How to read a California oversize permit
A Caltrans single trip permit is one page: who and what is moving at the top, size limits in the middle, and the route in the AUTHORIZED HIGHWAYS box near the bottom. The route is one line of highway numbers with a direction letter, like 099N - 050W - 080E, and the permit only counts when you also carry the extra sheets ticked under REQUIRED ACCOMPANIMENTS.
Issued by the California Department of Transportation through Caltrans Transportation Permit System (CTPS). Written from a real permit we read.
How to read the route
The route is the first line in the AUTHORIZED HIGHWAYS box, the one that starts with * from. Read it left to right. Each piece between dashes is the next highway, written as a three-digit number plus a direction letter: 099N is Route 99 north, 050W is US 50 west, 080E is I-80 east. No miles or exit numbers are printed, so you change roads where the two highways meet. The lines under the route are not more turns; they are work-zone limits and closures on part of the route, each with dates and hours.
What's on each page
- Page 1: Everything is on one page: valid dates and permit number, contact and carrier, load and truck description, axle and size limits, origin and destination, the route under AUTHORIZED HIGHWAYS with work-zone notes under it, the pilot car box, and who issued it.
Road names on California permits
| On the permit | Means |
|---|---|
| 099N | State Route 99, northbound |
| 050W | US Highway 50, westbound |
| 080E | Interstate 80, eastbound |
| E/B 080 | Eastbound Interstate 80 (how the restriction notes write it) |
| NV LINE 80 | The Nevada state line on I-80, where the California route ends |
| MONTE VISTA OC | Monte Vista overcrossing, a road bridge over I-80 used as a landmark (Caltrans writes OC for overcrossing) |
| GATEWAY DR W/B ON RAMP | The westbound on-ramp from Gateway Drive, where the route starts |
Where the route starts and ends
The start is written after '* from' as a local street on-ramp: a street name, the ramp direction (W/B for westbound) and ON RAMP. The end is written as the state line on the last highway: 'to NV LINE 80 exit'. The ORIGIN: and DESTINATION: boxes above the route only give a town name and a state name, not the exact points.
Conditions to watch for
Travel days and hours
The permit is good for seven days in a row, but the hours you may drive are in the separate 24/7 Special Conditions sheet, not on this page. On this permit the NO NIGHT TRAVEL box is not ticked.
“PERMIT VALID FOR SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS. SEE 24/7 TRAVEL CONDITIONS FOR AUTHORIZED TIMES OF MOVEMENT.”
Extra sheets you must carry
Three accompaniments are ticked: Permit Conditions 2007, 24/7 Special Conditions and the Sacramento Area Curfew Map. Keep them in the cab with the permit.
“THIS PERMIT IS VALID ONLY WHEN IT INCLUDES ALL REQUIRED ACCOMPANIMENTS”
City and county roads
Where the route shows a *, you may also need a city or county permit. On this permit the route line starts and ends with a *.
“City and/or County permits may be required whenever the * is shown in the route.”
Width limit in a work zone
On eastbound I-80 from Monte Vista overcrossing to Drum Forebay, width is capped at 11 ft 0 in on the listed dates from 6 AM to 6 PM, with a note that Friday and Saturday are restricted until 11 AM. This load is 11 ft 11 in wide, so it has to pass that stretch outside those hours.
“E/B 080 FROM MONTE VISTA OC TO DRUM FOREBAY RESTRICTION - MAX WIDTH 11-0”
Road closure
The same stretch of eastbound I-80 has a full mainline closure on the permit's first day, from 6 AM to 11 AM.
“MAINLINE CLOSURE - 05/02/2026 THRU 05/02/2026, 0600 TO 1100 HRS”
Pilot car
No pilot car is required on this permit: the No box is ticked.
Easy to miss
- Highway numbers have no I-, US- or SR- in front and are padded to three digits: 080E is I-80 east, 050W is US 50 west, 099N is Route 99 north.
- The lines under the route that start with E/B 080 are not more turns. They are work-zone limits and closures on part of your route, each with its own dates and hours.
- The hours you may drive are not on this page. They are in the 24/7 Special Conditions sheet ticked under REQUIRED ACCOMPANIMENTS, and the permit is not valid without the ticked sheets.
- ORIGIN: and DESTINATION: only name a town and a state. The real start and end are in the route line: the on-ramp after '* from' and the Nevada line on I-80.
Questions
How long is a California single trip oversize permit good for?
Seven days in a row. This permit prints PERMIT VALID FOR SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS with FROM and TO dates in the top right, and Caltrans says single trip permits are valid for seven consecutive days.
What does the * mean in a Caltrans permit route?
The AUTHORIZED HIGHWAYS heading says city and/or county permits may be required wherever the * is shown in the route. On this permit the route line starts and ends with a *.
What are required accompaniments on a California transportation permit?
They are extra condition sheets and maps ticked in the REQUIRED ACCOMPANIMENTS box. Here they are Permit Conditions 2007, 24/7 Special Conditions and the Sacramento Area Curfew Map, and the permit says it is valid only when it includes all of them.
Your permit is the legal document; follow everything it says. Permits change, and yours may differ from the ones we read.Last checked October 2026.