Tennessee Oversize / Overweight Permit Requirements
Legal-without-permit dimension limits, escort and pilot car thresholds, height pole rules, daylight-only windows, and holiday restrictions for Tennessee oversize moves.
Legal limits without a permit
In Tennessee, you can move a load without an OSOW permit up to these dimensions on the Interstate and designated highways. Anything over the limits requires a permit (and may require escorts — see below).
| Dimension | Without a permit | Permit required when |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 8′6″ (federal limit) | Anything wider |
| Height | 13′6″ | Anything taller |
| Combo length | 75′0″ | Anything longer |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lb | Anything heavier |
Escort and pilot car thresholds
When permitted, the following escort or movement-restriction rules apply in Tennessee. Thresholds are conservative — your specific permit conditions may impose tighter limits depending on the route.
| Trigger | Dimension | Threshold | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front pilot car | Length | 120'1" | Length over 120'1": 1 front + 1 rear escort on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Rear pilot car | Length | 120'1" | Length over 120'1": 1 front + 1 rear escort on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Rear pilot car | Length | 90 ft | Length 90–120 ft: 1 rear escort required on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Police escort | Width | 18 ft | Width over 18 ft or height over 17 ft may require Tennessee Highway Patrol escort (2–3 troopers); determined by permit office. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 17 ft | Over 17 ft up to 18 ft wide: 2 front + 1 rear escort on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 17 ft | Over 17 ft up to 18 ft wide: 2 front + 1 rear escort on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Height pole | Height | 15 ft | Height over 15 ft: 1 front escort with height pole required on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 13'6" | Over 13'6" wide: 1 front + 1 rear on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 13'6" | Over 13'6" wide: 1 front + 1 rear on both 2-lane and 4+-lane highways. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 12'6" | 12'6"–13'6" wide: 1 front on 2-lane; 1 rear on 4+-lane highways. |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 12'6" | 12'6"–13'6" wide on 4+-lane: 1 rear escort required. |
| Daylight-only movement | Width | 12'6" | Loads over 12'6" wide restricted 7–9am and 4–6pm Mon–Fri in Davidson, Hamilton, Shelby, Knox, and Rutherford counties. |
| Weekend / holiday restriction | Width | 12'6" | Escorted loads restricted noon preceding through end of Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. |
Stop tracking these rules by hand.
OverSizeTMS encodes the per-state escort and dimension rules for every state plus DC. Enter the load dimensions and route, and the platform tells you which permits, escorts, and time windows apply automatically.
See how it works →Last updated 2026-06-06. Cross-checked against the state admin code.