Legal size & loaded measurements
General width
8′6″Ordinary vehicle-and-load limit; safety-device, vehicle and load exceptions may apply.
Loaded height
13′6″Ordinary vehicle-and-load limit; listed exceptions and actual route clearances apply.
Loaded width
Rhode Island's pocket guide publishes an 8′6″ maximum legal width baseline.
Loaded height
Rhode Island's pocket guide publishes a 13′6″ maximum legal height baseline.
Overall length
Rhode Island length legality varies by vehicle and trailer configuration and designated route.
Gross and axle weight
RIDOT's guide publishes 22,400 pounds single axle, 36,000 pounds for tandems within eight feet, and Federal Formula B up to 80,000 pounds; exact axle spacing, distribution, formula and route restrictions remain necessary.
Permits, routes & larger loads
The permit authority
RIDOT permit authority is limited to highways under its jurisdiction; bridge, local, toll, federal, tribal, private and facility approvals remain separate.
Permits, routes & larger loads
RIDOT publishes distinct single-trip, annual divisible-load and blanket products. At 200,000 pounds or more, a route-dependent RIDOT determination can require an independent third-party analysis of every structure; at 14 feet or higher, a route survey is required.
State permit fees
Single-trip agency fee example
$40 for this Rhode Island planning example: a nondivisible load measuring 8′7″ wide, 13′ high and 70′ overall, at 72,000 lb gross on a five-axle rig with a 48′ trailer. The example uses 100 in-state miles. Change the load details in the calculator for your move.
What the agency estimate includes
The calculator applies Rhode Island's maintained single-trip permit schedule to the loaded vehicle and the supplied fee inputs. It itemizes the supported state charges, including weight or distance charges where applicable. Annual permits, special products, local permissions and payment-method charges need their own applicable schedule.
RI / Permit worksheet
Price your Rhode Island movement.
Enter the complete loaded vehicle. Get estimated agency fees and escort requirements before sharing your contact details.
The numbers behind your next move.
Your result will show the agency fee breakdown, potential pilot-car requirements, and the rules used to calculate them.
- 01 State agency fee subtotal
- 02 Escort & survey considerations
- 03 Sources & pricing assumptions
Single-state pricing uses the mileage you enter. For a proposed route and intermediate states, use the route calculator.
About the example equipment
The samples use ODPermit’s editable 48 ft flatbed · 5 axles planning profile. Loaded dimensions, gross weight, 100 state miles and Texas registration are example inputs, not a capacity rating or a route approval. Replace them with your actual setup.
Great Dane Freedom trailer specifications — 48 ft platform; the illustrated 40 in drop deck and 20 in drop support a 60 in upper-deck planning height. Combined tare and tractor geometry are editable ODPermit assumptions.
Pilot cars, height poles & surveys
14′6″-wide load example
Example: 14′6″ wide × 13′ high, 75′ overall, 72,000 lb gross, zero overhang or rear projection, ordinary nondivisible freight in daylight. Depending on the road or permit conditions: The permit reviewer can add escorts for the route's specific conditions. Special crane and building moves have their own assignments. Two-lane roads: 1 front pilot car. Multi-lane undivided roads: 1 front pilot car. Divided highways: 1 rear pilot car.
17′6″-high load example
Example: 9′ wide × 17′6″ high, 75′ overall, 72,000 lb gross, zero overhang or rear projection, ordinary nondivisible freight in daylight. At 14 ft high or above, RIDOT requires a route survey. Confirm the overheight escort's equipment and position on the permit. Depending on the road or permit conditions: The permit reviewer can add escorts for the route's specific conditions. Special crane and building moves have their own assignments. Two-lane roads: 1 front pilot car. Multi-lane undivided roads: 1 front pilot car. Divided highways: 1 rear pilot car.
Travel hours & road restrictions
Travel hours
General permitted travel is Monday-Friday from 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset. Ordinary weekend and named-holiday travel is barred; special I-95/I-195 hours apply to specified wide loads and cranes, and hazardous weather requires leaving at the first safe exit. Exact dates, corridor and permit conditions still require review.
Travel hours & road restrictions
Current closures, construction, postings, weather, local restrictions and issued route conditions must be checked immediately before movement.
Signs, flags & safety equipment
Safety equipment
Overwidth loads and projections over four feet require clean 18-inch red or fluorescent-orange flags. Load signs must read OVERSIZE LOAD, be at least 7 feet by 18 inches with 10-inch black-on-yellow letters, and appear front and rear; low beams are always on and escort amber lights operate above the escort. Securement, safe speed and 1,000-foot spacing remain cumulative.
What the driver needs
Prepare the driver packet
The issued RIDOT permit must be displayed/carried in the vehicle, open to inspection and obeyed. The active rule does not establish an electronic-only medium, so an unverified electronic substitute must not displace the carried permit.
Special equipment & permit programs
Special vehicle programs
The active rule separately governs annual divisible-load permits, three- or six-month nondivisible blankets, buildings, mobile/modular homes, construction equipment, cranes, New England consortium moves, national-defense moves and narrowly defined emergency moves; each requires its exact eligibility and conditions.
BEFORE THE TRUCK ROLLS
Turn the estimate
into a permitted move.
Confirm the loaded measurements, carrier details, travel dates and exact pickup and delivery. We can help coordinate permits, escorts and route surveys around those facts.
THE SOURCE RECORD
Official references.
Read the rule behind each requirement. These are dated references; current restrictions and the issued permit control your move.
- 01Rhode Island Legal Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Size Guide
Laws for All Vehicles and Loads
Source record: - 02Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.2.1, 1.4.5–1.4.6
Source record: - 03Rhode Island Statewide Truck and Bridge Restrictions
Statewide Truck and Bridge Restrictions
Source record: - 04
- 05Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.4.4, 1.4.12–1.4.14
Source record: - 06RIDOT Oversize/Overweight Permitting FAQs
Pages 1–2 — Escort, route survey and superload analysis · Page 1
Source record: - 07R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-21(c) — nondivisible single-trip permit fee
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-21(c) — nondivisible single-trip permit fee
Source record: - 08Rhode Island 290-RICR-40-00-1.5.4 — escort vehicles
Rhode Island 290-RICR-40-00-1.5.4 — escort vehicles
Source record: - 09RIDOT OSOW FAQ — height, axle and survey requirements
RIDOT OSOW FAQ — height, axle and survey requirements
Source record: - 10Rhode Island 290-RICR-40-00-1.5.4 — escort vehicles
Rhode Island 290-RICR-40-00-1.5.4 — escort vehicles
Source record: - 11RIDOT OSOW FAQ — height, axle and survey requirements
RIDOT OSOW FAQ — height, axle and survey requirements
Source record: - 12Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.4.15, 1.5.6–1.5.10
Source record: - 13Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.5.1–1.5.3
Source record: - 14Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.5.4–1.5.5
Source record: - 15Rhode Island General Laws § 31-25-10 — Fastening of Load and Covering
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-10
Source record: - 16Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.4.10 and 1.8(X) (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-24)
Source record: - 17Rules and Regulations for Overweight and Oversize Vehicles and Loads
290-RICR-40-00-1 §§ 1.4.14, 1.4.17–1.4.21, 1.6–1.7
Source record: