Oversize load dispatch that plans the permits before the rate
Oversize load dispatch is a different job from booking freight. Every heavy haul load starts with dimensions, weight and a route, and only then a rate. We look at the permits, escorts, curfews and route before an offer reaches you, so you know what you're committing to before you say yes.
5% of gross for one truck. Permit and escort costs are never part of our fee. You stay responsible for your permits and compliance, and we coordinate them when you ask.
What do you run?
Is it a permit load? Check the dimensions.
Move the sliders to your load. The planner checks width and gross weight against the federal lines, height against the 13 ft 6 in line we plan around, and flags length as a state-by-state question. It tells you if you're in permit territory. It doesn't tell you what each state requires, because that depends on the state, the dimensions and the route.
- Width: 12' 0"Federal width on the National Network: 8' 6" (102 in)Over
- Height: 12' 6"No federal height limit. States set it; we plan against 13' 6"Inside
- Gross weight: 98,000 lbFederal Interstate gross: 80,000 lb (bridge formula may lower it)Over
- Overall length: 75 ftLength and overhang limits vary by state. Check every state on the route.Check route
Past one of these lines: expect permits from the states on the route. Escort, curfew, holiday and route-survey rules depend on the state and the dimensions, so they get checked state by state before you commit.
Source:FHWA, Federal size and weight standards overview (width 102 in, no federal height limit, 48 ft semitrailer, 80,000 lb) · checked 2026-10(width 102 in on the National Network, 80,000 lb gross, no federal height limit)
Width is the cleanest line: on the National Network, no state may set a width limit above or below 102 inches, so anything wider needs a permit. Gross weight over 80,000 lb on the Interstate needs one too, and the bridge formula can lower that number for your axle setup. Height has no federal limit at all. States set their own, and FHWA lists state standards from 13.6 to 14.6 feet, with lower clearances on particular roads.
Past those lines, everything becomes state-specific: whether you need one escort or two, a height pole, a route survey, which hours and holidays you can run, and what the permit costs. Our state tables collect those rules: permit costs by state, pilot car and escort requirements by state and travel restrictions by state. For a quick read on any set of dimensions, use the oversize load checker.
Who does what on a permitted load
Heavy haul goes wrong when nobody is sure who owns a step. Here's the split, in writing, before your first oversize load with us.
| Task | Owner | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Find and price the load | Dispatch | Sourcing, negotiating the rate and the extras, checking the broker. |
| Check dimensions and weight | Dispatch + you | We get the numbers from the shipper; you confirm them against your trailer. |
| Request permits | Dispatch, when you ask | We coordinate permit requests with the states on the route. |
| Hold and carry permits | You | Permits are issued to the carrier. You keep them and follow every condition. |
| Arrange escorts | Dispatch, when you ask | We line up pilot cars where the permits require them. |
| Plan the route | You, with our help | Permitted routes, bridge clearances, curfews and holiday restrictions. |
| Secure the load | You | Chains, binders and blocking for the weight and the piece. |
| Pay permit and escort costs | You or the customer | Per the rate con. Never part of our fee or our fee base. |
The line we hold: we never suggest running without a permit, outside a permit's route or hours, or with securement short of the rules. A missed deadline is cheaper than a violation, and a lot cheaper than an accident with an overwidth load on a two-lane road.
You see the permit and escort picture before you say yes
Every oversize offer shows the piece, the dimensions and weight, the states on the route, and what permits, escorts and restrictions we expect. You decide with all of it in view. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you, with the permit and escort lines on it.
Load offer / RGN
Houston, TX to Shreveport, LA
- Miles
- 240
- Rate
- $3,200
- Per mile
- $13.33
On the rate con: excavator, 11' 6" wide, permits reimbursed, daylight only
Pickup: Tue 07:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
How an oversize load gets planned
The order matters. Rate comes late, because a rate set before the route is known is a guess.
- Dimensions and weightGet them from the shipper in writing: length, width, height, weight and how the piece sits. Check them against your trailer's deck height and axle ratings.
- Trailer fitRGN, lowboy, double drop, stretch or step deck. The deck height decides the overall height, and the axle setup decides how much weight you can legally carry.
- RouteStates crossed, bridges and overpasses, construction zones and city restrictions. Some loads need a route survey before anyone commits.
- Permits and escortsWhat each state requires for these dimensions: permits, escorts, signs, flags and lights, height poles.
- Travel windowsDaylight-only rules, weekend and holiday restrictions, rush hour curfews in some cities.
- RateNow the rate, with permits, escorts, layover days and loading time on the rate con.
Our heavy haul route survey checklist covers the route step in detail, and if you run in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana or Arkansas, see our South Central coverage for the corridors we work most.
What we get from the shipper before we quote
Most heavy haul surprises come from a missing number. These are the questions we put to the shipper before an oversize offer ever reaches you.
- 01Every dimension, every pieceLength, width and height of each piece, not the shipment total. A crate and a machine on one load are two sets of numbers.
- 02Weight and where it sitsPiece weights and the center of gravity for heavy items, so axle weights can be planned before loading.
- 03How it loadsCrane, forklift, drive-on or rolled. Who operates it at the pickup and the delivery.
- 04What rides with itBuckets, booms, counterweights and attachments. Removing them can bring a load back inside the lines; leaving them on can push it out.
- 05Site access at both endsGate widths, turns, soft ground, overhead wires and whether a trailer this long can get in and out.
- 06Tie-down pointsWhere the manufacturer wants chains attached, and anything that must not be chained.
- 07Ready date and flexibilityPermits take time to issue. A load that must move tomorrow may not be possible legally.
