Tennessee oversize permit requirements
Tennessee measures length in a way most of its neighbours do not. The legal figure is fifty feet from the kingpin to the end of the trailer, and a permit is required past seventy-five feet overall — so a combination that clears an overall-length test in Alabama or Georgia can still be oversize here because of where the kingpin sits. It is worth measuring the trailer rather than assuming the tractor-trailer figure carries over.
The travel rules are the south-eastern pattern: daylight, half an hour either side of sunrise and sunset, Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday movement and none on major holidays. Overweight-only loads may move continuously. The permit runs six days.
The urban restriction is dimension-triggered rather than city-specific, which is unusual and easy to misread. Loads over twelve feet six wide, or eighty-five feet and longer, are barred from city limits and from commercial and residential areas between seven and nine in the morning and four and six in the evening on weekdays — anywhere in the state, not just in Nashville or Memphis. A modest load is unaffected; a wide one is restricted everywhere at once. Routine permits run to a hundred and twenty feet of length, sixteen feet of width and fifteen feet of height.
Legal dimensions
At or under these figures, no oversize permit is required in Tennessee.
- Width
- 8′6″
- Height
- 13′6″
- Gross weight
- 88,000 lb
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb
- Tandem
- 34,000 lb
- Tridem
- 42,000 lb at 8′ spacing, 42,500 lb at 9′
Routine permit limits
Above legal dimensions and up to these figures, Tennessee issues a permit as routine business. Beyond them the load becomes a superload, reviewed case by case.
- Length
- 120′
- Width
- 16′
- Height
- 15′
- 5 axles
- 100,000 lb
- 6 axles
- 120,000 lb
- 7 axles
- 140,000 lb
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb
- Tandem
- 40,000 lb
- Tridem
- 60,000 lb
Escort requirements
A load reaching any of these figures needs an escort in Tennessee — the figure is the first size that requires one, so a load measuring exactly this much already needs it.
- Width
- 12′7″
- Height
- 15′0″
- Length
- 90′1″
When the load may move
Permit validity. Permits are valid for six days.
Operating time. Daylight — half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — Monday to Saturday. No Sunday movement. Overweight-only loads may move continuously.
Restricted travel. Loads over 12′6″ wide or 85′ and longer are barred from city limits and from commercial and residential areas between 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM on weekdays, statewide. No travel on major holidays.
Worth knowing
- Legal length is measured as 50′ from the kingpin to the end of the trailer, not as an overall figure — a combination legal next door can be oversize here.
- A permit is required past 75′ overall.
- The urban peak-hour ban is triggered by the size of the load rather than by the city, so a wide load is restricted statewide at once.
Tennessee permits, answered
How does Tennessee measure legal length?
50′ from the kingpin to the end of the trailer, with a permit required past 75′ overall. Measure the trailer rather than assuming a neighbouring state's overall figure applies.
Where do Tennessee city travel restrictions apply?
Everywhere at once, if the load is over 12′6″ wide or 85′ and longer. The ban covers city limits and commercial and residential areas statewide, 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM on weekdays — it is triggered by the load, not by the city.
Can an oversize load move on a Sunday in Tennessee?
No. Movement runs Monday to Saturday in daylight, with no Sunday travel and none on major holidays. Overweight-only loads are the exception and may move continuously.
How tall can a load be on a Tennessee routine permit?
15′. Above that the move needs specific approval and a pole escort.
How long is a Tennessee oversize permit valid?
Six days.
Crossing more than Tennessee?
A permit is per state. If the route leaves Tennessee, these are the states it most likely enters.
Get a permit quote for Tennessee
Enter the load once and the estimator prices every state on the route, flags where an escort is required, and turns the quote into an order.
Price a permit for Tennessee →Compiled from published state DOT sources. Regulations change — confirm the current rules before dispatch. Last reviewed 2026-07-30.