New Jersey Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in New Jersey

New Jersey stops at 80,000 pounds gross with no tolerance for going over (N.J.S.A. 39:3-84). Single axles get 22,400 pounds on state roads, tandems 34,000. The fine is 2 cents a pound up to 10,000 over, then 3 cents a pound on the whole excess once you pass 10,000. There's no standing weight above 80,000 - anything heavier needs an oversize/overweight permit.

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 80,000 lb (no weight tolerance)
• Single axle: 22,400 lb on state highways; 20,000 lb on the Interstate (federal)
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb (two consecutive tandem sets capped at 68,000 lb)
• Single-axle 22,400 lb is the state-highway figure; the Interstate reverts to the federal 20,000/34,000. Superload/oversize permits are issued case by case with no fixed higher gross ceiling.

Posted bridge and road limits

New Jersey posts bridges and local roads with MUTCD weight-limit signs; TONS are short tons of 2,000 lb, so 'WEIGHT LIMIT 15 TONS' = 30,000 lb. A posted number overrides your legal 80,000 - legal on the highway does not mean legal on that span. Crossing a posted bridge over its limit is charged as an overweight violation, and the operator can be held liable for damage to the structure.

What running heavy costs

$0.02 per pound of excess if the overage is 10,000 lb or less; $0.03 per pound on the entire excess once it tops 10,000 lb (N.J.S.A. 39:3-84.3). Example: 8,000 over = $160; 12,000 over = $360. No weight tolerance, roughly a $50 minimum, plus a $6/ton damage-fund surcharge and court costs. Only the single greatest violation is charged, gross or axle - they do not stack.

More for New Jersey