Massachusetts Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in Massachusetts

Massachusetts caps most rigs at 80,000 pounds, with a 22,400-pound single axle and a 36,000-pound tandem when the axles sit close together (MGL c.90 §19A). Fines jump once you are 3,000 pounds over: $40 for every 1,000 pounds up to 10,000 over, then $80 for every 1,000 past that, and a judge cannot cut it. Turnpike hauls run to 99,000 pounds by special permit, and grandfathered configurations reach 127,400 pounds on the Mass Pike (23 CFR 658 App. C).

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 80,000 lb (46,000 lb for a 2-axle truck); higher only by MassDOT permit
• Single axle: 22,400 lb (18,000 lb if axles are less than 6 ft apart); 20,000 lb on the Interstate
• Tandem axle: 36,000 lb closely spaced; widely spaced axles up to 22,400 lb each; 34,000 lb on the Interstate
• With a permit: 99,000 lb by Turnpike special permit (up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 9 in high, 80 ft long). Grandfathered configurations reach 127,400 lb on the Mass Pike (23 CFR 658 App. C).
• The graduated $40/$80-per-1,000-lb schedule and the no-reduction rule are corroborated by MassDOT and enforcement summaries; §19A also carries the irreducible-load $500 cap. Interstate off the Turnpike is the plain federal 80,000/20,000/34,000.

Posted bridge and road limits

Cities and towns post local bridges and ways, and MassDOT posts state bridges, with 'WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS' signs in short tons (15 TONS = 30,000 lb). The posted number overrides the legal max: a legal 80,000-lb truck must detour around a bridge posted below its weight. Crossing a posted bridge over its limit is a distinct offense, and the carrier can be held liable for the cost of inspection and repair if the crossing damages the structure.

What running heavy costs

M.G.L. c.90 sec. 20: $40 for each 1,000 lb, or fraction of it, by which the load exceeds the section 19A limit or the permit weight.

More for Massachusetts