How to Read a Kansas Oversize Permit: Field-by-Field Guide

A Kansas oversize or overweight permit comes out of K-TRIPS, the Kansas Truck Routing and Intelligent Permitting System run by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). The system routes the load from its size and weight and shows turn-by-turn driving directions with the route. The state rules behind it are short: overdimension loads move in daylight only, nobody moves in bad weather or poor visibility, escorts start over 14 feet wide or 16 feet high, and, unlike many states, Kansas lets permitted loads move every day of the year, including holidays.

This guide walks through what a Kansas permit holds and the published rule behind each part, so a driver or dispatcher knows what to check before rolling. Every rule below links to its source, mainly K.A.R. 36-1-36, K.A.R. 36-1-37 and K.S.A. 8-1911. KDOT does not publish a sample permit, so where a detail depends on your own permit, the answer is the same: read the permit and ask the KDOT Central Permitting Office.

MI 01

Who issues Kansas oversize permits

On state highways, Kansas OS/OW permits come from KDOT, through its Central Permitting Office. Under K.S.A. 8-1911(a), the secretary of transportation may issue a special permit (the term includes an authorization number) for a vehicle that exceeds legal limits, on the route or routes the permit designates and on its terms and conditions. Local authorities issue permits for their own roads. Under 8-1911(g), state highways, city streets designated as connecting links in the state system and interstates are always under the secretary.

Permits are ordered in K-TRIPS. The K-TRIPS Company User Guide (PDF) says many permits can be self-issued from a computer or phone without help from KDOT staff, while others go to a KDOT reviewer first. You need a K-TRIPS company account, and the guide says a company without a USDOT Number normally cannot self-issue. For help, the K-TRIPS home page lists the Central Permitting Office at 785-368-6501.

K.A.R. 36-1-36(a) adds that the application may be filed only by the company doing the hauling or an authorized permit service, that only the parties shown on the face of the permit may use it, and that permits may not be transferred.

MI 02

The top of the permit: number, type and dates

Start at the top. Find the permit or authorization number (shown here only as a placeholder, KS-XXXXXXXX; we never show real ones), the company it is issued to, the permit type and the dates it is good for. K.S.A. 8-1911(b) says the application describes the vehicle, the load, the route and whether a single trip or annual operation is requested, and the permit designates the route and any other terms, conditions or restrictions. Then check:

• Permit type. K.A.R. 36-1-38 sets four main types. A standard permit is good for seven days, from origin to final destination on routes KDOT designates. You may make more than one trip on it if you use the same route, haul similar loads, finish within the seven days and nothing on the permit changes. An annual permit is tied to one power unit, runs for a year and allows daylight moves. A superload permit covers loads over 150,000 pounds gross, is single-trip only and must include a KDOT bridge analysis. A large structure permit covers loads over the standard permit’s size limits and is good for 30 calendar days.
• What counts as a superload or large structure. K.A.R. 36-1-35 defines a superload as a nondivisible load over 150,000 pounds gross, or one where any axle group exceeds the regulation limits. A large structure is any load over 16'6" wide or 18' high.
• Fees. K.S.A. 8-1911(f)(2) sets $40 for each single-trip permit, $200 for a single-trip large structure or superload permit and $200 for an annual permit. The K-TRIPS permit price list (PDF) lists the same amounts, with the single-trip permit shown as “Overdimension Oversize and/or Overweight.”
• Registration. Under 8-1911(c), a permit is valid only when the registration on the power unit equals or exceeds the vehicle’s total gross weight. If the gross weight is above the highest registration available, the maximum registration must be bought. The price list also shows temporary weight and registration permits that are ordered with routed permits.
• No changes after approval. K.A.R. 36-1-36(o) says every move is subject to the requirements on the permit, and once a permit has been approved it shall not be altered.

