Maryland vs Pennsylvania Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Maryland and Pennsylvania: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-70, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Maryland and Pennsylvania border
- Legal height
- Both states use the same legal height, 13 ft 6 in.
- First pilot car
- Both states require the first pilot car at 13 ft 0 in wide.
Check one load against both states
Maryland
- Oversize permit required
- No width escort
Pennsylvania
- 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 | Maryland | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 13 ft 6 in | 13 ft 6 in |
| Legal length | Semi-trailers over 48 ft up to 53 ft are allowed on interstates and the Maryland truck route system; indivisible loads over 70 ft need a permit (pilings, poles and mill logs over 75 ft); load extensions max 3 ft front and 6 ft rear. | Single vehicle 40 ft; single trailer towed by a truck or tractor 53 ft; two-trailer combinations 28.5 ft each trailer; no overall length limit for tractor-semitrailer. |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs | 80,000 lbs |
| First pilot car at | 13 ft 0 in | 13 ft 0 in |
| Second pilot car at | 14 ft 0 in | Not confirmed |
| Height pole at | 14 ft 6 in | 14 ft 6 in |
| Length escort at | 85 ft 0 in | 90 ft 0 in |
| Travel hours | Loads up to and including 225k GVW, 13 ft 11 in wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 139 ft long may move 24/7. Loads 14 ft wide or more: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on any highway. Superloads (over 150,000 lb): day moves 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., night moves 8:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. Toll, bridge and tunnel curfews noted on permit. | Not permitted sunset to sunrise. In urbanized areas only 3-7:30 a.m. (with extra lighting and pilot cars front and rear), 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and 7 p.m. to sunset; tunnels in Allegheny County 9 a.m.-4 p.m. |
| Weekends | No weekend ban stated on the SHA page; curfews noted on the permit apply. | No movement Saturday after 12 noon or any time Sunday (67 Pa. Code 179.10(7)); PA Turnpike has its own rules. |
| Trip permit | Fee not confirmed | $73.00 |
| Permit office | 1-800-846-6435 (MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA) Hauling Permit Office) | PennDOT Central Permit Office (Hauling Permits) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Maryland, Pennsylvania
- Full guides: Maryland, Pennsylvania
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Maryland and Pennsylvania FAQs
- Do Maryland and Pennsylvania require pilot cars at the same width?
- Both states require the first pilot car at 13 ft 0 in wide.
- Is the legal truck height the same in Maryland and Pennsylvania?
- Both states use the same legal height, 13 ft 6 in.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Maryland and Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA) Hauling Permit Office and one from PennDOT Central Permit Office (Hauling Permits), each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Maryland and Pennsylvania?
- Maryland: Loads up to and including 225k GVW, 13 ft 11 in wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 139 ft long may move 24/7. Loads 14 ft wide or more: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on any highway. Superloads (over 150,000 lb): day moves 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., night moves 8:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. Toll, bridge and tunnel curfews noted on permit. Pennsylvania: Not permitted sunset to sunrise. In urbanized areas only 3-7:30 a.m. (with extra lighting and pilot cars front and rear), 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and 7 p.m. to sunset; tunnels in Allegheny County 9 a.m.-4 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.