Indiana Oversize Load Permits, Regulations & Axle Rules

Indiana's travel rules tier tightly by load size, and knowing which band your load falls into is the first practical step in planning a move.

The least-restricted category travels continuously, seven days a week with no hour limits: loads at or under 110 feet long, 10 feet wide, 13'6" high, and below 200,000 lbs gross. Once a dimension climbs above those thresholds (longer than 110 feet, or between 10 feet and 14'4" wide, or up to 15 feet high), the load shifts to daylight-only, running from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, still any day of the week. Bump width into the 14'4" to 16' range and the load becomes Monday through Friday only, still within that sunrise-to-sunset window. Cross any of the top thresholds (over 16 feet wide, over 15 feet high, or over 200,000 lbs) and the window tightens to 8:30 AM through 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

Six holidays are complete travel blackouts for permitted loads (Overweight Commodity and Bulk Milk permits are exempt): New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The no-travel window doesn't just cover the calendar date; it begins at noon on the last weekday before the holiday and doesn't lift until a half hour before sunrise the day after. A holiday that falls mid-week can still remove three or four operational days from a schedule.

Indiana does not impose city- or metro-specific rush-hour curfews on permitted loads beyond the statewide schedule above. Speed is separately capped at 55 mph for any permitted vehicle over 85 feet long, over 10'6" wide, or above legal height; bridge crossings require slowing to 45 mph or the speed listed in the INDOT Bridge Engineer's slowdowns. Weather stops movement independently: visibility below 500 feet or wind speed above 25 mph halts any permitted oversize load regardless of hour or day. Continuous around-the-clock movement is permitted only for the smallest category (under 110 feet, under 10 feet wide, under 13'6" high, and under 200,000 lbs); all other loads are bound to time windows.

Indiana carves out several commodity classes with dimensions or travel rights that differ from the general permit rules.

Farm vehicles and implements of husbandry are exempt from OSOW permits on non-interstate roads when the vehicle is loaded with a farm product (width and height are treated as legal). Any oversize farm vehicle that enters an interstate requires a permit. Farm vehicles are not exempt from escort requirements on secondary roads, and a farm tractor may not draw more than two wagons or farm implements on a highway.

Paving equipment moving between jobsites and home base runs on a slightly extended schedule, Monday through Friday, from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1.5 hours after sunset, and can be up to 11'6" wide, 110 feet long, 13'6" high, and 120,000 lbs. It must carry a red or amber flashing light at its widest point.

Overweight Commodity permits cover divisible loads that must travel at legal size. Steel loads can reach 120,000 lbs; agricultural products (including logs, wood chips, tree bark, and sawdust) may go up to 97,000 lbs; other commodities expanded under the 2021 legislation cap at 120,000 lbs. These permits are 7-day single-trip and grant no length, width, or height relief beyond legal limits. They carry a key operational advantage: Overweight Commodity permits are fully exempt from all six holiday blackouts.

Bulk Milk transports may carry up to 154,000 lbs gross and are likewise exempt from all holiday travel restrictions.

Sealed ocean containers require an annual permit ($800 per truck). The container must be sealed at the point of origin and may not be opened except by a federal agent. The combination may not exceed 95,000 lbs GVW, with trailer and load not to exceed 53 feet (tractor-trailer hookup) or 60 feet overall (truck-trailer), and standard legal width and height apply.

CNG and LNG-powered vehicles may carry up to 82,000 lbs (80,000 lbs payload plus up to 2,000 lbs attributed to the natural gas fuel system) under a no-cost annual permit.

Michigan Train (Special Weight) permits cover certain divisible-load configurations operating on designated routes in northern Indiana only. These 24-hour permits allow up to 134,000 lbs gross at legal size, with specific per-axle weight limits, and are not available statewide.

Indiana uses the term Superload and maintains two distinct definitions depending on which agency's threshold is crossed, one for permitting, one for ISP escort coordination.

A Superload permit is required from the Indiana Department of Revenue (IDOR) when any single dimension or weight exceeds: more than 16 feet wide, more than 110 feet long, more than 15 feet high, or more than 120,000 lbs gross. These are the permitting thresholds. The ISP separately defines a Superload for its own paperwork and escort-coordination purposes at slightly different cutpoints: more than 17 feet wide, more than 110 feet long, more than 15 feet high, or more than 108,000 lbs. These ISP triggers set off the ISP Superload Agreement process described below, a coordination step distinct from the on-road trooper escorts that kick in at higher thresholds.

