Alabama Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in Alabama

Alabama caps most combinations at 80,000, but a six-axle truck with 44 feet or more between the first and last axle can gross 84,000 off the Interstate (Ala. Code 32-9-20). The 10% enforcement tolerance rides with you only off the Interstate, which takes a single axle to about 22,000. On the Interstate the numbers are hard: 20,000 single, 34,000 tandem, 80,000 gross, all enforcement tolerances already included. Overweight is a misdemeanor and the fine runs $100 to $500 (Ala. Code 32-9-5), not a steep per-pound ladder.

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 84,000 lb for a 6-axle combination spanning 44 ft or more, plus a 10% enforcement tolerance that applies only off the Interstate. A 5-axle combination at that spacing tops out at 80,000 lb. On the Interstate you get 80,000 lb including all enforcement tolerances (Ala. Code 32-9-20).
• Single axle: 20,000 lb on the Interstate, including all enforcement tolerances. Off the Interstate the base is the same 20,000 lb but the 10% tolerance rides on top, so about 22,000 lb (Ala. Code 32-9-20).
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb on the Interstate, including all enforcement tolerances. Off the Interstate the 10% tolerance applies, so about 37,400 lb (Ala. Code 32-9-20).
• With a permit: 84,000 lb for a 5- or 6-axle combination with 44+ ft between the first and last axle (Ala. Code 32-9-20). Higher only by oversize/overweight permit.
• The 10% tolerance is written into 32-9-20 but it stops at the Interstate line. Interstate weights are capped at 20,000 single, 34,000 tandem, and 80,000 gross including all enforcement tolerances, and the statute bars any Interstate limit above 23 U.S.C. 127. The tolerance only lifts the off-Interstate schedule. Fines are set statewide by Ala. Code 32-9-5 at $100 to $500, not by the county. The axle and gross limits are solid.

Posted bridge and road limits

Alabama posts load-limited bridges and roads on MUTCD R12 signs. WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS is short tons (2,000 lb), so 15 TONS means 30,000 lb. A posted limit overrides the legal max and the 10% tolerance: a legal 80,000-lb truck cannot cross a bridge posted below its weight and must detour. Crossing a posted structure over the limit is a separate offense and can carry liability for damage to the bridge.

What running heavy costs

A weight violation is a misdemeanor: $100 to $500 per offense, with 30 to 60 days possible (Ala. Code 32-9-5). It is set statewide, not at the county level.

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