How to read a Missouri oversize permit
A MoDOT single trip permit puts everything that matters on page 1: truck and load, then FROM, TO and ROUTE, then 15 numbered general conditions. The route is one line of highways separated by commas, with exit numbers in brackets where you change roads, so read it left to right.
Issued by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services through MoDOT Carrier Express. Written from a real permit we read.
How to read the route
The route is the ROUTE: line on page 1, just above GENERAL CONDITIONS. Read it left to right; each comma starts the next road, written as road number plus direction (I-55 N, US-36 W). An exit in brackets after a road is the exit where you leave that road for the next one: 'I-55 N, (EXIT 196)' means drive I-55 north and get off at exit 196 for I-270. Roads with no bracket have no exit printed, and no miles are printed anywhere.
What's on each page
- Page 1: Permit number and valid dates, permittee, insurance note, truck, trailer and load, overall size, then FROM, TO and ROUTE, then 15 numbered GENERAL CONDITIONS.
- Page 2: The hold-harmless text, the Motor Carrier Services address and phone, and the director's signature. Nothing about the route.
Road names on Missouri permits
| On the permit | Means |
|---|---|
| I-155 N | Interstate 155, written as northbound on the permit |
| I-55 N | Interstate 55, northbound |
| I-270 E | Interstate 270 around St. Louis, written as eastbound |
| I-64 W | Interstate 64, westbound |
| US-61 N | US Highway 61, northbound |
| US-36 W | US Highway 36, westbound |
| I-29 N | Interstate 29, northbound |
| IS 64 | Interstate 64 (the conditions write interstates as IS) |
Where the route starts and ends
Both ends are state borders, written as road plus 'AT THE STATE BORDER OF' plus the state: 'START ON I-155 N AT THE STATE BORDER OF TENNESSEE' and 'END ON I-29 AT THE STATE BORDER OF IOWA'. FROM: and TO: on the line above repeat the same two points.
Conditions to watch for
Travel hours
On interstates and divided highways you may drive from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, except where tourist, urban and metro areas are restricted. On other routes, loads over 12 ft 6 in wide can't move weekdays 6:30 to 9:00 AM and 3:30 to 6:00 PM.
“Travel on interstate and other divided highways allowed one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise until one-half (1/2) hour after sunset”
Night moves
Night moves are allowed up to 12 ft 6 in wide and 110 ft long at legal height, but not in holiday periods or urban and tourist areas, and you need lighted or reflective oversize load signs.
“Night movement is allowed if not exceeding twelve feet six inches (12’6”) in width”
St. Louis rush hours
Weekdays 6:30 to 9:00 AM and 3:30 to 6:30 PM: no movement in St. Louis City or County (MO 370 excepted), on I-64 in St. Charles County between I-70 and the Missouri River bridge, or between US 67 in Jefferson County and the St. Louis County line. This route runs on I-55, I-270 and I-64 through the St. Louis area, so plan around these hours.
“No movement allowed, Monday - Friday, 6:30-9:00AM and 3:30-6:30PM in St. Louis City or County except MO 370 is not restricted.”
Weather
No moving when you can see less than 500 feet, when cross winds are hazardous, or when roads are slick with ice, snow or rain. You must have rear visibility.
“No movement authorized if visibility is less than five hundred (500) feet”
Traveler map and bypasses
Check the MoDOT Traveler Information Map for work zones and flooded routes before you move, but do not take its bypass routes; they do not apply to oversize loads.
“Bypass routes on the Traveler Information Map do not apply to OSOW loads.”
Local roads
The permit covers the state highway system. Roads that are not MO, US or Interstate routes may need a local permit.
“Routes other than MO, US or Interstate may require local permits.”
Flags
Fluorescent red or orange flags, at least 18 inches square, at the ends and edges of the load. At night or when you can see less than 500 feet, use clearance lights instead.
“Fluorescent red or orange flags at least eighteen inches (18") square required at extreme ends or projections of load.”
Easy to miss
- The exit in brackets belongs to the road before it. 'I-55 N, (EXIT 196)' means leave I-55 at exit 196; it is not a road called 196.
- Only three road changes have exit numbers. For I-64 W to US-61 N, US-61 N to US-36 W and US-36 W to I-29 N the permit gives no exit, so you have to find each junction yourself.
- The St. Louis rush-hour bans are in conditions 13 to 15, not in the ROUTE: line, but this route goes right through that area on I-55, I-270 and I-64.
Questions
What hours can oversize loads travel in Missouri?
This permit allows travel on interstates and other divided highways from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, with weekday rush-hour bans around St. Louis. Night moves are allowed only up to 12 ft 6 in wide and 110 ft long at legal height.
Where is the route on a MoDOT oversize permit?
On page 1, in the ROUTE: line between FROM:/TO: and GENERAL CONDITIONS. It lists each highway in order, with exit numbers in brackets where you change roads.
How do I get a Missouri oversize permit?
MoDOT Motor Carrier Services takes oversize/overweight applications through its MoDOT Carrier Express online service only, at modot.org/mce.
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.