: Trailers exceeding 53' in length are not allowed unless they must be stretched for a load, and can be reduced to 53' when unladen, or are in a combination with jeeps or boosters. Weight: 80,000 Single – 20,000 Tandem – 34,000 Tridem – Depends on spacings.
ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS: Width: 16' Height: 17’ based on the clearance of the routes traveled. Length: 105' Overhang: Rear overhang not to exceed 1/3 of wheelbase of the tractor/trailer combination. Weight: Single – 21,500 Tandem – 43,000 Tridem – Spacing less than 8'6": 57600; at 9': 58,800; at 10': 64,500 Steer – 600 pounds per inch of tire width (13,200 on 11" tires) Register for 105,500 pounds to permit that much or more. Loads exceeding 16' wide on the Interstate or 14' wide on 2-lane highways, over 17' high or 150' long are considered superloads, and may take extra time for approval. Over 16' wide not granted on many routes, district must decide.
ESCORTS: On Interstate and multi-lane highways: Width: Over 14' – 1 escort, over 16' – as required on permit Height: Over 14’6” – 1 escort Length: Over 120' – 1 escort, over 140' – as required on permit On 2-lane "green" routes: Width: Over 12' – 1 escort, over 14' – 2 escorts, over 16' – as required on permit Height: Over 14’6” – 1 escort Length: Over 105' – 1 escort, over 120' – 2 escorts, over 140' – as required on permit Most other 2-lane routes: Width: Over 9' – 1 escort Height: Over 14’6” – 1 high pole escort Length: Over 95' – 1 escort, over 120' – 2 escorts, over 140' – as specified by permit. Extra restrictions and pilot cars are required on a few secondary routes.
MISCELLANEOUS: Extended length & weight annuals will allow 48' trailers on some limited length highways, including 395 Pendleton to John Day and 25 across Oregon, and divisible loads exceeding 80,000 pounds gross. These can be purchased for $8.00 in person at DMV offices, or permit office can order over the phone for the driver to pick up at a specified DMV office or POE. Dozer blade can be detached and hauled with the dozer on same trailer if the load would be overweight with or without the blade. Permit must state "dozer with blade removed and reloaded."
SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: "Oversize Load" are required on front of tractor and rear of load or trailer on all wide loads and vehicle/loads over 80' long. The sign must be reflectorized if operating at night. Flags are required on the outermost extremities of all wide loads. Traveling at night with a wide load, the outermost extremities must be illuminated by lamps or marker lights (amber forward and intermediate side markers, red rearward markers). Rear overhang of 4' or more must be marked with a flag or, in darkness or visibility less than 500, with red end load lights. When width exceeds 10' on a two-lane highway, or 12' on a multi-lane highway, amber warning lights are required, on the cab, unless operating with a minimum of two pilot cars. See the Oregon provision sheet 82A for specifications.