The Kentucky answer
Legal limits
First escort trigger
What the paper costs
- Single-trip base
- $60 · caveat ↓rev. · read
- Transaction / card
- 4% of the total · caveat ↓undated document · read
- How overweight is priced
- Included in the base permit feerev. · read
- Superload above
- 160,000 lb and up · caveat ↓rev. · read
The short version: a Kentucky single-trip permit starts at $60 before bands, overweight and the transaction charge; an escort is first required at over 12' wide; and the load becomes a superload at over 160,000 lb. Everything below carries the Kentucky document it came from, that document's own revision date, and the date we read it.
1. Where the load goes next
The jurisdictions this one borders, each chip carrying the fact that decides whether that crossing is the expensive one — so the row is itself a small comparison. A multi-state lane is the actual job, and from here it is one click per state rather than a return to an alphabetical index.
2. Kentucky legal limits
Anything over one of these needs a permit. Every value links to the document that sets it.
| Measure | Legal limit |
|---|---|
| Width | 8'6"rev. · read 603 KAR 5:070 §4(2)(a): on the National Truck Network a permit is required if the width exceeds "102 inches (2.59 meters)". EXCLUSIVE. §5(2) extends NTN access 15 miles from interstate and parkway exits and 5 miles from the NTN on state-maintained roads. Off that network §3(1)(b) allows only 8 ft, and KRS 189.221(1) allows 96 inches on non-designated highways; both are stated on the quote rather than recorded here. |
| Height | 13'6"rev. · read 603 KAR 5:070 §3(1)(a): "A height, including body and load, not to exceed thirteen (13) feet and six (6) inches (4.115 meters)". INCLUSIVE — exactly 13 ft 6 in is legal. |
| Semitrailer length | 53'rev. · read 603 KAR 5:070 §4(2)(b): "A towed unit length of fifty-three (53) feet (16.154 meters) if operated in a single semitrailer combination". EXCLUSIVE, and it applies to the trailer only, so any tractor length is allowed with it. §4(2)(c) allows 28 ft per trailer in a twin combination. |
| Overall length | None published |
| Kingpin to rear axle | None published |
| Front overhang | None published |
| Rear overhang | None published |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbrev. · read 603 KAR 5:066 §1(1)(a), §2(1) and §3(1): "Class \"AAA\" shall have a maximum allowable gross weight (mass) of 80,000 pounds (36,287.36 kilograms)." INCLUSIVE. This is ONE OF THREE class maxima — Class AA is 62,000 lb and Class A is 44,000 lb — and the other two are NOT recorded here as competing candidates, because they are three networks rather than three readings and recording them would resolve this field to null and disable the whole overweight path. They are carried by `ky-class-aa-gross-over-62000` and `ky-class-a-gross-over-44000`, which go undecided rather than assuming AAA when the class is unknown. KRS 189.221(4) sets 36,000 lb on non-designated highways; see `KENTUCKY_NON_DESIGNATED_VS_STATE_SYSTEM`. |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbrev. · read 603 KAR 5:066 §3(2), §4(2) and §5(2): "Gross axle weight (mass) for a single axle shall not exceed 20,000 pounds (9071.84 kilograms) (with axles less than forty-two (42) inches (1.07 meters) apart to be considered as a single axle)." INCLUSIVE, and the same figure on all three classes and the interstates. §3(8) additionally caps tire loading at 700 lb per inch of aggregate stamped tire width, whichever is less; KRS 189.221(5) sets 600 lb per inch on non-designated roads. |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbrev. · read 603 KAR 5:066 §3(3), §4(3) and §5(3): "Gross weight (mass) shall not exceed 34,000 pounds (15,422.13 kilograms) on two (2) axles in tandem arrangement that which are spaced forty-two (42) inches (1.07 meters) or more apart and ninety-six (96) inches (2.44 meters) or less apart." INCLUSIVE. A tridem takes the same 34,000 lb within 96 inches and 48,000 lb between 96 and 120 inches when every adjacent pair is 42 inches or more apart and the vehicle grosses 73,280 lb or less; other configurations take the bridge formula W = 500 (LN/N-1 + 12N + 36) under §3(7), capped at 20,000 lb on any single axle and 80,000 lb gross. |
3. The Kentucky escort ladder
Not one number per dimension — the whole staircase. Each row is a condition the state actually publishes, what it requires when that condition holds, and the clause it comes from. Where a rule requires escorts and the source states no number, the row says that in the source's own words rather than reporting no requirement.