- 08Paperwork for the permitMake, model and serial numbers where states ask for them.
Escorts, signs and the delays that cost money
Escorts and pilot cars
States require escort vehicles once a load passes certain widths, heights or lengths, and the thresholds differ from state to state. Tall loads can need a height pole car running ahead to check clearances, and some of the largest loads need police escorts. When you ask, we line up pilot cars to match each state's permit. The pilot car load board guide explains how escorts are found and booked.
Signs, flags and lights
Oversize loads carry banners, red or fluorescent flags at the corners and extremities, and lights for any hours the permit allows after dark. Exact sizes and placement come from the states and the permit itself, so check the conditions on every permit you carry. Our guide to oversize load signs, flags and lights collects them.
Delays that cost money
Heavy haul loses days to things outside your control: a permit that issues late, a daylight-only window that ends mid-route, a weekend or holiday restriction, weather that grounds wide loads. We ask for layover and delay terms on the rate con up front, because a day parked waiting on a permit is a day your truck isn't earning.
None of this is unusual for heavy haul. What separates a profitable oversize week from a bad one is knowing it before you commit, which is the whole point of planning the load before the rate.
The heavy haul trailers we dispatch
Each trailer type opens a different slice of oversize freight. We book to your deck, not to the board.
- Removable gooseneck (RGN)
- The neck detaches so equipment can drive on from the front. The go-to for tracked and wheeled machines.
- Lowboy
- A deck that sits very low for tall equipment. Fixed or detachable necks, many axle configurations for heavier pieces.
- Double drop
- A low well between two higher decks, for tall freight that isn't driven on.
- Stretch trailers
- Extendable decks for long pieces such as beams, poles and girders.
For the differences in detail, read RGN trailer vs lowboy. If you're sizing up the competition or looking at who hauls what, our list of RGN trucking companies is a useful map of the market.
Rates, pass-through costs and our fee
Oversize rates vary more than any other freight, because two loads with the same miles can be completely different jobs. Width, height, weight, permits, escorts, travel windows and loading time all move the price. That's why we don't publish rate ranges for heavy haul; any number here would be wrong for your load.
When you compare two oversize offers, compare the days, not just the dollars. A load that pays more but ties the truck up for three days under daylight-only rules can earn less than a simpler move you finish in one.
What doesn't vary is how the money is split. Permits and escorts are costs of the load, paid by you or the customer per the rate con, and reimbursements stay out of our fee base. Layover days, extra loading time and detention are revenue, and they belong on the rate con before you book. Our fee is 5% for one truck, 4% for fleets of 2 or more, and 7% for new MCs until month 6. Details are on the dispatch pricing page.
- Haul revenue
- $4,800
- Permits reimbursed
- $420
- Escort reimbursed
- $650
- Fee base
- $4,800
- Fee at 5%
- $240
When heavy haul carriers use a dispatcher, and when they don't
Plenty of heavy haul carriers run on direct relationships: a few equipment dealers, a rental company, a contractor who calls every month. If that keeps your RGN busy, you may not need us, and we'd rather tell you that than take a percentage of loads you'd book anyway.
Where a desk earns its fee in this work is the legwork and the gaps. Permit requests across several states, escort scheduling, chasing the shipper for real piece weights, and the hours on the phone that go with each of them. Then the gaps between project moves, when an RGN sits empty or deadheads home because nobody looked for the next piece. Lowboys and RGNs can also haul ordinary equipment and some flatbed-type freight between oversize moves, which keeps the truck earning while the next permit load lines up.
Tell us how much of your work is already spoken for. We'll fill around it, not on top of it, and your direct customers stay yours.
Oversize and heavy haul dispatch questions
Note 01How much does oversize load dispatch cost?
5% of the load's gross revenue for one truck with an MC older than 6 months. Fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4%, new MCs 7% until month 6. Permit and escort reimbursements are pass-through money, so they're never in the fee base. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month.
Note 02Do you pull permits for me?
When you ask, we coordinate the permit requests with each state on the route and keep track of what's been issued. The permits are issued to you as the carrier, and you stay responsible for carrying them and following their conditions. We never suggest running without a permit or outside its terms, whatever the deadline.
Note 03Who pays for permits and escorts?
You or the customer, depending on the rate con. Many oversize loads list permits and escorts as separate lines that the broker reimburses. Either way, those costs aren't part of our fee, and reimbursements aren't counted in the fee base. We make sure the rate con says who pays before you book.
Note 04Do you dispatch superloads?
Only for carriers set up for them, and only with the time they need. Superloads usually need special permits, engineering reviews, route surveys and long lead times, and some need police escorts or utility coordination. If your equipment and experience fit, we'll talk through a specific load. We won't push one into a tight schedule.
Note 05Do you book RGN and lowboy loads?
Yes. Removable gooseneck and lowboy trailers carry the heavy and tall equipment that defines this work: excavators, dozers, cranes and transformers. We match the load to your deck length, deck height and axle setup, and we tell you up front when a piece is better suited to a different trailer configuration.
Note 06Can a new MC haul oversize loads?
It's possible but harder. Brokers and shippers look closely at experience, insurance limits and safety records on permitted freight. New authorities usually start with lighter, simpler permit loads and build from there. New MCs pay 7% until month 6. We'll tell you honestly what's realistic for your setup.
Note 07Do I approve every oversize load before booking?
Every one. The offer shows the dimensions, weight, piece description, route states, permit and escort picture, travel restrictions we know of, rate and extras. You say yes or no. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. Saying no costs nothing.