Carry it. K.S.A. 8-1911(e) says every permit must be carried in the vehicle it refers to and be open to inspection, and that it is unlawful to violate any term or condition of the permit. K.A.R. 36-1-36(e) says the holder must make the permit or an authorized permit number readily available to law enforcement or KDOT staff on request. The KDOT documents we checked do not say whether a phone copy alone is enough, so ask the Central Permitting Office before relying on one.

MI 03

Vehicle, load, dimensions and weights

The load section shows the width, height, length and gross weight you applied for, plus axle weights and spacings for overweight moves. K.A.R. 36-1-36(j) says a permit is issued for the maximum dimension and weight of the item being hauled. Identical items may ride along only if no extra dimension is exceeded, multiple-item loads may not exceed legal axle or gross weights, each item must be loaded with its smallest dimension as its width, and no axle, trailer or other equipment may be loaded past the manufacturer’s rating.

Context for those numbers. Kansas legal limits without a permit, from the statutes:

With a standard permit, K.A.R. 36-1-37(b) sets these maximums:

Annual permits use the same width, length and axle limits but cap height at 15 feet and gross weight at 120,000 pounds. The same regulation raises axle limits for extra-wide axle groups (for example, a tandem 10 feet wide or more may carry 49,000 pounds) and limits gross weight by the distance from the steering axle to the last axle, from 58,800 pounds at 8 feet up to 150,000 pounds at 91 feet or more. Special mobile equipment has its own tables. Our guide to reading overweight permit axle weights explains axle groups in more detail.

Height. K.A.R. 36-1-36(l) says an overheight permit allows a height limited only by the constraints on the route, and carriers of loads more than 17 feet high must notify all appropriate utilities before moving. Large structures must also notify railroads (K.A.R. 36-1-38(d)(5)).

Self-issue limits. The K-TRIPS Company User Guide (PDF) says that as of May 2017, permits could self-issue up to 120,000 pounds gross, 15 feet high, 16'6" wide and 126 feet long. Anything over those goes to a KDOT reviewer, and superload and large structure permits are always reviewed.

MI 04

The route section and driving directions

In K-TRIPS, you enter an origin and destination (an address, an intersection, a border crossing or a map point), and the system generates a route for your vehicle and load. The K-TRIPS Company User Guide (PDF) says the trip results show the roads restricted for your load in red on the map, a route description that reads like a hand-written route, and the detailed driving directions with distance and time. If you cannot get the route you need, you can submit it for manual review, and a KDOT reviewer may be able to get a temporary override when the load must reach a restricted area.

Rules to read for in the route section:

• Stay on the route. K.S.A. 8-1911(a) authorizes the move only on the route or routes the permit designates. Annual permit holders may leave the approved routes only at the origin and destination of the trip, using the safest, shortest and most direct roads (K.A.R. 36-1-38(a)(4)).
• Route changes trigger review. The K-TRIPS Company User Guide (PDF) says that if you change the default route and add more than 25% to the trip miles, the application goes to KDOT for review instead of self-issuing.
• Bridges. K.A.R. 36-1-36(b) says an oversize load may not block or slow traffic on any bridge for more than five minutes, and overweight loads must obey posted bridge limits for every axle group and the gross weight. Superloads need a KDOT bridge analysis. The user guide says a superload without an existing bridge study cannot be ordered less than three days before the start date, and an approved bridge study can be reused nine more times within thirty days.
• Centerline and following distance. A load wider than half the traveled road must stay off the centerline except to avoid a collision, and a permitted vehicle must follow at least 300 feet behind another vehicle except when passing (K.A.R. 36-1-36(n)).
• Large structures. K.A.R. 36-1-38(d) says large structures are kept off interstates except in extreme circumstances with prior approval and local law enforcement, must keep state highway use to a minimum, and need the local KDOT district to approve the time, date and route.
• U.S. 83 location sharing. KDOT’s August 2024 letter to oversize load carriers (PDF) says loads 14 feet or wider, or 126 feet or longer, traveling U.S. 83 between the southern Finney County line and the east Thomas County line must share their location through the KanDrive app, and that permits on that corridor carry instructions to do so. Only the location and permitted size are shown to the public.
• City and county roads. Local authorities can require their own permits for roads under their control (K.S.A. 8-1911(a) and (g)). Check with the city or county for any part of your trip off the state system.

