State Legal Loads may safely use any of our highways and bridges. Some routes and many bridges must be load-posted to protect them from possible damage. Truck loads in Texas are considered legal if the gross load, axle load, axle configuration, length, and width are within the current size and weight laws or rules. The applicable laws are contained in the current volume of the

Texas Transportation Code Chapter 621 and 622.

¹ See Section 623.0111 of the

Texas Transportation Code

for permit fees for selected numbers of counties, and see Section 201.8035 for requirements related to the notification of off-system municipalities and counties of deficient bridges.

The laws also provide for additional rules and regulations regarding truck weights and configurations as may be formulated by the Texas Transportation Commission.

In general, the laws require that the maximum gross load on any truck cannot exceed 80,000 lbs., the maximum load on any pair of tandem axles cannot exceed 34,000 lbs., and the maximum load on any single axle cannot exceed 20,000 lbs. Total length must not exceed 65 feet and total width must not exceed 96 inches. In 1989 the Texas Legislature enabled truck owners to pay an annual fee to allow their gross legal loads to be increased by 5 percent with any individual maximum axle load increased by 10 percent.² This portion of the Transportation Code was amended during the 77th Legislative Session to restrict vehicles possessing a permit of this type from crossing load restricted bridges unless the bridge is the only vehicular access.

There are other legal loads, sometimes referred to as Bonded Trucks, such as ready-mix trucks, utility-pole trucks, garbage trucks, mobile cranes, oil well servicing equipment, etc., that have special rules passed by the legislature allowing special categories of loads and lengths exceeding the normal limits for trucks.

Many State Legal Loads do not have a greater effect on bridges than the HS-20 and HL-93 design load.