West Virginia Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in West Virginia

Combinations run the federal 80,000 pounds on the main routes, but West Virginia's secondary roads and bridges post lower, so read the sign before you commit. The standout is coal: on the Coal Resource Transportation roads a 6-axle truck can permit up to 120,000 pounds, 126,000 with the 5% tolerance (W. Va. Code 17C-17A). Those coal-road overweight fines are mandatory and can't be waived.

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 80,000 lb for combinations on primary routes. Secondary roads run lower (single-unit tandem 60,000 lb, tri-axle straight truck 70,000 lb, each plus a 10% tolerance), and many secondary bridges are posted below the legal max.
• Single axle: 20,000 lb
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb
• With a permit: Coal Resource Transportation System (CRTS): a 6-axle truck can permit up to 120,000 lb gross on designated coal-haul roads, plus a 5% tolerance to about 126,000 lb.
• The general per-pound schedule is from a DOT-fine aggregator and is directional; verify the exact brackets against W. Va. Code 17C-17-19 before relying on it. The coal schedule (17C-17A-10) is confirmed from the state code and is high confidence.

Posted bridge and road limits

Bridges and local roads post MUTCD 'WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS' signs (short tons). West Virginia posts a lot of secondary-road bridges, so a fully legal 80,000 lb truck can be blocked and forced to detour. The posted limit overrides the legal max, and crossing over it carries the penalty plus liability for damage.

What running heavy costs

On Coal Resource Transportation System roads the schedule is steep (WV Code 17C-17A-10): 1, 3, 7, 10, 15, 30, then 45 cents per overweight pound by bracket, escalating on a repeat within two years. The general non-coal overweight penalty is a lower graduated per-pound fine under WV Code 17C-17-11; confirm the current figure.

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