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

A Pennsylvania oversize or overweight permit is short on its face, but it carries a lot of rules by reference. PennDOT issues it through the Automated Permit Routing/Analysis System (APRAS), and the rules behind it sit in 67 Pa. Code Chapter 179, Oversize and Overweight Loads and Vehicles and Chapter 49 of the Vehicle Code (Title 75). On top of that, the driver has to carry a separate PennDOT sheet, Form M-938, which prints the general conditions and the map of urbanized areas where travel hours are cut back.

A few Pennsylvania rules catch drivers out: a single-trip permit expires after five authorized weekdays, the permit is not valid on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, urbanized areas have their own travel windows, and holiday bans start at noon the day before and run to sunrise after the holiday weekend. This guide walks through what a Pennsylvania permit holds and the published rule behind each part. PennDOT does not publish a sample issued permit, so where a detail depends on your own permit, the answer is the same: read the permit and its restrictions, and ask the issuing PennDOT permit office.

MI 01

Who issues Pennsylvania oversize permits

Under 67 Pa. Code § 179.3, a permit is required to move a mobile home or an oversize or overweight vehicle or combination, including its load, on a Commonwealth highway. PennDOT issues these special hauling permits for State highways under its jurisdiction (§ 179.1, “Permit”). Permits are handled by the PennDOT engineering district permit offices, and super loads go through the Central Permit Office in Harrisburg (§ 179.8). PennDOT’s hauling permit page links the contacts for each district.

Today, applications are made online in APRAS. PennDOT’s hauling permit page says APRAS account holders can get permits 24/7, and that companies without an APRAS account should use one of PennDOT’s listed Permit Service Partners. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) says APRAS auto-issues most applications once its route and bridge analysis is done, and sends more complex ones to permit and bridge staff for manual review. Some of the wording in Chapter 179 still describes mail and fax applications. Where it and the APRAS documents differ, follow your permit and ask the district office.

The permit only covers PennDOT roads. § 179.10(5) says the permit authorizes travel only on the roadway of the highways named on it, not the shoulders (except where a work zone directs traffic there). Local roads and streets, shown in brackets or parentheses on the permit, need permission from the local authority. U.S. 209 between PA 402 in Monroe County and U.S. 6 in Pike County needs National Park Service permission. And the permit is not valid on the Pennsylvania Turnpike unless the law says otherwise. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) adds that a Turnpike approval number is not printed on the PennDOT permit, so you need separate proof of a Turnpike permit at the toll gate.

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The top of the permit: type, dates and fees

Start at the top. Find the permit number (shown here only as a placeholder, PA-XXXXXXX; we never show real ones), the permittee, the permit type, and the start and end dates. Form M-936A, the application for a special hauling permit (PDF) shows what the permit is built from: the type requested (single trip, single trip and return, annual, seasonal, emergency, preliminary or final superload), the registered name of the responsible motor carrier, the load type code and description, the vehicles, axle weights and spacings, origin and destination, route numbers, total miles and move dates. Then check:

• Validity. § 179.10(9) says a permit is good for a single trip in one direction between the two points named, and a single-trip permit expires after five authorized weekdays, as shown on the permit. A return trip is only allowed if it was requested and is printed on the permit.
• Extensions and changes. Under § 179.9(g), a supplement can change a route, swap a broken-down truck or trailer for one with the same axles, spacings and ratings, update a plate number, or give a one-time three-weekday extension if you ask before the permit expires. A supplement will not change weights, dimensions, the permittee or the load type; that takes a new permit. Supplements must be attached to the permit.
• Fees. PennDOT’s permit fee list effective July 1, 2025 (PDF) and Form M-936A list a general issuance fee of $46 up to 14 feet wide, or $97 over 14 feet, plus 4 cents per ton-mile for weight over the registered or legal gross weight, whichever is less. Mobile homes and modular units are $53 or $103. The statute, 75 Pa.C.S. § 1942, still prints the older base amounts ($35 and $71), so go by PennDOT’s current fee list.
• Who it is issued to. § 179.8 says the application must be in the name of the responsible motor carrier, and § 179.10(1) says the permit may not be assigned, transferred or carried by someone else.

Carry it right. § 179.10(1) says the move may not start until the permit is issued, and the driver must carry the permit and a copy of Form M-938 and show both to police or PennDOT on request. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4962(b) says the permit is carried in the towing vehicle. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) says the issued permit is downloaded from APRAS. The rules we checked do not say whether a phone or tablet copy is enough on the road, so ask PennDOT before relying on a screen alone. Don’t alter it: under § 179.9(h), any alteration voids the permit, and using an altered or forged permit is a $5,000 fine under § 4962(g).

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Permit restrictions and the Form M-938 conditions

This is the part most worth slowing down for. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) explains that the restrictions printed on the permit are in addition to the general conditions in 67 Pa. Code §§ 179.10 and 179.11, which are reprinted on Form M-938, the Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (PDF). Breaking a permit restriction or a regulation makes the permit subject to confiscation. The FAQ also says that, when the permit restrictions call for it, the driver must read, sign and date the permit before the move to confirm the vehicle, load, shipping papers and insurance all match it.

