Truck Regulations by State
Every per-state rule we track for professional drivers — weight and size, speed and lanes, winter traction, equipment, idling and parking — for all 50 states and DC. Pick the rule, then pick the state. Reference only, not legal advice.
A truck is legal in one state and over the line in the next one, and nobody tells you at the border. Weight, speed, lanes, chains, idling, parking — every one of them is set state by state, on top of a thin layer of federal rules that binds you everywhere. These pages take one rule at a time and answer it for all 50 states and DC: what the statute says, what the sign says, and what it costs when you get it wrong.
Weight, size and permits
What you are allowed to weigh and measure before a permit, who has to stop and prove it, and the two things that quietly change the answer — a seasonal thaw order and a per-mile tax.
Weight Limits
80,000 lb federal gross, what your state lets you run above it, and the overweight fine.
All 51 states →Trailer Length Limits
The semitrailer length every state must allow without a permit, and the kingpin catch behind 53 feet.
All 51 states →Oversize Permits
The legal max before you need a permit, what triggers a pilot car, and the travel curfews.
All 51 states →Weigh Stations
Who has to pull in, who can bypass on PrePass or Drivewyze, and the fine for passing an open scale.
All 51 states →Weight-Distance Tax
The five states that bill you by the mile — Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Connecticut.
All 51 states →Frost Laws
Spring thaw drops axle limits on state and county roads. Which states post them, when, and how far.
All 51 states →Speed, lanes and where you can run
Truck speed is not car speed in every state, the left lane is not always yours, and some roads will not take a commercial vehicle at all. These four decide the shape of the route.
Truck Speed Limits
Posted truck speeds in every state, including the split-limit states where you run below cars.
All 51 states →Lane Restrictions
Where you are kept out of the left lane — statewide, or only where the sign says so.
All 51 states →Truck Route Bans
Cars-only parkways, through-truck bans, hazmat tunnels, and the low-clearance traps behind them.
All 51 states →Following Distance
The states that write a hard 200-500 ft gap for trucks, and the ones that just say reasonable.
All 51 states →What the law asks of you while moving
The rules written for the moments that put someone in front of your bumper: a cruiser on the shoulder, a work zone, a grade crossing, a phone in your hand. These carry the heaviest penalties on the list.
Move-Over Laws
Who you move over or slow down for, what the law asks of you, and what ignoring it costs.
All 51 states →Work Zone Laws
The work-zone limit, whether it applies with no workers present, and the doubled fine.
All 51 states →Railroad Crossings
Who stops at every crossing, the 15-50 ft stop distance, and the CDL disqualification.
All 51 states →Phone Laws
The federal hand-held ban every CMV driver is under (49 CFR 392.82), plus each state on top of it.
All 51 states →Winter traction and being seen
Chain control is posted live by the state DOT and changes within the hour. Studs have a legal season. Headlights have a rule most drivers only half know. Weather rules are the ones you meet unprepared.
Chain Laws
Where and when you chain up, what R-1, R-2 and R-3 mean, and the fine for running bare.
All 51 states →Studded Tire Laws
Whether metal studs are legal and the seasonal window — often November 1 to April 1.
All 51 states →Headlight & Wiper Laws
When headlights are required, and the wipers-on-lights-on rule about half the states enforce.
All 51 states →Equipment, idling and where you shut down
The rules an inspector can write at the scale without you moving an inch, plus the two that decide how you spend the ten: where you are allowed to park, and how long you are allowed to idle there.
Mud Flap Laws
Whether flaps are required, and the tread-width and ground-clearance numbers an inspector measures.
All 51 states →Engine Brake Laws
Almost no state bans compression braking. The posted signs are real, and so is the noise ticket.
All 51 states →Emissions Rules
CARB Clean Truck Check, which binds out-of-state trucks too, and the ACT adopter states.
All 51 states →Idling Laws
Statewide idling limits, the fine, and the sleeper-berth and weather exemptions that cover you.
All 51 states →Rest Area Rules
Whether you can sleep at a public rest area, the posted time limit, and the overstay penalty.
All 51 states →Start from the state instead
If you would rather work the other way round — one state, all its rules — the 511 state pages pull each state's regulations together with its live road conditions, weather alerts and mountain passes.
511 States Directory
All 50 state pages: live incidents, weather alerts, passes, and that state's truck rules in one place.
Open →Trucking Statistics
Where these rules actually get enforced: out-of-service rates, inspections and crash data by state.
Open →Live Map
Weather, closures and hazards along your route — and the rules for wherever you tap on the map.
Open →Truck Regulations FAQ
Which truck rules change when I cross a state line?
Which truck rules are federal and the same everywhere?
How do I check the rules for a state before I get there?
How current is this and can I rely on it?
Sources: state DOT and state legislature statutes, FMCSA (49 CFR Parts 383, 392, 393), FHWA (23 CFR Part 658), CARB and CVSA. Last reviewed July 2026. Reference information for planning, not legal advice — laws change, and posted signs and the current state order always win. See our Terms & Disclaimer.
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