Oversize Load Routing Software: What It Plans and What Your Permit Decides
Published by JaloPermit. Product comparisons use linked public documentation; they are not independent rankings or hands-on vendor benchmarks.
Search for oversize load routing software and you will find tools that do different things. Some plan a truck route from a vehicle profile. Some guide a driver along a route an agency already supplied. Some help you read the permit once it is issued.
The distinction that matters most is simple. Routing software produces a candidate route. For most oversize and overweight moves, the issuing state's permit decides the route you are allowed to run. This guide shows where each step sits.
This guide is published by JaloPermit. It summarizes linked public documentation and our own product rules. It is not a hands-on vendor test, a ranking or an endorsement.
What routing software plans
Truck routing software works from the inputs you give it: origin, destination, vehicle dimensions, weight and restrictions to avoid. It returns a proposed road sequence, mileage and, in some products, toll estimates. That is useful for quoting a load and checking whether a corridor looks workable before anything is filed.
Trimble PC*Miler is one example. As our PC*Miler review summarizes, Trimble's public overview describes truck-specific routing using vehicle dimensions and restrictions, mileage and toll information. How a particular edition handles a permit-specific road sequence is a question to put to the vendor in a trial.
A vehicle profile with height, width and weight is still not an issued permit. Until the issuing authority acts, the plan is a proposal.
Where the permit takes over
For most routed oversize and overweight moves, the issuing state's permit sets the legal route. The permit office reviews the request and issues a document that names the roads, the order to run them and the conditions attached, such as escort requirements, movement windows, curfews and special bridge or structure instructions.
The issued route can differ from the one you planned. When it does, the permit wins. A planned route, a navigation app or a summary card cannot amend it. Resolve any discrepancy with the issuing office before taking a different road. On a multi-state move, do not assume one state's document covers another jurisdiction.
For neighboring topics, see oversize route planning software compared by the job you need done and oversize permit software: reading vs routing, which separates filing, agency route guidance and PDF review.
After issue: reading and following the route
Once the permit is issued, the job changes from planning to reading and following. Someone has to trace the named roads in order, note where escorts start and stop, check curfew and movement-window restrictions, and find where the permit routes the load past weigh stations or special structures.
Some agencies make the issued route available to a driver app. Our ProMiles review summarizes ProMiles Permit Route Guidance's public documentation: a free app that retrieves an agency-supplied route with a permit barcode or number and presents visual and spoken guidance. That documentation distinguishes following the supplied route from computing a new one. Confirm with the issuing office that your specific permit and permit type are supported before you rely on it.
If a closure or missed turn means the route no longer works, do not accept an automatic reroute just because it reaches the same destination. Coordinate with the issuing office and get the required route change before continuing. Our guide on how to compare an oversize load route with your issued permit covers that review step by step.
Where JaloPermit fits
JaloPermit is only the reading step. It does not plan candidate routes, file permits or replace a permit. You drop an already-issued oversize or overweight permit PDF into the permit decoder on the JaloPermit homepage, and it builds a route card that can surface escorts, curfews, weigh stations, truck stops and low-bridge alerts for review.
It is a reading aid. The issued permit always wins. Compare the card with the original PDF, including dashed or unresolved sections, before you rely on it. Supplementary bridge and roadside data is incomplete, so a missing alert is not clearance. Coverage is the 48 contiguous states.
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.
Match the tool to the step
Use the table to name the step you are on. It is not a ranking.
| Step | Typical tool | What you get | What decides the route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan a candidate route | Truck routing software such as Trimble PC*Miler | A proposed road sequence and mileage | Not final; the permit decides |
| Get the permit issued | State office or permit service | An issued permit with named roads and conditions | The issuing state |
| Follow an agency-supplied route | Agency route app where supported, such as ProMiles Permit Route Guidance | In-cab guidance against the agency record | The permit; the app follows it |
| Read the issued permit | JaloPermit route card | A review card of route, escorts, curfews and alerts | The permit; the card summarizes it |
FAQs
Does oversize load routing software decide my legal route? No. For most routed oversize and overweight moves, the issuing state's permit sets the legal route. Software output is a plan until the permit is issued, and it cannot amend the permit afterward.
Can I run the route my software planned instead of the permitted one? No. If the issued route differs from your plan, follow the permit. Resolve any discrepancy with the issuing office before taking a different road.
Does JaloPermit plan routes or file permits? No. JaloPermit reads an already-issued permit PDF into a route card for review. Route planning and filing stay with your routing tool, your permit service or the state office.
What does JaloPermit cost? 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.