Tennessee Frost Laws & Spring Thaw Limits

How Tennessee handles spring thaw

Tennessee posts no spring thaw restrictions. The freeze here isn't deep or long enough to soften the sub-base, so there's no seasonal axle cut and no TDOT frost order to pull. Legal weight holds all year (Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-7-203): 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single, 34,000 lb tandem. Watch posted bridge and local-road weight-limit signs. Those caps run year-round, and the roadside sign is the legal limit on that road.

Window, reduction, and where to check

• Season: No seasonal restrictions. Tennessee issues no spring thaw / frost order; the same weight limits apply in March as in August.
• Reduction: None. No seasonal percentage reduction, no posted spring tonnage caps. Standard limits stand year-round: 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem.
• Interstates: Exempt from the seasonal reduction
• Find the current order: There's no seasonal load-restriction page at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) because there's no frost program. Obey posted bridge and county-road weight-limit signs year-round, and clear heavy or oversize loads with the TDOT permit office first.
• Overweight penalty: No seasonal-overweight fine, since nothing seasonal exists to exceed. Plain overweight draws Tennessee's standard penalty, graduated by pounds over the legal limit (Tenn. Code Ann. Title 55, Ch. 7).

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