Recent safety blitzes in multiple states have uncovered numerous violations among commercial vehicles
Commercial vehicle enforcement agencies in Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, and Illinois have conducted roadside inspections and traffic enforcement, resulting in hundreds of equipment, driver, and safety violations.
The inspections, which took place along routes such as Maryland's Interstate 81 corridor, identified issues including equipment violations, driver qualifications, and hazardous materials transportation.
In total, 15 vehicles and 9 drivers were placed out of service in Maryland, while Kentucky reported 92 vehicles and 84 hazardous materials inspections.
In Illinois, a two-day hazardous materials enforcement campaign resulted in 584 federal regulation violations and 85 Illinois Vehicle Code violations, with 38 drivers and 61 vehicles placed out of service.
These enforcement actions may impact oversize operators who travel through these states, highlighting the importance of compliance with federal and state regulations.
What Illinois 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)
- 13'6"
- Legal gross weight (Above this you need a permit)
- 80,000 lbs
When escorts kick in
- Front escort required over (width)
- 14'6"
- Rear escort required over (width)
- 14'6"
- Escorts both ends over (width)
- 16'
- Height escort / pole car over (height)
- 14'6"
When you may run — base envelope only, conditions below
- Night travel
- Allowed
- Weekend travel
- Allowed
- Sunday travel
- Allowed
Superload threshold
- Superload over (width)
- 16'
- Superload over (length)
- 150'
- Superload over (weight)
- 200,000 lbs
- Per IDOT Form OPER 993 (Provision B): ONE civilian escort if load exceeds 14'6" wide (174 in), 14'6" high (174 in), or 110' long. TWO civilian escorts (one front, one rear) if it exceeds two or more of those three thresholds. THREE civilian escorts if over 16' wide (192 in), 18' high (216 in), or 145' long. Illinois State Police escort required if over 18' wide (216 in), 18' high (216 in), or 200' long, or when a bridge/district analysis requires it. Lead escort must carry a height pole for loads over 14'6" high. Not tied to weight.
- Per OPER 993 authorized times: overweight-only (legal-dimension) loads 24/7. Loads <=12' wide/13'6" high/200' long: 24/7 but require one extra civilian escort during hours of darkness. Loads <=14'6" wide/15' high/200' long: daylight, 7 days/week. Loads <=16' wide/17' high: daylight Mon-Fri + Saturday until noon. Loads >200' long: daylight Mon-Fri only, no Sat/Sun. Loads >16' wide or >17' high: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon-Fri only. Cook County expressways prohibit loads over 12' wide, 13'6" high, or 120,000 lbs (with listed interstate exceptions). In 9 named counties loads over 14'6"-16' wide are limited to 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon-Fri. City of Chicago CBD has separate city-issued time rules.
- No permit travel on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; exact blackout dates/times posted under Holiday Permit Travel Restrictions on the ITAP home page.
Permit desk:
217-785-1477 · 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.
What Maryland 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)
- 13'6"
- Legal gross weight (Above this you need a permit)
- 80,000 lbs
When escorts kick in
- Front escort required over (width)
- 13'1"
- Rear escort required over (width)
- 13'1"
- Escorts both ends over (width)
- 14'
- Height escort / pole car over (height)
- 14'6"
- Escort required over (weight)
- 120,000 lbs
When you may run — base envelope only, conditions below
- Night travel
- Not allowed
- Weekend travel
- Allowed
- Sunday travel
- Not allowed
Superload threshold
- Superload over (width)
- 16'
- Superload over (height)
- 16'
- Superload over (length)
- 120'
- Superload over (weight)
- 120,000 lbs
- Per MDOT SHA Motor Carrier Handbook (Ch. XIII, Escort Policies) and the SHA Oversize/Overweight Hauling Permit Manual: ONE private escort required when the load (excluding manufactured/mobile-modular housing) exceeds 13 ft wide (>157 in), or is 14 ft 6 in high (height-pole vehicle, 174 in), or exceeds 60 tons (120,000 lb) gross, or is construction equipment over 12 ft wide off the Interstate. Mobile/modular homes need no escort until 14 ft wide. TWO private escorts required at 14 ft wide or more (168 in), for manufactured housing, or at 140 ft or more in length. A Maryland State Police escort is required IN ADDITION when the move is 16 ft or more wide (192 in), 16 ft or more high (192 in), 140 ft in length, or 75 tons (150,000 lb) or more (at 16 ft wide, SHA District Engineer approval + 48-hour MSP notice also required). Length: 1 escort over 85 ft, 2 escorts at 140 ft or more. Position: a single escort follows on multi-lane and precedes on two-lane; a height-pole vehicle always precedes. Route-specific: US 1 Conowingo Dam crossing requires a police escort for loads over 11 ft wide.
- General movement is daylight only (1/2 hour after sunrise to 1/2 hour before sunset). BELTWAY/curfew: any load exceeding 45 tons (90,000 lb) OR 100 ft or more long OR 12 ft or more wide may move only 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. over I-495/I-95 (Capital Beltway) and I-695 (Baltimore Beltway); loads 14 ft wide or more are 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on ANY highway. No permit-load movement Saturday after 12:00 noon or any time Sunday. On MdTA facilities, no permit loads Friday 12:00 noon to Monday 9:00 a.m. (incl. I-95 north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel to the Delaware line). I-895 (Baltimore Harbor Tunnel) allows NO permit loads except containerized cargo. Each MdTA facility must be contacted 1 hour before crossing. NOTE: a secondary-sourced night-travel pilot (9 p.m.-5 a.m. within 12 ft/75 ft/14'6"/120,000 lb) could NOT be confirmed officially, so night travel is recorded as not allowed.
- New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.
Permit desk:
1-800-543-4564 · 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.
What Kentucky 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)
- 13'6"
- Legal gross weight (Above this you need a permit)
- 80,000 lbs
When escorts kick in
- Front escort required over (width)
- 12'
- Rear escort required over (width)
- 12'
- Escorts both ends over (width)
- 12'
- Height escort / pole car over (height)
- 14'11"
When you may run — base envelope only, conditions below
- Night travel
- Allowed
- Weekend travel
- Allowed
- Sunday travel
- Allowed
Superload threshold
- Superload over (weight)
- 200,000 lbs
- Route-dependent per 601 KAR 1:018. TWO-LANE roads: lead escort if over 12' wide (144 in), over 75' long, or over 14'11" high (179 in); trail escort if over 12' wide, over 85' long, or unable to maintain posted speed (so over 12' wide on two-lane effectively needs BOTH lead and trail). FOUR-LANE divided: lead escort if over 14' wide (168 in) or over 14'11" high; trail escort if over 12' wide, over 110' long, or over 12' wide and traveling below 45 mph. Lead escort for loads over 14'11" high must carry a height pole. Not tied to weight (superloads over 200,000 lbs handled separately).
- General overweight/overdimensional loads may travel continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including weekends (per KYTC DRIVE guidance). NO travel in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Fayette, or Jefferson (Louisville) counties, or over the Owensboro KY-2155 bridge, from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Mobile homes: Monday-Saturday daylight hours only, NO Sunday travel. Superloads and some oversize loads may carry additional route/time limits.
- None for general overweight/overdimensional loads - Kentucky permits continuous travel. Individual superload or specially-restricted permits may impose holiday limits.
Permit desk:
502-564-1257 · Apply online
⚑ Report this
Reports come from accounts so we can follow them up and ask what you saw — and so nobody can
flood the queue anonymously. It is free to join.
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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.