The general conditions a driver is most likely to need on the road, from § 179.10:

Read your own permit’s restriction lines word for word. They can add conditions for a specific bridge, route or time, and they win over anything general in this guide.

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Vehicle, load, dimensions and weights

The vehicle and load block should match the truck exactly. Form M-936A, the application for a special hauling permit (PDF) asks for gross weight, the legal (registered) weight, total width, length and height in feet and inches, the load’s serial number (last six digits) or bill of lading, the load type code and description, each power and drawn unit with its USDOT number, plate or VIN, state and axle count, then every axle weight and axle spacing. Check each figure against the loaded truck before you roll. § 179.8(3) says supplements will not be issued to fix errors in the application, and § 179.10(8) says false information on the application automatically invalidates the permit.

What makes a load oversize in the first place? Pennsylvania’s legal limits are 8 feet 6 inches wide (75 Pa.C.S. § 4921(a)), 13 feet 6 inches high (§ 4922(a)) and, for a single trailer towed by a truck or tractor, 53 feet of trailer length (§ 4923(b.1)). The load must be nondivisible: § 179.9(c) says PennDOT won’t permit a load that can reasonably be taken apart or reduced to legal size.

For weight, § 179.8(5) sets the permit tables. Table 8-1 gives general and maximum gross weights by tractor and trailer axle count, from 66,000 pounds for a 2-and-1 up to 201,000 pounds maximum for a 4-and-4. Table 8-2 limits a single axle to 27,000 pounds and axle groups to 52,000 (two axles), 63,000 (three) and 72,000 (four). Above the general limits, and in other cases such as over 136,000 pounds or a steer axle over 12,000 pounds, a supplemental application, Form M-936AS, and bridge engineer review are required at least three work days ahead. No axle may exceed the manufacturer’s rating, and wheel loads are capped at 800 pounds per inch of tire width.

A super load is over 201,000 pounds gross, over 160 feet long or over 16 feet wide (75 Pa.C.S. § 3108(c); PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF)). Super loads need a preliminary application to the Central Permit Office at least three weeks before the move, with justification such as detailed routing and city approvals (§ 179.8(4)(iii)). PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) adds that any load over 14 feet 6 inches high needs a Form M-936ARS route survey (PDF), a physical survey of the route done by the hauler.

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The route section, bridges and clearances

The route section lists each road and direction in order. Form M-936A asks the applicant to list routes such as “I-80E, I-81N” and to put interim non-state routes in parentheses, which is why local streets appear in brackets or parentheses on the permit. Those local roads need local permission (§ 179.10(5)(iii)). The application also asks whether you will accept an alternate route, so the route PennDOT prints may differ from the one you asked for. Drive the route as printed.

APRAS runs route and bridge analysis before a permit is issued. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) says most denials come from routing problems such as clearance, width or bridge weight, and that applicants can see construction, restriction and closure layers on the APRAS route map. Still, under § 179.10(3) a permit is not a guarantee that a road or structure is adequate, and it never overrides a lower posted limit unless you hold a separate approval (condition 2). Overweight permits may also order a reduced speed on certain bridges, or that the load be alone on a span or straddle lanes, which changes the pilot car setup in the next section.

Height is on you. Legal height is 13 feet 6 inches, and the statute says that limit does not require public authorities to provide that much clearance (§ 4922(a)). Over 14 feet 6 inches, a lead pilot car with a height pole is required and you must notify affected utilities at least 24 hours ahead to arrange wire moves (§ 179.10(13)(i)(C)).

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Pilot cars and police escorts

Pennsylvania splits escorts into pilot cars that the permittee provides and police escorts by the State Police or local police (§ 179.1). The permit says which are required. PennDOT’s Number of Pilot Cars Cheat Sheet (PDF) sums up the pilot car rules in § 179.10(13) and 75 Pa.C.S. § 4962(f.2):

Pilot cars must keep sight and two-way radio contact with the load, run one or two flashing or revolving amber lights the whole time, and carry an OVERSIZE LOAD sign front and rear. The permitted truck runs its headlamps and rear lamps when escorted (§ 179.10(13)(ii) and (15)(ii)). Chapter 179 does not set a certification for ordinary pilot car drivers, so if your permit or a broker asks for one, check with PennDOT.

Police and certified escorts. § 179.10(12) calls for a State Police or local police escort for buildings over 16 feet wide, super loads, and any time a provision of the Vehicle Code is being contravened, and the State Police must get at least 24 hours’ notice through the Central Permit Office. PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) lists super loads (load type 64) and buildings moved on site (load type 60) as needing a police escort. Since 2015, § 4962(f.6) also requires super loads to keep one certified escort vehicle, on top of the other pilot car rules. PennDOT’s Certified Escort Policy for Superload Moves (PDF) lets a certified escort stand in for a State Police escort on super loads up to 18 feet wide or 260 feet long on roads with at least two lanes in one direction that move with traffic. Certified escort drivers must be certified by PennDOT (§ 3108). The permittee pays all escort costs (§ 1946).

