Kentucky vs Tennessee Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Kentucky and Tennessee: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-75, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Kentucky and Tennessee border
- Legal height
- Both states use the same legal height, 13 ft 6 in.
- First pilot car
- Kentucky requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Tennessee waits until 12 ft 7 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Kentucky only.
- Second pilot car
- Tennessee adds a second escort at 13 ft 7 in wide; Kentucky at 14 ft 0 in.
- Height pole
- Kentucky requires a height-pole escort from 14 ft 11 in; Tennessee from 15 ft 1 in.
Check one load against both states
Kentucky
- Oversize permit required
- No width escort
Tennessee
- 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 | Kentucky | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 13 ft 6 in | 13 ft 6 in |
| Legal length | Max 53 ft trailer on interstates, parkways and designated highways; 65 ft overall (truck, trailer and load) on non-designated highways. Car haulers 14 ft height. | Straight truck 45 ft; straight truck with trailer 65 ft; tractor-semitrailer 50 ft kingpin to rear of trailer (52 ft autos/livestock); twin trailers 28.5 ft each; no overall tractor-trailer cap listed. |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs | 80,000 lbs |
| First pilot car at | 12 ft 0 in | 12 ft 7 in |
| Second pilot car at | 14 ft 0 in | 13 ft 7 in |
| Height pole at | 14 ft 11 in | 15 ft 1 in |
| Length escort at | 110 ft 0 in | 90 ft 1 in |
| Travel hours | OW/OD moves (except mobile homes) may travel 24 hours a day unless otherwise noted on the permit. Mobile homes: Monday-Saturday daylight hours only. No travel in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Fayette and Jefferson counties or at the Owensboro KY 2155 bridge Mon-Fri 7-9 am and 4-6 pm. | Loads not requiring escorts: continuous (24/7) travel. Escorted loads must observe rush-hour county curfews, Mon-Fri 7-9 am and 4-6 pm in Davidson, Rutherford, Knox, Shelby and Hamilton counties. Superloads, houseboats and mobile homes: daylight only; site-built houses daylight only unless local authorities stipulate night. |
| Weekends | 7 days a week allowed for OW/OD loads unless noted on the permit; mobile homes may not move on Sunday. | No general weekend restriction; non-escorted loads travel continuously. Escorted travel is restricted around holiday weekends (see holiday). |
| Trip permit | Fee not confirmed | $30.00 |
| Permit office | Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Motor Carriers - Overweight/Over-Dimensional Permits | (615) 741-3821 (TDOT OS/OW Permit Office) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Kentucky, Tennessee
- Full guides: Kentucky, Tennessee
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Kentucky and Tennessee FAQs
- Do Kentucky and Tennessee require pilot cars at the same width?
- Kentucky requires a pilot car from 12 ft 0 in wide; Tennessee waits until 12 ft 7 in. A load between those widths needs an escort in Kentucky only.
- Is the legal truck height the same in Kentucky and Tennessee?
- Both states use the same legal height, 13 ft 6 in.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Kentucky and Tennessee?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Motor Carriers - Overweight/Over-Dimensional Permits and one from TDOT OS/OW Permit Office, each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Kentucky and Tennessee?
- Kentucky: OW/OD moves (except mobile homes) may travel 24 hours a day unless otherwise noted on the permit. Mobile homes: Monday-Saturday daylight hours only. No travel in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Fayette and Jefferson counties or at the Owensboro KY 2155 bridge Mon-Fri 7-9 am and 4-6 pm. Tennessee: Loads not requiring escorts: continuous (24/7) travel. Escorted loads must observe rush-hour county curfews, Mon-Fri 7-9 am and 4-6 pm in Davidson, Rutherford, Knox, Shelby and Hamilton counties. Superloads, houseboats and mobile homes: daylight only; site-built houses daylight only unless local authorities stipulate night. 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.