Texas weight and permits: what should dispatch verify?

Start with the actual truck and load

TxDMV’s legal-weight table lists 80,000 pounds gross, 20,000 for a single axle, and 34,000 for a tandem, subject to configuration and spacing requirements. Those figures do not mean every vehicle can carry 80,000 pounds. Use the applicable permissible-weight table and check axle distribution. Dimensions include the vehicle and load; height is measured from the roadbed to the highest point.

As a dispatch practice, keep the scale ticket, equipment configuration, measured dimensions, and proposed route together. A customer’s estimated product weight is a planning input. It does not establish the actual loaded axle weights.

Choose the permit that fits the movement

TxDMV distinguishes non-divisible single-trip movements from permits for other work, including divisible commodities and qualifying intermodal movements. Oversize or overweight movements need the applicable permit and authorized route before travel. Use TxPROS and TxDMV’s current permit guidance to check eligibility.

Ask four questions before releasing the load: Does this permit cover the commodity? Does it cover this equipment? Is it effective for this movement? Does it authorize the route you intend to use?

Moving a heavy international container? Read the Texas intermodal port permit guide for 93,000 and 100,000-pound combinations.

Can a Texas tolerance permit be used on an Interstate?

The annual Over Axle/Over Gross Weight Tolerance Permit generally excludes the Interstate Highway System and is limited to the selected counties. TxDMV describes a specific allowance for certain roadway segments redesignated as I-69. Do not extend that allowance to every Interstate. Verify the exact segment and permit conditions.

This permit also requires Texas legal size limits. Posted bridges have separate restrictions, with a narrowly described access exception. A tolerance permit is not a general exemption from other legal requirements.

Example: the route changed after loading

A dispatcher plans a divisible load using a tolerance permit, then a detour sends it onto an Interstate. Stop and verify the changed route before approving it. An active permit and a paid fee do not establish that the detour is authorized. Record who checked the route and what instructions were given to the driver.

A useful release checklist

• Confirm actual dimensions, gross weight, axle weights, and equipment identifiers.
• Match the permit type and conditions to the load and movement.
• Check authorized roads, selected counties, bridges, clearances, and any movement restrictions.
• Give the driver the applicable permit and route instructions.
• Recheck the plan if the load, equipment, or route changes.

This checklist is a proposed workflow. It does not authorize a movement or replace the permit’s conditions. PassPro can help organize the records and questions for a permit review; TxDMV issues the permit.

Official sources

• TxDMV — permit types and application guidance
• TxDMV — Texas size and weight limits
• TxDMV — annual tolerance permit conditions
• TxDMV — permit compliance