| When | What is required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| rear overhang over 10' | 1 certified escort1 behindAdvisory: drive.ky.gov states the trigger as "A rear escort is required any time overhang is in excess of 10'". The same page describes a total overhang cap of one-third of the trailer length up to a maximum of 35 ft; that cap is summarised on the portal rather than quoted in any regulation on file, so it is stated here and is not encoded as a limit. |
"A Single Trip permit cost $60. There is an a…undated document · read |
| the road is “interstate” or “divided” or “multilane undivided” and width over 12' | 1 certified escort1 behind |
Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Sect…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” and width over 12' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Sect…rev. · read |
| the road is “interstate” or “divided” or “multilane undivided” and width over 14' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Sect…rev. · read |
| the road is “interstate” or “divided” or “multilane undivided” and width over 16' | 4 certified escorts2 in front2 behind |
the two-lane and multi-lane width and length …undated document · read |
| the road is “two lane” and width over 16' | 4 certified escorts2 in front2 behind |
the two-lane and multi-lane width and length …undated document · read |
| the road is “two lane” and overall length over 75' | 1 certified escort1 in front |
Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Sect…rev. · read |
| the road is “two lane” and overall length over 85' | 2 certified escorts1 in front1 behind |
Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Sect…rev. · read |
| the road is “interstate” or “divided” or “multilane undivided” and overall length over 110' | 1 certified escort1 behind |
"A Single Trip permit cost $60. There is an a…undated document · read |
| overall length over 120' | 3 certified escorts1 in front2 behindAdvisory: Over 120 ft, drive.ky.gov also requires a pivot or steerable dolly ("Over 120' long a front and 2 rear plus a pivot/steerable dolly is required"). That is equipment on the trailer rather than an escort vehicle, Kentucky publishes no charge for it, and no cost for it is included in this quote. |
the two-lane and multi-lane width and length …undated document · read |
The first trigger in each dimension
| Measurement | First escort trigger | First police escort trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Width | over 12'rev. · read · varies by road class | None published |
| Height | None published | None published |
| Length | over 75'rev. · read · varies by road class | None published |
| Rear overhang | over 10'undated document · read | None published |
| Gross weight | None published | None published |
The same rules restated in plain sentences26 rules
- Over 12 ft wide on a two-lane route — one front and one rear escort — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 16 ft wide on a two-lane route — two front and two rear escorts — the two-lane and multi-lane width and length tables; the Escort Vehicle Safety Requirements bullet "Use a height pole if the escorted load is fifteen (15) feet or greater." undated document · read
- Over 12 ft wide on a four-lane route — one rear escort — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 14 ft wide on a four-lane route — one front and one rear escort — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 16 ft wide on a four-lane route — two front and two rear escorts — the two-lane and multi-lane width and length tables; the Escort Vehicle Safety Requirements bullet "Use a height pole if the escorted load is fifteen (15) feet or greater." undated document · read
- Over 75 ft long on a two-lane route — one front escort — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 85 ft long on a two-lane route — one front and one rear escort — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 110 ft long on a four-lane route — one rear escort — "A Single Trip permit cost $60. There is an applicable service fee of 4% for credit card or a $3 ACH fee."; "A rear escort is required any time overhang is in excess of 10'"; "Over 110' long a rear is required Over 120' long a front and 2 rear plus a pivot/steerable dolly is required" undated document · read
- Over 120 ft long — one front and two rear escorts, on any route — the two-lane and multi-lane width and length tables; the Escort Vehicle Safety Requirements bullet "Use a height pole if the escorted load is fifteen (15) feet or greater." undated document · read
- Rear overhang over 10 ft — one rear escort — "A Single Trip permit cost $60. There is an applicable service fee of 4% for credit card or a $3 ACH fee."; "A rear escort is required any time overhang is in excess of 10'"; "Over 110' long a rear is required Over 120' long a front and 2 rear plus a pivot/steerable dolly is required" undated document · read
