Ohio vs Pennsylvania Oversize Load Rules
What changes for an oversize load between Ohio and Pennsylvania: legal height, pilot car triggers, height poles and travel hours.
I-70, I-80, I-90, reviewed October 2026
What changes at the Ohio 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
Ohio
- 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 | Ohio | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Legal height | 13 ft 6 in | 13 ft 6 in |
| Legal length | Semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination 53 ft (ORC 5577.05); combination length limits not captured here. | 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 6 in | Not confirmed |
| Height pole at | 14 ft 6 in | 14 ft 6 in |
| Length escort at | 90 ft 0 in | 90 ft 0 in |
| Travel hours | Daylight only, one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Loads over 12 ft wide are barred 6:30-9:00 am and 4:30-6:00 pm Monday to Friday in 22 listed counties (including Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Summit, Montgomery, Lucas). | 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 | Loads over 12 ft wide: no movement Saturday 3 pm to one-half hour before sunrise Sunday, Sunday 3 pm to one-half hour before sunrise Monday, and Friday 3 pm to one-half hour before sunrise Saturday (April 1 to November 30). Narrower loads may move Sunday through Saturday in daylight. | No movement Saturday after 12 noon or any time Sunday (67 Pa. Code 179.10(7)); PA Turnpike has its own rules. |
| Trip permit | $15.00 | $73.00 |
| Permit office | 614-351-2300 (ODOT Special Hauling Permits Office) | PennDOT Central Permit Office (Hauling Permits) |
Go deeper
- Pilot car detail: Ohio, Pennsylvania
- Full guides: Ohio, Pennsylvania
- Running through both without local plates? Estimate the trip permit cost
- Moving over a holiday? Check holiday restrictions
Ohio and Pennsylvania FAQs
- Do Ohio 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 Ohio and Pennsylvania?
- Both states use the same legal height, 13 ft 6 in.
- Do I need a separate permit for each state between Ohio and Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, so a move through both needs a permit from ODOT Special Hauling Permits Office and one from PennDOT Central Permit Office (Hauling Permits), each with its own route, hours and escort conditions.
- Which travel hours apply in Ohio and Pennsylvania?
- Ohio: Daylight only, one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Loads over 12 ft wide are barred 6:30-9:00 am and 4:30-6:00 pm Monday to Friday in 22 listed counties (including Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Summit, Montgomery, Lucas). 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.