Oversize without permits, arguments against.

Ok big boy · Jan 10, 2026

Liberal, Kan. man killed in Seward County crash, KHP looking for witnesses
Riding dirty with O.D. Really?

Espressolane · Jan 10, 2026

Do us a favor, post the name of the company so we can watch the auction sites for some low cost equipment prices.

OlegMel · Jan 10, 2026

eggo said: ↑

Howdy, all.

I work for a small “mom & pops” trucking company and my boss just scored a sweet contract hauling oversize loads across states. We are all new to this, including the boss, who has been floating the ideas of running without permits or running outside of daylight hours. He’s been talking to a couple guys who “do it all the time”.

I am not comfortable with this at all. It sounds like a good way to jeopardize my CDL or create an accident, and just in general seems unfair to the other truckers who do follow the laws. But before I draw the line in the sand with him, I’d like to try to persuade him, as he is brand new to oversize himself, and probably has some misconceptions about how bad things could get legally.

My question to some of you guys who have experience with oversize loads is what are some good reasons you would pitch to a boss for why he should run legal. A couple I could think of are:

1. Legality: Obviously it’s a ticket with a steep fine if the driver gets caught. And I’m sure points on the license. Could it include getting one’s CDL revoked? Or permission to haul future loads revoked, at least?

2. Liability: I’ve heard that if a driver is improperly using personal conveyance, and is in an accident, even if he is not really at fault, in the eyes of the law, he now shares some responsibility because he was in violation of the law while driving. If this is even true, would the same apply to a driver of an oversize load who is driving in a place or at a time he is not supposed to be, especially without a permit?

I am in a difficult situation here because it is a really sweet contract but I also don’t want to do anything that could see my license revoked or go to prison. And the boss is not pushy or a jerk or anything, he’s just trying to figure this out himself and has been having the wrong people put the wrong ideas in his head.

I’m hopeful that some of you guys (and gals) out there who do pay the permit fees and run legal, and who maybe don’t appreciate seeing other drivers undercut you by breaking the laws, could give me some good, solid data to back me up with some ammunition (legal penalties, maybe news stories of truckers who became liable in an accident that wasn’t their fault related to not having permits).

Or maybe I’m just worried about nothing and this is, in fact, normal in the industry lol.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

eggo said: ↑

Howdy, all.

I work for a small “mom & pops” trucking company and my boss just scored a sweet contract hauling oversize loads across states. We are all new to this, including the boss, who has been floating the ideas of running without permits or running outside of daylight hours. He’s been talking to a couple guys who “do it all the time”.

I am not comfortable with this at all. It sounds like a good way to jeopardize my CDL or create an accident, and just in general seems unfair to the other truckers who do follow the laws. But before I draw the line in the sand with him, I’d like to try to persuade him, as he is brand new to oversize himself, and probably has some misconceptions about how bad things could get legally.

My question to some of you guys who have experience with oversize loads is what are some good reasons you would pitch to a boss for why he should run legal. A couple I could think of are:

1. Legality: Obviously it’s a ticket with a steep fine if the driver gets caught. And I’m sure points on the license. Could it include getting one’s CDL revoked? Or permission to haul future loads revoked, at least?

2. Liability: I’ve heard that if a driver is improperly using personal conveyance, and is in an accident, even if he is not really at fault, in the eyes of the law, he now shares some responsibility because he was in violation of the law while driving. If this is even true, would the same apply to a driver of an oversize load who is driving in a place or at a time he is not supposed to be, especially without a permit?

I am in a difficult situation here because it is a really sweet contract but I also don’t want to do anything that could see my license revoked or go to prison. And the boss is not pushy or a jerk or anything, he’s just trying to figure this out himself and has been having the wrong people put the wrong ideas in his head.

I’m hopeful that some of you guys (and gals) out there who do pay the permit fees and run legal, and who maybe don’t appreciate seeing other drivers undercut you by breaking the laws, could give me some good, solid data to back me up with some ammunition (legal penalties, maybe news stories of truckers who became liable in an accident that wasn’t their fault related to not having permits).

Or maybe I’m just worried about nothing and this is, in fact, normal in the industry lol.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

tell the boss man you’re up for it, however you need $800 a day to do it. And if you get pulled over you’re abandoning the truck and running off into the field. If he wants to play stupid games with you than play stupid games with him….. make a contract for ####s and giggles saying just that for him and see how his stupid ### reacts.

roundhouse · Jan 10, 2026

On 275 around Cincinnati, there’s a curfew in the mile and a half it runs through Indiana, but no curfew in Ohio

and a lot of
Times the Indy highway patrol
Would sit there and snag oversize loads

kylefitzy · Jan 11, 2026

roundhouse said: ↑

On 275 around Cincinnati, there’s a curfew in the mile and a half it runs through Indiana, but no curfew in Ohio

and a lot of
Times the Indy highway patrol
Would sit there and snag oversize loads
Click to expand...

