Colorado Truck Bans & Hazmat Routes

Where Colorado keeps trucks out

Colorado's headline rule is the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels on I-70. Placarded hazmat is banned and must take Loveland Pass, US 6, whenever the pass is open (2 CCR 601-8). Some classes are barred even when US 6 is closed; the rest get an escorted top-of-the-hour convoy while the pass is shut. The tunnel sign says it plainly, and a flipped placard has drawn a criminal case. State height is 14 ft 6 in; check CDOT's clearance map and Denver's posted viaduct limits.

Key restrictions

• Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels (I-70): no placarded hazmat; use Loveland Pass US 6 when open (2 CCR 601-8)
• Some hazmat classes are banned even when US 6 is closed; the rest go through only by escorted top-of-the-hour convoy
• Loveland Pass tops out near 12,000 ft, steep and storm-closed in winter
• State height 14 ft 6 in; check CDOT's clearance map and Denver's posted viaduct weight limits

• Parkway / road ban: No cars-only parkways. The signature restriction is the I-70 Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel hazmat ban, plus Denver's posted viaduct and bridge weight limits.
• Hazmat: The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on I-70 ban placarded hazmat. Loads must take Loveland Pass (US 6) whenever it is open (2 CCR 601-8). Some classes are barred even when US 6 is closed; the rest are escorted through the tunnel in a top-of-the-hour convoy only while the pass is shut. In nearly 50 years the tunnels have had no hazmat incident.
• Through-truck routes: Denver posts truck ordinances and weight-limited bridges and viaducts (Denver Municipal Code Ch. 54). Through trucks stay on posted routes; local trucks take the most direct path to the stop. Statewide, watch CDOT's map of structures under 14 ft 6 in vertical clearance.
• Fine: Transporting placarded hazmat through the tunnels violates Colorado's Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and is a misdemeanor (CRS 42-20). One documented case ran about $1,000 in fines and costs plus a deferred sentence, and flipping a placard to conceal a load drew criminal charges. Exact minor-violation amounts vary by court.

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