Iowa vs Missouri Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Iowa and Missouri: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-35, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Iowa and Missouri border
- Legal height
- Missouri allows 14 ft 0 in without a permit; Iowa stops at 13 ft 6 in. A load between the two is legal in Missouri and needs a permit in Iowa.
- First pilot car
- Iowa requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Missouri waits until 12 ft 6 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Iowa only.
- Height pole
- Iowa requires a height-pole escort from 14 ft 6 in; Missouri from 15 ft 6 in.
Check one load against both states
Iowa
- Oversize permit required
- No width escort
Missouri
- 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 | Iowa | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 13 ft 6 in | 14 ft 0 in |
| Legal length | Single vehicle 45 ft; trailer or semitrailer 53 ft (57 ft lowboy for construction equipment); see Iowa Code 321.457 for combination limits. | Trailer and load 53 ft; truck-trailer combination 65 ft; auto/boat transporter 75 ft (80 ft stinger-steered) plus overhangs; towed units 65 ft; single units 45 ft. Tractor-semitrailer overall limit not clearly stated. |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs | 80,000 lbs |
| First pilot car at | 12 ft 0 in | 12 ft 6 in |
| Second pilot car at | Not confirmed | 16 ft 0 in |
| Height pole at | 14 ft 6 in | 15 ft 6 in |
| Length escort at | 120 ft 0 in | 125 ft 0 in |
| Travel hours | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. Night movement allowed (1/2 hr after sunset to 1/2 hr before sunrise) for loads up to 12 ft wide, 14'6" high, 100 ft long with legal axle weights and extra lighting/escort conditions. | One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Night movement allowed for loads up to 12 ft 6 in wide, legal height and up to 110 ft long. Mon-Fri curfews in St. Louis, St. Charles, Kansas City and Springfield metro (about 6:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.; KC and Springfield 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.). |
| Weekends | No general weekend ban; daylight movement 7 days a week except holiday weekends. Holiday weekend means the holiday falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. | Since March 31, 2025 loads up to 16 ft wide may travel on weekends. No Saturday/Sunday movement in Lake of the Ozarks (May 25-Labor Day) and Branson (May 1-Nov 30) areas. |
| Trip permit | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| Permit office | 515-237-3264 (Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Division, Oversize/Overweight Permits) | 1-866-831-6277 (MoDOT Motor Carrier Services) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Iowa, Missouri
- Full guides: Iowa, Missouri
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Iowa and Missouri FAQs
- Do Iowa and Missouri require pilot cars at the same width?
- Iowa requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Missouri waits until 12 ft 6 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Iowa only.
- Is the legal truck height the same in Iowa and Missouri?
- Missouri allows 14 ft 0 in without a permit; Iowa stops at 13 ft 6 in. A load between the two is legal in Missouri and needs a permit in Iowa.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Iowa and Missouri?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Division, Oversize/Overweight Permits and one from MoDOT Motor Carrier Services, each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Iowa and Missouri?
- Iowa: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. Night movement allowed (1/2 hr after sunset to 1/2 hr before sunrise) for loads up to 12 ft wide, 14'6" high, 100 ft long with legal axle weights and extra lighting/escort conditions. Missouri: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Night movement allowed for loads up to 12 ft 6 in wide, legal height and up to 110 ft long. Mon-Fri curfews in St. Louis, St. Charles, Kansas City and Springfield metro (about 6:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.; KC and Springfield 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.). 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.