Ohio Pilot Car Services

PERMITS
Ohio oversize permits are valid for five days and must be obtained prior to entering the state.

OPERATING HOURS
Permitted loads up to 12 feet wide may travel daily from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, including weekends.
Loads over 12 feet wide may travel until 3:00 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April 1 through November 30.
Overweight-only loads not exceeding 53 feet in trailer and load length may travel 24/7, provided they can maintain normal traffic speed.

RESTRICTED TRAVEL
Movement of loads over 12 feet wide is prohibited in many counties during peak traffic hours: 6:30 AM – 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Refer to the Ohio Provisions Form OS-1A for the full list of affected counties (required to accompany the permit).
Travel is generally prohibited from noon on the weekday before major holidays until sunrise the following weekday.
No access is allowed off the permitted route for fuel, rest, or food unless the truck stop is specified on the permit.

OHIO TURNPIKE
Drivers must call from a designated pullover area for clearance before entering the Turnpike.
Permits are issued at the toll plaza.

• Maximum continuous travel width: 10 feet
• Over 11 feet wide or over 112 feet long: Pilot car and pre-authorization required
• Maximum height: 13 feet 6 inches during construction; 14 feet otherwise
• Maximum gross weight without pre-approval (2-day notice): 90,000 pounds
• Toll charges:
  • ~$20 for a legal trip
  • ~$10 additional for overwidth or overlength
  • ~$70 additional for overweight to 90,000 pounds

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53-foot semi-trailer and load (including rear overhang; front overhang excluded)

Width: 8 feet 6 inches
Height: 13 feet 6 inches
Gross Weight: 80,000 pounds

• Single axle: 20,000 pounds
• Tandem: 34,000 pounds
• Tridem: 48,000 pounds

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: No specific maximum
Width: 14 feet
Height: 14 feet 6 inches
Note: Ohio will not issue permits above 14 feet 6 inches for step deck trailers if the load could be moved on a lower trailer. Moves over 14 feet 10 inches require coordination with owners of signs, signals, and utilities. Loads over 15 feet 6 inches in height are not permitted.

Weight Limits:

• Single axle: 29,000 pounds (with 16 feet or more spacing from adjacent axle)
• Tandem axle:
  • 46,000 pounds (4'0"–4'5" spacing)
  • 47,000 pounds (4'6"–5'5" spacing)
• Tridem: 60,000 pounds (minimum 4'1" spacing)
• Quad: 80,000 pounds (minimum 4'1" spacing)
  All axles must be lowered on overweight loads. Lift axles must carry within 2,000 pounds of adjacent axles. External lift axle controls are no longer required.

Loads exceeding these limits are considered superloads.

ESCORT REQUIREMENTS

Length:

• Over 90 feet: 1 escort

Width:

• Over 13 feet: 1 escort
• Over 14 feet 6 inches: 2 escorts
• Over 16 feet: Police escort required
• Over 13 feet and over 120,000 pounds: Police escort required

Height:

• Over 14 feet 6 inches: 1 escort
• Over 14 feet 10 inches: 2 escorts
• Police escort for height depends on route
  If more than one oversize dimension is exceeded (e.g., over 90 feet long and over 13 feet wide), 2 escorts are required.

MISCELLANEOUS
Dozers with blades over 12 feet wide are restricted to a 25-mile radius of origin unless equipped with a traffic protector device. Otherwise, the blade must be removed and hauled separately.
Blades over 14 feet wide must be removed unless a protector is used.
Utility poles and steel pipe are exempt from length permits. Beams and other structural materials are not.

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTING

• “Oversize Load” signs are required on the front and rear of any permitted vehicle/load exceeding 10 feet in width, 14 feet 6 inches in height, or legal length
• Red flags must be placed:
  • At each corner of an overdimensional load
  • At the widest points on each side of an overwidth load
  • At the extreme rear of any overlength load with overhang of 4 feet or more
    • 1 flag for projections 2 feet wide or less
    • 2 flags for projections wider than 2 feet
• Overhang must be lighted at night
• Headlights must be on at all times during permitted travel