Flash floods in Texas Hill Country close highways, affecting oversize load transportation
Flash floods in Texas Hill Country have closed multiple highways, affecting oversize load transportation in the region. The flooding has resulted in mandatory evacuations and rescue operations, with one reported death. Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for roughly one-fourth of the counties in Texas.
The closures may impact oversize operators traveling through the area, particularly those with loads requiring special permits. Drivers should check for updates on road closures and plan alternative routes as needed.
Source: Transport Topics
What Texas actually requires
The story above is the enforcement. This is the rule it is enforcing — so you
do not have to go looking for it.
Legal without a permit
- Legal width (Above this you need a permit)
- 8'6"
- Legal height (Above this you need a permit)
- 14'
- Legal gross weight (Above this you need a permit)
- 80,000 lbs
When escorts kick in
- Front escort required over (width)
- 14'
- Rear escort required over (width)
- 14'
- Escorts both ends over (width)
- 16'
- Height escort / pole car over (height)
- 17'
When you may run — base envelope only, conditions below
- Night travel
- Not allowed
- Weekend travel
- Allowed
- Sunday travel
- Allowed
Superload threshold
- Superload over (width)
- 17'
- Superload over (length)
- 150'
- Superload over (weight)
- 254,300 lbs
- Width: loads exceeding 14 ft (168 in) wide require one escort — front on a two-lane highway, rear on a highway with four or more lanes; loads exceeding 16 ft (192 in) wide require both a front and a rear escort on all roads. Height: loads exceeding 17 ft (204 in) high require a front escort with a nonconductive height pole; loads exceeding 18 ft (216 in) high require both a front (with height pole) and rear escort. Length: loads exceeding 110 ft require one escort (front on two-lane, rear on multi-lane), and loads exceeding 125 ft require both front and rear. If a load exceeds escort thresholds in two dimensions, the escorts for each apply separately. TxDMV may additionally require law-enforcement (police) escorts as a route-specific condition; no fixed dimensional trigger for police escorts is published.
- Per 43 TAC 219.11(l), permitted oversize vehicles may move only during daytime. Exception: an overweight-only vehicle on interstates not exceeding 10 ft wide and 100 ft long may move at night; TxDOT may also grant nighttime movement based on a route/traffic study. Operators must observe TxDMV-published curfew movement restrictions covering rush-hour/metro-area restrictions in cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Weekend travel is generally allowed subject to those metro curfews and daylight rules.
- Movement of loads exceeding 14 ft wide, 16 ft high, or 110 ft long (and all manufactured housing) is suspended unless an exception is granted on: Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Manufactured housing is additionally restricted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.
Permit desk:
800-299-1700 · Apply online
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Official source · Checked 2026-07-16 · Confidence: high
Only limits we have confirmed are listed. A limit that is not shown is one
we have not verified — never read a gap here as "no limit". Always confirm on the permit before you roll.
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