- A load that cannot hold the posted speed needs one more rear escort, which this quote cannot predict — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- At 15 ft high or more — any front escort on the move must run a height pole — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Between 14 ft 11 in and 15 ft high — Kentucky’s regulation and its own portal disagree about the height pole — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 62,000 lb on a Class AA highway — over the maximum 603 KAR 5:066 allows there — Section 1(1)(a)-(c) and Sections 2–5: Class "AAA" 80,000 lb, Class "AA" 62,000 lb, Class "A" 44,000 lb; 20,000 lb single axle; 34,000 lb tandem; the tridem steps; the 700 lb per inch of tire width rule; the bridge weight formula; Section 3(10) the interstate zero-tolerance rule rev. · read
- Over 44,000 lb on a Class A highway — over the maximum 603 KAR 5:066 allows there — Section 1(1)(a)-(c) and Sections 2–5: Class "AAA" 80,000 lb, Class "AA" 62,000 lb, Class "A" 44,000 lb; 20,000 lb single axle; 34,000 lb tandem; the tridem steps; the 700 lb per inch of tire width rule; the bridge weight formula; Section 3(10) the interstate zero-tolerance rule rev. · read
- On a non-designated Kentucky highway, KRS 189.221 sets far lower maxima than the road-classification regulations — (1) "exceeds eleven and one-half (11-1/2) feet in height or ninety-six (96) inches in width"; (2) "twenty-six and one half (26-1/2) feet"; (3) "Any semitrailer truck which exceeds thirty (30) feet"; (4) "exceeds 36,000 pounds gross weight"; the section opens "except those highways designated by the secretary of transportation under the provisions of KRS 189.222" rev. · read
- Over 8 ft wide — legal on the National Truck Network, over the limit off it — Section 3(1)(a)-(d) height 13 ft 6 in, width 8 ft, single unit 45 ft, combination 65 ft; Section 3(2) the transporter overhangs; Section 4(2)(a)-(c) the NTN 102 in, 53 ft towed unit and 28 ft twins; Section 5(2) the 15-mile and 5-mile access corridors rev. · read
- Over 65 ft overall — legal on the National Truck Network, over the limit off it — Section 3(1)(a)-(d) height 13 ft 6 in, width 8 ft, single unit 45 ft, combination 65 ft; Section 3(2) the transporter overhangs; Section 4(2)(a)-(c) the NTN 102 in, 53 ft towed unit and 28 ft twins; Section 5(2) the 15-mile and 5-mile access corridors rev. · read
- Over 96,000 lb — Kentucky’s permit ceiling depends on the axle configuration, which this quote does not know — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Law-enforcement escorts in Kentucky are a discretionary permit condition, not a published threshold — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Kentucky publishes no officer rate, minimum or mileage charge for a police escort — no administrative regulation in Title 502 KAR, and nothing in KRS Chapter 16, states an officer rate, a minimum, a mileage charge or a cancellation charge for a commercial OS/OW escort undated document · read
- Kentucky sets no codified height at which a bucket truck or utility escort becomes mandatory — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Kentucky neither certifies escort-vehicle operators nor recognises another state’s certification — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Over 15 ft 6 in high — Kentucky requires a driven route survey and publishes no fee for reviewing it — "TC 95-625 Overweight or Overdimensional Proposed Route Survey Word PDF" undated document · read
- A Kentucky single-trip permit runs ten days for one move and cannot be amended — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee rev. · read
- Kentucky posts seasonal and emergency weight reductions that a quote cannot see — "The fiscal court of any county may enter into a cooperative agreement with the Transportation Cabinet … over any road in the county road system that has been classified as a maximum weight road" rev. · read
4. Kentucky single-trip permit fees
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Single-trip base | $60rev. · read 601 KAR 1:018 §17(2)(b): "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2);". |
| Transaction / card | 4% of the totalundated document · read "There is an applicable service fee of 4% for credit card or a $3 ACH fee." The card surcharge is recorded because it is the default electronic checkout; a carrier paying by ACH pays a flat $3.00 instead, which is $0.60 more than the card fee on a single $60 permit. |
| Route analysis review | Not yet covered |
| Route with no bridges | Not yet covered |
5. How Kentucky prices overweight
Included in the base permit fee. 601 KAR 1:018 §17(2)(b) sets one payment of sixty dollars for a single-trip overweight OR overdimensional permit. The regulation states no weight-stepped surcharge, no per-mile charge and no per-ton charge anywhere in the fee section, so being overweight adds nothing to the $60.