Our post on bridge clearance maps for trucks lists free sources for checking low clearances along a route.

MI 05

Escort vehicles

Kansas publishes how many escorts a load needs. Under K.A.R. 36-45-8(b), adopted in 2020:

The older K.A.R. 36-1-36(f) reads differently for loads over 14 feet wide on roads with four or more lanes: it requires only a rear escort there, and only for superloads and large structures. Because the two regulations do not match on four-lane highways, follow the escort conditions printed on your permit and ask the Central Permitting Office if they are unclear.

Who may escort. The Kansas Highway Patrol’s FAQ says it does not offer escort vehicles for oversize loads. Escort companies and operators must be registered with KDOT under K.A.R. 36-45-1 through 36-45-10 (see KDOT’s escort vehicle regulations (PDF)), and K-TRIPS lists registered escort providers. Operators must be at least 18, hold a current license, complete an approved escort training course and have no impaired or reckless driving conviction in the past 36 months.

How escorts run. K.A.R. 36-45-8 says the front escort stays within 500 feet of the load inside city limits and 1,000 feet outside them, the rear escort within 500 feet, and all of them in two-way voice contact with the driver. A height pole is set at the load height plus 3 inches. Escorts may stop traffic for up to 15 minutes at a bridge or tight intersection, following the federal traffic-control manual; anything longer needs law enforcement or the local KDOT office notified. Escorts may not drive on any road the load is not authorized to use.

The escort vehicle. K.A.R. 36-45-6 requires a two-way radio that works for at least half a mile, an amber rotating or flashing light at least 6 inches across visible from 500 feet, an OVERSIZE LOAD sign (black on yellow, at least 5 feet long and 12 inches high, letters 8 inches high), two vehicle flags at least 18 inches square, STOP/SLOW paddles, a hard hat and vest, and emergency gear. The escort vehicle itself must have at least two axles and a gross vehicle weight rating of no more than 16,000 pounds. Our guide to pilot car escort requirements covers escort roles in general.

MI 06

Travel times, weather and holidays

Kansas has one hours rule, one weather rule and no holiday ban.

• Daylight only for oversize. Under K.A.R. 36-1-36(m) and K.S.A. 8-1911(m)(1), loads over legal width or length may not move from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise unless another statute or regulation allows it. KDOT may allow night moves in an emergency, and the special conditions are then printed on the permit. K.A.R. 36-1-35(e) defines daylight hours the same way.
• Overweight only can run 24 hours. A load that is overweight but within legal width and length may move day and night (K.S.A. 8-1911(m)(2)).
• Weather. K.A.R. 36-1-36(p) says oversize or overweight loads may not move when visibility is under half a mile, in moderate to heavy rain, sleet, snow, fog or smoke, or when the road is slippery from ice, packed snow or rain. The statute adds that no permitted load, even overweight only, may run on ice, snow pack or drifting snow. Manufactured homes and modular building sections must stop when sustained ground wind exceeds 30 mph.
• Holidays and weekends. K.A.R. 36-1-36(m)(3) says carriers may move every day of the year, including holidays. The regulations we checked set no weekend ban either.

Curfews. The KDOT regulations and K-TRIPS documents we checked do not publish city rush-hour curfews the way some states do. That does not mean none apply: read every time restriction printed on your permit, and ask the Central Permitting Office, or the city for local streets, if you are unsure. Our guide to checking curfews and travel restrictions shows a quick way to line time windows up with your trip dates.