The standard processing window for superload permits is 7 to 10 business days, with applications accepted up to 15 days in advance. Loads over 200,000 lbs add a Bridge Analysis and Rating System (B.A.R.S.) review, which takes an additional 3 to 5 days. Any load where the bridge program returns an equivalent HS rating of 40.00 or above triggers B.A.R.S. automatically regardless of weight. The B.A.R.S. fee is $10 per bridge crossed on the permitted route, capped at $200 one-way or $400 round-trip. All superloads carry a $10 nonrefundable executive fee; loads over 200,000 lbs add a $25 design review fee and a $35 bridge review fee. Preapproval arrangements (covering design review, executive fee, and bridge analysis for up to three trip permits within 30 days) are available.

The ISP coordination process runs in parallel with the permit. After IDOR issues the permit notification, the carrier must call ISP's Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) at 812-533-1100 to request a Superload Agreement Number. The carrier then completes the ISP Superload Escort Agreement, attaches a copy of the permit and any required bridge slowdowns, and faxes the package to CVED. CVED sets up an escort date within 72 hours of receiving the completed paperwork. This agreement step applies to any move that meets the ISP's own Superload definition; it is a prerequisite to scheduling, not a formality performed after the fact.

For loads exceeding 15 feet high that travel any portion of the route off the interstate, a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck must accompany each permitted load. That contractor handles any manipulation of traffic control devices, all at the applicant's expense. Loads exceeding 17 feet high carry an additional obligation described under the Route Survey section below.

Indiana triggers a formal route survey through multiple pathways depending on which dimension is out of range.

The broadest survey trigger is dimensional: when width exceeds 18 feet and/or overall length exceeds 130 feet without a rear steerable axle, a route survey is required before the permit is issued. The survey must be completed and on file at IDOR prior to issuance; it is not a condition the carrier can fulfill after wheels turn.

Height over 17 feet triggers a separate carrier-performed route survey. The carrier or driver must personally complete a survey of the entire proposed route. If no utility lines interfere at that height, the carrier must sign an affidavit attesting to that fact. If utility lines do exist along the route, the driver must obtain letters from each affected utility company stating that the overhead lines will be moved and replaced before the load passes. This obligation falls entirely on the carrier; Indiana does not perform the survey on the carrier's behalf.

Loads over 15 feet high that travel off the interstate carry a related but distinct requirement: a pre-qualified signal contractor operating a bucket truck must accompany the load, and that contractor manages any traffic control device manipulation. This is not a route survey per se but a physical escort obligation tied to overhead clearance.

The weight-side review is the B.A.R.S. (Bridge Analysis and Rating System). It is automatically required for any load exceeding 200,000 lbs gross or any load for which the permit system's bridge program calculates an equivalent HS rating of 40.00 or above. B.A.R.S. analyzes every structure on the permitted route before the permit can be finalized. An INDOT district permit inspector may also be physically present during the move for certain movements, with the applicant reimbursing the state for all inspection costs within ten days.

Indiana's permits exclude I-65 and I-70 inside the I-465 loop (the Indianapolis beltway), and no OSOW permit applies to county roads or city streets; those require separate local authorization. Route planning must account for these exclusion zones.

Indiana's law-enforcement escort is the Indiana State Police (ISP), specifically the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED). The ISP escort triggers are codified rather than discretionary, with two explicit breakpoints.

The first trigger is width: any load exceeding 17 feet wide requires a minimum of front and rear ISP police escorts on all road types. Additional troopers may be required at ISP's discretion based on any required bridge slowdowns or public safety conditions.

The second trigger is weight: ISP escort is required for all vehicles exceeding 200,000 lbs gross vehicle weight. There is one narrow exception: a load may move without an ISP escort if all three of the following are simultaneously true: the permitted route travels only on interstates, there are no required slowdowns on that route, and the gross weight is under 250,000 lbs. If any one of those three conditions is not met, the ISP escort is mandatory regardless of route.

Between 14'4" and 17' wide, the escort requirement shifts to civilian escorts rather than police: one rear escort on a dual-lane divided highway, or front and rear civilian escorts on all other roads. At width over 12'4" but under 14'4", a single civilian escort is required, positioned in front on undivided roads and in the rear on divided roads. These civilian escort thresholds are codified, not left to discretion.

To arrange ISP escort, the carrier first obtains the permit from IDOR, then calls CVED at 812-533-1100 for a Superload Agreement Number, submits the completed agreement with the permit and slowdown documents to CVED, and CVED sets the escort date within 72 hours. The permit does not define the escort date; that is CVED's assignment, and the carrier may not move until the agreement is fully processed and a date is set. ISP escorts have authority to increase travel speed above the standard 55 mph cap up to the legally posted truck speed (not to exceed 65 mph) when safe conditions warrant, and they govern speed over bridge structures.