Oversize load dispatch: permits, escorts and routes planned before you roll
Oversize and heavy haul is the part of trucking people stop to watch: wide loads with flags and lights, escort cars front and back, machines the size of houses. It's also the part with the most rules. Our oversize load dispatch desk finds the freight and works out the permits, escorts, travel times and route with the broker before an offer reaches you. You decide, and the rate con comes straight to you.
A heavy haul load that isn't planned costs days. One that is planned can be the best week of your month.
PICK YOUR TRUCK
Oversize and heavy haul
Lowboys and specialty trailers for loads too wide, tall or heavy for a standard deck.
- FREIGHT
- Heavy equipment, transformers, wind and industrial parts
- CDL
- Yes
OUR FEE
5%
of gross (7% while your MC is under 6 months)
CH 02
Oversize dispatch costs 5% of gross
Heavy haul with one rig on an MC older than six months costs 5% of each load's gross. New authorities pay 7% for the first six months, and once you run two or more rigs the limited-time fleet rate of 4% applies.
If permit and escort costs are passed through on the rate con, we agree with you up front how they count, and we show them on separate lines in your weekly report. Our fee is a percent of the load's gross, nothing more, and there's no setup fee or minimum. Our dispatch costs page walks through the tiers with example loads.
Oversize weeks are lumpy: one big load can carry a week, and waiting for permits can stall another. Slide the meter to an average week for your rig, not your best.
CH 03
Permits and route surveys: dispatch desk vs doing it yourself
| On your own | With our desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the load | Load boards and broker calls between runs | Heavy haul brokers and contacts, filtered by your trailer |
| Permits | You order each state, or chase the broker | We confirm who orders and pays, and check every state is covered |
| Escorts | You find and schedule them | We confirm escort needs per state and coordinate timing |
| Route and clearances | You read each permit route | We check the permitted route against your height and weight |
| Travel windows | Daylight and weekend limits, state by state | Built into the plan before you accept |
| Who says yes | You | You |
Every state a load crosses issues its own permit with its own route, hours and escort rules. A load that runs through four states needs four permits, and each one can specify which roads you must use, which hours you may travel and how many escorts you need. Miss one detail and you can be parked at a scale until it's fixed.
We don't replace permit services or route survey companies. What we do is make sure the plan exists and makes sense for your truck before you're committed: the permits cover every state, the route clears your height and weight, the travel windows fit the delivery, and the escort schedule is real.
Not every tall load needs a lowboy. Freight that's only tall may fit on a step deck legally. See our page on step deck dispatch.
CH 04
The width ruler: when a load becomes oversize
Slide the load's width and watch the legal line. On the National Network, states may not set a width limit of more or less than 102 inches, which is 8 ft 6 in 23 CFR 658.15 WidtheCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. Go past that and you need a permit from every state on the route.
What happens beyond that line is up to each state: at what width you need one escort or two, when you need signs, flags and lights, and whether you can travel at night or on weekends. The ruler tells you when you've crossed the federal line. The permits tell you the rest.
Height and weight follow the same pattern. There is no federal height limit, so each state sets its own Federal Size Regulations for Commercial Motor VehiclesFHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations, 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source, and heavy loads need weight permits and bridge checks. The truck weight limit checker helps with the weight side.
CH 05
An oversize offer, permits first
Every oversize offer from us leads with dimensions, weight, permit status, escort needs and travel restrictions, then the rate and miles. Try the example: a wide piece of construction equipment across two states.
If a permit is still pending when we bring you the offer, we say so, and we tell you what happens to the timeline if it's late, and who pays for the wait if it is.
What heavy haul brokers ask before they load you
- Trailer type and specs: lowboy, RGN, double drop, stretch trailer, with deck heights and lengths.
- Axle configuration and how much weight each axle group can legally carry.
- Oversize signs, flags and lights on hand.
- Chains, binders and their ratings, plus any specialized securement gear.
- Experience with similar loads, and cargo coverage that matches high-value equipment.
We keep these details in your carrier packet, so brokers can match loads to your trailer instead of guessing.
Oversize mistakes that cost the most
- Pricing it like a normal load. Daylight-only travel, slow routes and waits for permits can turn one day into three. Price the days, not just the miles.
- Driving off the permitted route. The permit route is the law for that load. A wrong turn can mean fines and a stop until it's fixed.
- Escorts that don't show. Confirm escorts the day before, with a backup plan and a phone number for each driver.
- Ignoring weather. Wind and storms can stop wide loads by permit condition. Watch the forecast for the whole route.
- Forgetting the trip back. Heavy haul deliveries often end at remote sites. A lowboy deadheading hundreds of miles home gives back much of the load's profit, so plan the next load before you accept.
Where oversize freight comes from
Heavy haul freight comes from equipment dealers and rental companies, construction and mining projects, energy projects like wind and power generation, factories shipping large machinery, and agricultural equipment moving between farms and dealers. It often follows big projects, which means a run of similar loads for weeks, then a quiet stretch.
Some of the biggest machines on the road travel this way. Our guide to the biggest truck in the world looks at the giants of the trade.
New to heavy haul?
Oversize work rewards experience. If you're coming from flatbed or step deck, start with loads that are only slightly over width with simple permits, and work up to heavier, wider freight as you learn the permits, escorts and securement. Ride along with an experienced heavy haul driver if you can.
Tell us your experience honestly on the first call. We'll match the offers to it, and we won't push you onto a superload because the rate looks good.
Equipment you add over time, like a stretch trailer, extra axles or a jeep and booster, opens more freight. Tell us when your setup changes and we'll update every broker that has your packet, so the new loads start reaching you right away.
CH 06
Oversize dispatch questions
CH 01What is an oversize load?
A load whose width, height, length or weight goes over the legal limits for the road, so it can only move with a special permit. On the National Network, the standard legal width is 8 ft 6 in. Height and many other limits are set by each state, so a load can be legal in one state and oversize in the next.
CH 02Who pays for permits and escorts?
It depends on the load and is agreed before you accept. Often the broker or shipper pays for permits and escorts, or includes them in the rate with a line for each. Sometimes the carrier orders and pays, and the rate covers it. We get it written on the rate con, so there are no surprises at the state line.
CH 03Do oversize loads pay more?
Usually, because fewer trucks can haul them and the work takes more planning, equipment and time: permits, escorts, restricted travel hours and slower routes. Whether a load pays enough depends on those costs and delays, so we compare the rate against the full trip, including days waiting for permits or travel windows.
CH 04What is a superload?
A load so large or heavy that it goes beyond a state's standard oversize permits and needs special review, often with route surveys, engineering checks on bridges and extra escorts or police escort. Each state defines its own superload thresholds, so a load can be a superload in one state but not another. Plan these weeks ahead.
CH 05Do I confirm each load and route?
Yes. Every oversize offer comes to you with dimensions, weight, the permitted route, escort needs, travel restrictions and the rate. You say yes or no, and passing costs nothing. If the route or permit changes after you accept, we bring the change to you before you move.
Plan your next wide load before you're committed
Tell us your trailer, your axles and the loads you've hauled. We'll sort permits and escorts with the broker first, and every load waits for your yes.