Arizona vs California Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Arizona and California: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-10, I-40, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Arizona and California border
- Legal height
- Both states use the same legal height, 14 ft 0 in.
- First pilot car
- California requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Arizona waits until 14 ft 0 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in California only.
- Height pole
- Arizona sets a height-pole trigger at 15 ft 0 in; California does not publish one, so check the permit.
Check one load against both states
Arizona
- Oversize permit required
- No width escort
California
- Oversize permit required
- No width escort
11 ft 0 in wide, 14 ft 0 in tall. Length is not checked here.
Side by side
| Rule | Arizona | California |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 14 ft 0 in | 14 ft 0 in |
| Legal length | Single vehicle 40 ft; semitrailer in tractor-semitrailer 57 ft 6 in; truck-semitrailer combination 65 ft overall (A.R.S. 28-1095, with exceptions); each unit of doubles 28 ft 6 in. | Semitrailer 48 ft (53 ft if kingpin to rearmost axle is 40 ft or less); semitrailers/trailers in doubles 28 ft 6 in each; kingpin-to-rear-axle 40 ft on California Legal routes (CVC 35400-35401.5). |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs | 80,000 lbs |
| First pilot car at | 14 ft 0 in | 12 ft 0 in |
| Second pilot car at | Not confirmed | 15 ft 0 in |
| Height pole at | 15 ft 0 in | Not confirmed |
| Length escort at | Not confirmed | 120 ft 0 in |
| Travel hours | Loads over 10 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high, or over 120 ft long move from 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset; night movement from 3:00 a.m. allowed for 10-16 ft wide / 14 ft 6 in-16 ft high loads on non-holiday nights with required escorts (R17-6-401, 402); metro curfews apply over 10 ft wide. | Yellow routes: 24/7. Green routes with pilot car: daylight to 15 ft wide, darkness to 14 ft wide. Blue/brown routes with pilot car: daylight only on weekdays, no darkness. Loads over 10 ft wide are barred weekdays in curfew zones (LA, SD, SF, Sacramento). Darkness is 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise. |
| Weekends | Saturday and Sunday movement allowed on non-holiday weekends for loads 10-16 ft wide (R17-6-402), subject to route Table 4 and escort requirements. | Yellow and green routes: weekends allowed (same width limits as weekdays). Blue and brown routes with pilot car: Saturday and Sunday only from 30 min before sunrise to 12 noon. Loads without a pilot car may travel 24/7. |
| Trip permit | $5.00 | Fee not confirmed |
| Permit office | ADOT Motor Vehicle Division - Enforcement and Compliance, Commercial Vehicle Permits | 916-322-1297 (Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch)) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Arizona, California
- Full guides: Arizona, California
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Arizona and California FAQs
- Do Arizona and California require pilot cars at the same width?
- California requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Arizona waits until 14 ft 0 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in California only.
- Is the legal truck height the same in Arizona and California?
- Both states use the same legal height, 14 ft 0 in.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Arizona and California?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from ADOT Motor Vehicle Division - Enforcement and Compliance, Commercial Vehicle Permits and one from Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch), each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Arizona and California?
- Arizona: Loads over 10 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high, or over 120 ft long move from 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset; night movement from 3:00 a.m. allowed for 10-16 ft wide / 14 ft 6 in-16 ft high loads on non-holiday nights with required escorts (R17-6-401, 402); metro curfews apply over 10 ft wide. California: Yellow routes: 24/7. Green routes with pilot car: daylight to 15 ft wide, darkness to 14 ft wide. Blue/brown routes with pilot car: daylight only on weekdays, no darkness. Loads over 10 ft wide are barred weekdays in curfew zones (LA, SD, SF, Sacramento). Darkness is 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise. The conditions printed on the permit control.
Compiled from each state's published permit rules, reviewed October 2026. Not legal advice; the conditions printed on your permit control.