How to read a New Jersey oversize permit
NJDOT issues New Jersey OS/OW permits for the Motor Vehicle Commission through its online SUPERLOAD system, which checks your route against the bridges you'd cross. An NJDOT permit does not cover the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway or Atlantic City Expressway; those roads have their own authorities.
Issued by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (issuing for the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission) through SUPERLOAD (online at nj.gotpermits.com). Written from NJDOT's published rules; we haven't read a real New Jersey permit yet.
How to read the route
NJDOT has not published a sample permit, so we can't show how the route prints. The application asks for your routes of travel, including where you enter and leave the New Jersey State Highway System. NJDOT checks the route against the structures it crosses and rejects routes that overstress them, naming the problem structures. A single-trip permit is good for one trip within five days.
Road names on New Jersey permits
| On the permit | Means |
|---|---|
| New Jersey State Highway System | The state highways an NJDOT permit covers. The application asks where you enter and leave it. |
| New Jersey Turnpike | Toll road run by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. NJDOT does not issue permits for it. |
| Garden State Parkway | Toll road run by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. NJDOT does not issue permits for it. |
| Atlantic City Expressway | Toll road run by the South Jersey Transportation Authority. NJDOT does not issue permits for it. |
Where the route starts and ends
NJDOT's guidebook says the application asks for the locations where you enter and exit the New Jersey State Highway System. How the printed permit shows them isn't published.
Conditions to watch for
No night travel
Oversize permits are not valid from sunset to sunrise unless you have a written waiver. Source
“During the nighttime hours of sunset to sunrise;”
Holidays
No oversize travel on New Year's Day, Memorial Day and the Friday before it, Independence Day, Labor Day and the Friday before it, Thanksgiving and the Wednesday before it, or Christmas. A Sunday holiday also blocks Monday, and a Saturday holiday blocks Friday. Source
“If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the operation shall not be permitted on the following Monday.”
Fog, bad roads, narrow roads
Oversize permits are not valid when you can see less than 500 feet, when roads are hazardous, or on highways with less than 10 feet of clear space for passing traffic. Source
“When visibility is limited to a distance of less than 500 feet during the daylight hours of sunrise to sunset;”
Overweight only: 24/7
Overweight permits for loads of legal size may run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Source
“are authorized to travel 24 hours a day 7 days a week.”
Escorts
One escort over 14 feet wide or 100 feet long; two escorts over 16 feet wide or 120 feet long. A single escort leads on roads with fewer than four lanes and follows on roads with four or more. Source
“One escort vehicle shall be required when the width, including load, exceeds 14 feet”
Signs, flags, lights
Use a yellow sign at least 6 feet by 12 inches reading 'WIDE LOAD' or 'OVERSIZE LOAD' in 10-inch black letters. Put red flags at least 18 by 18 inches at the four corners, and keep low beams and taillights on for the whole move. Source
“Must have the term “WIDE LOAD or OVERSIZE LOAD;””
Easy to miss
- An NJDOT permit doesn't cover the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway or Atlantic City Expressway. Their authorities issue their own permits.
- Over 14 feet high, you must notify the utilities and traffic offices that control overhead wires, signals and bridges on your route before you move. If you don't, the permit is void.
- Night moves need a written waiver, and the guidebook says a night move needs three escorts.
Questions
Can I move an oversize load at night in New Jersey?
Not without a waiver. Oversize permits aren't valid from sunset to sunrise. A written waiver can be granted, and the request must come with the permit application. NJDOT's guidebook says a night move needs three escorts.
Does an NJDOT oversize permit cover the New Jersey Turnpike?
No. NJDOT's guidebook says it doesn't issue permits for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (Turnpike and Garden State Parkway) or the South Jersey Transportation Authority (Atlantic City Expressway).
How long is a New Jersey single-trip permit good for?
One trip within five days. If road conditions or a breakdown stop you, NJDOT may grant a one-day extension, but only if you ask before the permit expires.
Sources
- NJDOT: Oversize/Overweight Permits (SUPERLOAD)
- New Jersey Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight Guidebook (March 2017), on NJDOT's permit site
- NJ State Police: Oversize/Weight Information (links the NJDOT Guidebook)
- N.J.A.C. 13:18-1.11, permit time and holiday limits (text via Cornell LII)
- N.J.A.C. 13:18-1.12, escort vehicles (text via Cornell LII)
Your permit is the legal document; follow everything it says. Rules change; check NJDOT's site before you move.Last checked October 2026.