Maybe you mean no weekend travel for certain size loads in Indiana? There’s definitely curfews in Kentucky and Ohio around Cincinnati. Indiana does not have rush hour curfews to my knowledge.

Razororange · Jan 11, 2026

kylefitzy said: ↑

Maybe you mean no weekend travel for certain size loads in Indiana? There’s definitely curfews in Kentucky and Ohio around Cincinnati. Indiana does not have rush hour curfews to my knowledge.
Click to expand...

You are correct. Definitely no restrictions in Indiana unless you are real big.

blairandgretchen · Jan 11, 2026

eggo said: ↑

Update: I talked to boss, citing some of the reasons and examples shared here, and he agrees. Everything will be above-board.

So to everyone who helped: A big thanks!

To everyone who was angry that I asked: Have a better day, I guess? lol

Some of my own research also revealed that if a boss tried to retaliate against a driver for refusing such a load without permits, the driver could have a good lawsuit against the company. I’m kind of surprised nobody mentioned that. Hopefully that’s a sign of how rare this sort of thing even comes up.
Click to expand...

Glad we had the conversation - I honestly thought you were a troll poster at the start. That, in itself, is scary - that I have become so oblivious to industry wide recklessness.

Razororange said: ↑

Nobody was angry with you for asking. The situation you described is unfortunately very common. People who don't care to understand the legal way of doing OS/OW freight will under bid those of us who try to do it right and then go along and damage infrastructure or hurt innocent people.

It's good you did ask and I hope your boss truly does keep it legal. Most people would've just went on their way blissfully ignorant.

I've quoted loads and didn't get them because somebody came in and submitted a quote for less than my permit+fuel costs. Nevermind paying for equipment or the driver. I knew they were doing it 100% illegal but there was nothing I could do but inform the customer and wish them the best of luck.
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This younger fella here I have met personally, and explains things far more succinctly than I more often than not. He is a professional, that presents himself and acts as an operator to look up to.

TripleSix said: ↑

One of the more difficult aspects of OSOW is that OSOW isn’t covered in the green and white Bible. Thus some of the restrictions can be as Braindead as they come. For example, 10 years ago, if you had a piece of equipment with a blade overhanging the side, like a road grader, Alabama required a pilot car. Little corner of a blade hanging over the side of the trailer and suddenly you have to pay for a pilot car expense. Or how Kentucky would let alow running at night when every other state surrounding Kentucky had weekend curfews, but Kentucky required a pilot car on a 2 lane for an 11 wide. Your mirrors are 11 wide…why do you need a pilot car? So, if you were on the bigroad, but your receiver was 1/4 mile off the exit, do you hire a pilot car or do you bootleg 1/4 mile?

But this was different. Bootlegging an entire contract? Has to be extremely cheap freight. Want to know what it looks like when the State boys find out? Smokey bear sitting on the common oversized route waiting for that black and yellow banner. For example, in West Virginia, OSOW may be restricted from the toll road. They will route all up US19. There will be certain days where they will pull every oversized, looking for permits. Michigan does it above the Mackinac bridge. Florida, all around Leesburg, Wildwood and Orlando. Your POEs in New Mexico, Arizona,Wyoming, Montana, Utah…etc. After Smokey checks your permit, he says, “You wouldn’t believe the number of guys that try to run without permits.”

OP, congrats on getting the permit thing worked out. The next obstacle that you and boss will bang heads over will be the non divisible load clause for a permit to be valid. My instincts tell me that this will be a tougher obstacle to overcome.
Click to expand...

All agreed points 6. There is no 'little green bible' when it comes to OD/OW freight that encompasses the states. There's a lot of digging to be done, and many loosely buried mines in the sand for those that don't care to look. But it never hurts to ask the questions.

booley · Jan 12, 2026

wore out said: ↑

What’s a permit….
Click to expand...

Oxbow · Jan 12, 2026

truckdad said: ↑

I'd like to read this "sweet contract"
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm curious if the price of the contract is based on the cost of doing things legally or not.

Tug Toy · Jan 23, 2026

If the loads don’t pay enough to do them legally then they don’t pay enough… period!!!

Now, have found myself in a couple of situations where I tried to do it “right” but finally bootlegged a part of it because the legit options evaporated… But, I have never intentionally took a load with the intention of doing it incorrectly…

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