Alabama Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in Alabama

Alabama caps most combinations at 80,000, but a five- or six-axle truck with 44 feet or more between the first and last axle can gross 84,000 (Ala. Code 32-9-20). The state also gives a 10% enforcement tolerance statewide, so you have room to roughly 88,000 gross and 22,000 on a single axle before it counts as a violation. Overweight fines are set at the county level and tend to run in the low hundreds, not a steep per-pound ladder.

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 84,000 lb for a 5- or 6-axle combination spanning 44+ ft, plus a 10% enforcement tolerance statewide (about 88,000 before a violation)
• Single axle: 20,000 lb (about 22,000 with the 10% tolerance)
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb (about 37,400 with the 10% tolerance)
• 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 and applies on both Interstate and non-Interstate roads. Because fines are county-set, the dollar figures are medium-confidence; 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.

More for Alabama