There is no weight schedule to print, and under this model there is not supposed to be one.
6. Kentucky seasonal posting windows
A permit priced against an unposted-road assumption in March is simply wrong, and wrong in the expensive direction. This is the window we watch, the basis for that window in the state's own orders or statute, and the authority that posts it.
Kentucky is not in the seasonal-restriction registry, so we hold no posting window for it and are not inventing one.
7. Kentucky's superload threshold
Above one of these, the state stops issuing over the counter and prices the move after an engineering review.
| Trigger | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | over 160,000 lbrev. · read 601 KAR 1:018 §7(2)(h): "Seven (7) axle combination units not exceeding 160,000 pounds gross weight." EXCLUSIVE — exactly 160,000 lb is still permittable on seven axles. Above it there is no over-the-counter permit: §7(3) requires "a route and bridge analysis performed by the cabinet's Bridge Preservation Branch" and §7(4) requires that every bridge and road on the route have sufficient capacity. drive.ky.gov caps its annual permits at the same 160,000 lb. |
| Width | None published |
| Height | None published |
| Length | None published |
| Short axle spacing | Not yet covered |
8. Route survey and bridge review
The dimensions at which Kentucky triggers a physical route inspection or an engineering review, and what the agency charges to review it.
| Measurement | Inspection / review trigger |
|---|---|
| Width | Not yet covered |
| Height | over 15'6"rev. · read 601 KAR 1:018 §6(4): "A vehicle and load exceeding (15) feet, (6) inches in height shall submit a completed Overweight or Overdimensional Proposed Route Survey, TC Form 95-625 in addition to TC Form 95-10 to the Division of Motor Carriers." EXCLUSIVE ("exceeding"). |
| Length | Not yet covered |
9. Police escorts
Charges exist and no schedule is published. Neither the Kentucky State Police (502 KAR, KRS Chapter 16) nor the Transportation Cabinet publishes an application fee, hourly officer rate, minimum hours, mileage charge or cancellation charge. The title index was opened and searched.
This is a positive finding: we searched and there is nothing to quote. It is not the same as "no police escort is ever required here".
10. When you can move it
Holiday, curfew and night-travel windows are not yet encoded for Kentucky. The seasonal picture — which is a different question — is in section 6 above.
Why those windows are absent rather than estimated
They are not guessed at here. What we do publish is the seasonal weight-restriction picture, with the date we last read each state's own bulletin — a curfew invented from a plausible pattern is worth less than an honest gap, because a reader cannot tell the two apart on the page.
11. Permit office
The agency behind each figure above is linked from that figure. We publish no per-state permit-office phone number.
Why there is no phone number here
We are not publishing per-state permit-office phone numbers yet, and the reason is worth stating: the two seed lists available for them are both demonstrably stale — the federal one gives two different states the same phone number — and a wrong number on a page like this costs somebody a morning. The agency behind each figure above is linked from that figure, which is the part we can stand behind today.
12. What this does not include
Named rather than gestured at, because each of these can exceed the permit itself. Every item is listed; open one for why it is excluded.
Line haul, fuel and driver time
This is a permit fee, not a freight rate.
Civilian pilot car rates
We hold no rate data, and the two commercial sites that publish market rates disagree by nearly a factor of two on the same service.
Route-survey engineering
The agency's review fee is shown where the state publishes one; the engineer's own fee is a private cost with no schedule.
Bonds and escrow
Set per move by the agency, and in at least one state the escort is billed at actual cost against it.
Utility coordination and line lifts
Arranged with each utility, priced by each utility.
Second-issuer permits
A toll, bridge or city authority inside the same state issues its own permit, and a state total that omits it is missing a whole permit.
Need a pilot car for this lane? Browse the pilot car & escort directory.