MI 07

Signs, flags and lights

Kansas sets these marking rules for the permitted vehicle:

• OVERSIZE LOAD sign. K.S.A. 8-1911(l)(1) says a permitted vehicle over legal width or length must carry an OVERSIZE LOAD sign at least 7 feet long and 18 inches high, with letters at least 10 inches high, readable from 500 feet. Take it down when the load is back within legal size. K.A.R. 36-1-36(s) puts the sign on the front of the truck and the rear of the load.
• No sign for overweight only. A permitted load that is only overweight must not display an OVERSIZE LOAD sign (8-1911(l)(2)).
• Flags. The statute calls for red flags on all four corners of an oversize load. K.A.R. 36-1-36(g) and (q) adds flags on each side of the widest part of an overwidth load and on the rear of an overlength load, each red or orange, at least 12 inches square, clean and without lettering.
• Lights. Warning lights on escort vehicles are covered above. If you drop the rear escort on a load over 14 feet wide, the load needs a warning light on top and another at the rear, 2 to 8 feet above the road (K.A.R. 36-45-8(b)(4)).
• Convoys. At most two permitted loads may travel in a convoy, with no more than 1,000 feet between them (K.A.R. 36-1-36(d)).

Loads must also be secured under the federal cargo securement rules adopted in K.A.R. 36-1-36(n)(3).

MI 08

Insurance, office and contacts

Insurance. K.A.R. 36-1-36(i) says that before getting any permit, the applicant must carry at least $500,000 of general liability and $500,000 of auto liability insurance from a company authorized in Kansas, kept in force for the life of the permit. Except for vehicles registered with the Kansas Corporation Commission, proof of insurance must be in the permitted vehicle and shown on request.

Who to call.

• KDOT Central Permitting Office: 785-368-6501, listed on the K-TRIPS home page, which also has chat and call-back options for logged-in users. The user guide says call-back requests are answered within one business day during normal Permit Office business hours.
• Online: K-TRIPS, with the K-TRIPS Company User Guide (PDF), tutorial videos, the K-TRIPS permit price list (PDF), the registered escort provider list and the KanDrive oversize load check-in instructions.
• Rules: Kansas Statutes chapter 8, article 19 at the Revisor of Statutes, and KDOT’s regulations in Kansas Administrative Regulations agency 36, articles 1 and 45.

Carrier responsibility is spelled out too: under K.A.R. 36-1-36(c), accepting a permit means agreeing to know the permit law and regulations and to pay for any damage the permitted vehicle does to state property.

MI 09

A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before departure on a Kansas permit, confirm:

1. The permit (or its authorization number) and your proof of insurance are in the cab, the permit type fits the load, and the dates cover the move. A standard permit is good for seven days.
2. Every dimension, axle weight and spacing on the permit matches the actual loaded truck, and the power unit is registered for at least the gross weight.
3. You will drive the route exactly as listed, and you have any city or county permits for roads off the state system.
4. Escorts match the permit and the published thresholds, the escort company is KDOT-registered, and the height pole is set if you are over 16 feet high.
5. The move stays in daylight (unless the load is overweight only), and visibility, weather and road surface allow travel. Holidays are not a barrier in Kansas.
6. The OVERSIZE LOAD sign, flags and lights match the rules, utilities are notified if you are over 17 feet high, and you know the KanDrive check-in steps if your route uses the U.S. 83 corridor.

JaloPermit can speed up the reading part. Drop an already-issued, text-based permit PDF into the permit decoder on the JaloPermit homepage and it lays out the route, escorts, time limits, dimensions and limits on one route card, with weigh stations, truck stops and low-bridge alerts. Then compare it with the original. For the state rules at a glance, see the Kansas page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit. Our Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Minnesota and Michigan permit guides cover those states the same way, and if your trip crosses state lines, read multi-state oversize permit trips.

JaloPermit, which publishes this guide, is a reading aid for issued permit PDFs. It is not a permit-filing service and it does not plan routes or provide navigation. The issued permit always wins.

JaloPermit reads text-based PDFs only, not scans or photos. Guests get three free decodes a day with no account and no card. Logged-in users get 10 free decodes a day. After those free decodes, each one is $3.50. There is no subscription.

Questions about how JaloPermit reads a permit? Email support@jalopermit.org.

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FAQs