Kansas vs Missouri Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Kansas and Missouri: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-35, I-70, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Kansas and Missouri border
- Legal height
- Both states use the same legal height, 14 ft 0 in.
- First pilot car
- Missouri requires a pilot car from 12 ft 6 in wide; Kansas waits until 14 ft 0 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Missouri only.
- Second pilot car
- Kansas adds a second escort at 14 ft 0 in wide; Missouri at 16 ft 0 in.
- Height pole
- Missouri sets a height-pole trigger at 15 ft 6 in; Kansas does not publish one, so check the permit.
Check one load against both states
Kansas
- 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 | Kansas | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 14 ft 0 in | 14 ft 0 in |
| Legal length | Single motor vehicle 45 ft; semitrailer behind a truck tractor up to 59.5 ft; other vehicle combinations 65 ft overall (K.S.A. 8-1904). Permit needed for indivisible loads over 85 ft total. | 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 | 14 ft 0 in | 12 ft 6 in |
| Second pilot car at | 14 ft 0 in | 16 ft 0 in |
| Height pole at | Not confirmed | 15 ft 6 in |
| Length escort at | Not confirmed | 125 ft 0 in |
| Travel hours | Overdimensional loads: daylight only (K.S.A. 8-1911 bars movement from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise; also not when visibility is under 1/2 mile or roads are icy/snow packed). Overweight-only loads may move at night. Permit may restrict peak hours (7-9 am, 4-6:30 pm) in Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee, Topeka and Wichita, except for pickups/deliveries in those cities. | 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 weekend restriction; KAR 36-1-36(m) allows movement every day of the year. | 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 | Fee not confirmed | $10.00 |
| Permit office | 785-368-6501 (Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Central Permit Office via K-TRIPS) | 1-866-831-6277 (MoDOT Motor Carrier Services) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Kansas, Missouri
- Full guides: Kansas, Missouri
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Kansas and Missouri FAQs
- Do Kansas and Missouri require pilot cars at the same width?
- Missouri requires a pilot car from 12 ft 6 in wide; Kansas waits until 14 ft 0 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Missouri only.
- Is the legal truck height the same in Kansas and Missouri?
- Both states use the same legal height, 14 ft 0 in.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Kansas and Missouri?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Central Permit Office via K-TRIPS and one from MoDOT Motor Carrier Services, each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Kansas and Missouri?
- Kansas: Overdimensional loads: daylight only (K.S.A. 8-1911 bars movement from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise; also not when visibility is under 1/2 mile or roads are icy/snow packed). Overweight-only loads may move at night. Permit may restrict peak hours (7-9 am, 4-6:30 pm) in Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee, Topeka and Wichita, except for pickups/deliveries in those cities. 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.