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Travel times, urbanized areas and holidays

Daylight. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4962(f.3) lets permitted oversize and overweight loads run sunrise to sunset every day of the week, except during a holiday period, during inclement weather, in urbanized areas as the regulations or permit say, and as the permit restricts. Sunrise and sunset are the National Weather Service times (§ 179.1). The older regulation, § 179.10(7), still prints bans for Saturday after noon and all of Sunday, but Form M-938, the Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (PDF) notes those two lines were superseded by § 4962(f.3). If your permit itself restricts weekend travel, follow the permit.

Loads that can run around the clock. Under § 4962(f.1), a permitted load of no more than 135,000 pounds gross and no more than 10 feet wide, with no height or length over the legal limits, may move 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if it runs at prevailing speeds and not in inclement weather. Check your permit’s restrictions before you count on night travel.

Urbanized areas. The shaded areas on Form M-938, the Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (PDF) are urbanized areas, and the map notes that routes bordering one are included in it. Outside holiday periods, § 179.10(7)(ii) allows permit travel there only from 3 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. to sunset, seven days a week, and only 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the Fort Pitt, Squirrel Hill and Liberty Tunnels in Allegheny County. An oversize move in an urbanized area between 3 a.m. and sunrise needs extra lighting visible from 1,000 feet on all sides and pilot cars front and rear. A load that can’t hold 40 mph on a limited access highway inside an urbanized area may be limited to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a following pilot car.

Holidays. The regulation bars permit travel on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and the day before each, unless the permit says otherwise. PennDOT publishes the exact windows each year. From PennDOT’s 2026 holiday travel restrictions (PDF) and the 2027 holiday travel restrictions (PDF):

The Pennsylvania Turnpike sets its own holiday restrictions; PennDOT’s notice points to the Turnpike Commission’s commercial permit page. For how curfews and holiday bans read across states, see our guide to checking curfews and travel restrictions on an oversize permit.

Weather. The weather limits in § 179.10(6) apply on every permit: snow-covered roads until plowed full width, ice until treated, visibility under 1,000 feet, or wind strong enough to push the trailer wheels more than 6 inches off line.

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Signs, flags and lights

§ 179.10(14) to (16), reprinted on Form M-938, the Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (PDF), set the equipment, unless the permit says otherwise:

• Signs on the load. Clean yellow OVERSIZE LOAD signs at least 7 feet wide by 18 inches high, black letters at least 10 inches high with a 2-inch stroke, on the front of the vehicle and on the rear of the vehicle or load. Remove or cover them once the truck is no longer oversize.
• Signs on pilot cars. Yellow OVERSIZE LOAD signs at least 5 feet by 1 foot, with 8-inch letters, front and rear.
• Flags. Clean red or fluorescent orange flags at least 18 inches square on the extremities of over-width loads, over-length vehicles and any load sticking out more than 4 feet past the rear.
• Lights. If the load blocks the rear lights, stop lights, turn signals or hazards, carry equivalent lights on the rear of the load. Pilot cars run amber flashing or revolving lights, and the escorted truck runs headlamps and rear lamps. Early-morning urbanized-area moves need the extra 1,000-foot lighting described above.

MI 09

Emergency moves and where to get help

For an emergency that affects public safety, such as a train derailment, PennDOT’s hauling permit page says APRAS account holders can apply for a permit at any hour. During 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, contact the engineering district office nearest the point of entry or origin, and for a super load, the Central Permit Office. When permit offices are closed, apply in APRAS first, and if the permit is not auto-issued, call PEMA at (717) 651-2001. 67 Pa. Code § 179.12 still lists a State Police number for after-hours calls, but an editor’s note on the same section points to PEMA, which matches PennDOT’s page. You then have 72 hours to apply for the permit that covers the move.

For anything else, use PennDOT’s hauling permit page: it links the district hauling permit contacts, the forms, APRAS quick start guide (PDF), PennDOT’s APRAS FAQ (PDF) and the holiday notices. The Central Permit Office is at 400 North Street, Harrisburg (§ 179.1).

MI 10

A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before departure on a Pennsylvania permit, confirm:

1. The permit and a copy of Form M-938 are in the cab, any required signature and date are on the permit, and the five-weekday window covers the move.
2. Every dimension, axle weight and spacing, plate and VIN on the permit matches the loaded truck, and any supplement is attached.
3. You will drive the printed route only, you have local permission for any roads in brackets or parentheses, and you have a separate Turnpike permit if you use the Turnpike.
4. Pilot cars, height pole, police or certified escorts match the permit, with signs, amber lights and two-way radios.
5. The move fits the time rules: daylight, the urbanized-area windows on the M-938 map, and none of PennDOT’s holiday windows, including Thanksgiving 2026 from noon Nov. 25 to sunrise Nov. 30.
6. Weather is clear of the snow, ice, visibility and wind limits, and you have read each restriction line on the permit.

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 Pennsylvania page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit, and for escort rules side by side, see pilot car requirements by state. Our Wyoming, North Dakota, Kansas, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas 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