Louisiana Oversize & Overweight Permits

When Louisiana needs a permit

Louisiana permits come from DOTD's Truck Permit Office. Permit over 8'6" wide (8' off designated routes), 13'6" high, or 80,000 lb. One private escort past 12' wide; past 16' it's a State Police escort, and two of them past 18'. Over 14' wide keeps you off the Interstate. Sunrise to sunset, with 12'-plus loads shut out of the Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans Interstates at rush hour. Over 232,000 lb is a Super Load.

Thresholds, escorts, and curfews

• Legal max before a permit: Permit needed over 8'6" wide on the Interstate and designated routes (8' on other roads), over 13'6" high, over 80,000 lb gross, or over the legal length for your rig. Get it from DOTD before the haul.
• Escort / pilot car: One private escort over 12' up to 16' wide on two-lane or multi-lane, or over 90' up to 125' long. Over 16' wide: one State Police escort; over 18' wide: two State Police escorts. Loads over 125' long also take a State Police escort. Over 14' wide can't use the Interstate, with narrow exceptions for pools, tanks, boats, and mobile homes.
• Superload: Over 232,000 lb gross gets Super Load treatment: route survey and bridge analysis before approval. Since September 2025, new annual oversize/overweight heavy-equipment permits also require a registered, pre-approved route for each move.
• Travel curfew: Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Loads over 12' wide are banned from the Interstate through Shreveport, Monroe, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans from 7-9 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Holiday windows apply.
• Permit fee: Single-trip oversize base fee about $10, with each origin or destination change adding another $10 permit. Overweight is priced by weight and distance, e.g. 212,001-232,000 lb runs $260 for 50 miles up to $1,250 past 200 miles. Over 254,000 lb: $10 plus $0.50 per ton-mile over 80,000 lb.

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