Wisconsin Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in Wisconsin

Wisconsin sticks to 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 single, 34,000 tandem on its main Class A highways (Wis. Stat. 348.15). Drop onto a Class B highway and you're cut to 60 percent of that, roughly 48,000 lb (348.16). Overweight fines run per pound over the limit, starting at a penny a pound and climbing from there (348.21). Anything heavier needs an oversize/overweight permit.

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 80,000 lb on Class A highways; Class B highways are capped at 60 percent, about 48,000 lb (Wis. Stat. 348.16)
• Single axle: 20,000 lb on Class A; cut to 60 percent on Class B highways
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb on Class A; cut to 60 percent on Class B highways
• With a permit: No grandfathered LCV tier. Single-trip and annual oversize/overweight permits authorize divisible and indivisible loads above 80,000 lb case by case.
• Class B mileage is extensive on the local system. The per-pound upper brackets escalate; verify the exact top-tier rates against 348.21(3) for a specific overload.

Posted bridge and road limits

Watch for Class B and spring-thaw postings, not just bridges. Class B highways cap you at 60 percent of normal, and seasonal posted roads (roughly mid-March to early May under Trans 325) knock limits down further while the frost comes out. A posted 'WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS' bridge sign overrides your legal weight, and tons are 2,000-lb short tons. Cross a posted structure over its rating and you're ticketed under 348.21 and on the hook for damage.

What running heavy costs

Forfeiture plus a per-pound add-on under Wis. Stat. 348.21. Up to 1,000 lb over is a $50-$100 forfeiture on a first offense. More than 1,000 over is $50-$200 plus 1 cent a pound up to 2,000 excess, 3 cents at 2,001-3,000, 5 cents at 3,001-4,000, escalating toward 20 cents a pound on the largest overloads. Raw forest products carry a higher 6-to-10-cent scale.

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