13. Every source behind this page (9)
Every document behind Kentucky9 sources
- 502 KAR (Kentucky State Police) — title index, searched for an escort fee schedule — Kentucky State Police, via the Legislative Research Commission — no administrative regulation in Title 502 KAR, and nothing in KRS Chapter 16, states an officer rate, a minimum, a mileage charge or a cancellation charge for a commercial OS/OW escort
undated document · read - 601 KAR 1:018 — Oversize and overweight vehicle permits (effective 2017-07-07) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Vehicle Regulation — Section 1(4) the height-pole definition; Section 2(3) and 2(6) permit validity; Section 6(1) the 13 ft 6 in permit trigger and 6(4) the TC 95-625 route survey over 15 ft 6 in; Section 7(1)(a) the 80,000 lb registered-weight requirement and 7(2)(a)-(h) the permitted axle and configuration caps; Section 11(2) the sign lettering; Section 13(1) the 300 ft escort distance and 13(1)(d) the height pole "in excess of fourteen (14) feet eleven (11) inches"; Section 14(1)-(4) the escort table and 14(5) the discretionary additional escorts; Section 17(2)(b) "A payment of sixty (60) dollars pursuant to KRS 189.270(2)"; Section 17(3)(b) the $250 container annual; the $10 duplicate/transfer fee
rev. · read - 603 KAR 5:066 — Weight limits for state-maintained highways by classification — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways — Section 1(1)(a)-(c) and Sections 2–5: Class "AAA" 80,000 lb, Class "AA" 62,000 lb, Class "A" 44,000 lb; 20,000 lb single axle; 34,000 lb tandem; the tridem steps; the 700 lb per inch of tire width rule; the bridge weight formula; Section 3(10) the interstate zero-tolerance rule
rev. · read - 603 KAR 5:070 — Maximum dimensions and the National Truck Network — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways — Section 3(1)(a)-(d) height 13 ft 6 in, width 8 ft, single unit 45 ft, combination 65 ft; Section 3(2) the transporter overhangs; Section 4(2)(a)-(c) the NTN 102 in, 53 ft towed unit and 28 ft twins; Section 5(2) the 15-mile and 5-mile access corridors
rev. · read - KRS 189.221 — Maximum dimensions and weight on non-designated highways — Kentucky General Assembly, Legislative Research Commission — (1) "exceeds eleven and one-half (11-1/2) feet in height or ninety-six (96) inches in width"; (2) "twenty-six and one half (26-1/2) feet"; (3) "Any semitrailer truck which exceeds thirty (30) feet"; (4) "exceeds 36,000 pounds gross weight"; the section opens "except those highways designated by the secretary of transportation under the provisions of KRS 189.222"
rev. · read - KRS 189.230 — County maximum weight roads and cooperative haulage agreements — Kentucky General Assembly, Legislative Research Commission — "The fiscal court of any county may enter into a cooperative agreement with the Transportation Cabinet … over any road in the county road system that has been classified as a maximum weight road"
rev. · read - KYTC drive.ky.gov — Overweight/Over-Dimensional Frequently Asked Questions (undated) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers — "A Single Trip permit cost $60. There is an applicable service fee of 4% for credit card or a $3 ACH fee."; "A rear escort is required any time overhang is in excess of 10'"; "Over 110' long a rear is required Over 120' long a front and 2 rear plus a pivot/steerable dolly is required"
undated document · read - KYTC drive.ky.gov — OWOD Escort Requirements (undated) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers — the two-lane and multi-lane width and length tables; the Escort Vehicle Safety Requirements bullet "Use a height pole if the escorted load is fifteen (15) feet or greater."
undated document · read - KYTC Forms Library (TC 95) — route survey form TC 95-625 (undated) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet — "TC 95-625 Overweight or Overdimensional Proposed Route Survey Word PDF"
undated document · read
Questions
How much is an oversize permit in Kentucky?
The single-trip base is $60, before the dimension bands, the overweight component and the transaction charge. The base alone is rarely what is paid.
When does Kentucky require a pilot car?
The first width trigger is over 12', and it varies by road class — the figure shown is the lowest across classes.
What is a superload in Kentucky?
Kentucky's published gross-weight superload line is over 160,000 lb. It is not 80,000 lb; that is the federal legal gross limit, not a superload threshold.