How to read a Rhode Island oversize permit

Rhode Island single trip permits are ordered online from the RIDOT Permit Portal, which builds the route for you, and each one is good for 5 days counting the trip date. RIDOT has not published a sample permit, so drive the route printed on yours and check it against RIDOT's current restriction list, which right now closes the Route 195 Washington Bridge to oversize loads.

How to read the route

RIDOT has not published a sample permit, so the exact layout of the route is not known. RIDOT says single trip permits are now auto-routed: the portal builds the route from what you enter. You are still responsible for that route, and if you want a specific route it must be submitted in the portal. The portal flags bridge height conflicts when the permit is created. Drive only the route on your permit.

Road names on Rhode Island permits

On the permit	Means
Route 95	Interstate 95. RIDOT's restriction list writes interstates as 'Route' plus the number, like 'Route 95 South CD Road'.
Route 195	Interstate 195, the road over the Washington Bridge in Providence.
Route 146	Rhode Island Route 146.
146A	Route 146A, a separate road from Route 146 (for example 'exit 10 ramp to 146A North').
Route 1/Elmwood Ave	Route 1 where it is also Elmwood Avenue, in Cranston.

Where the route starts and ends

RIDOT has not published how the new portal prints the start and end. Its older user guide said trips that start or end in Rhode Island needed a street address, and trips passing through only needed the Rhode Island part of the route plus where you enter and leave the state.

Conditions to watch for

No weekends

Unless your permit says otherwise, moves are not allowed from sunset Friday to sunrise Monday. Source

“No moves are authorized unless otherwise noted from sunset on Friday to sunrise on Monday”

Daylight only

Most permitted loads may move from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. There is no night travel, except for some overweight-only moves. Source

“Most permitted vehicles may travel on designated routes from thirty (30) minutes prior to sunrise”

Rush hours

Loads over 10 ft wide, over 80 ft long or over 130,000 lbs can't travel on RIDOT's time-restricted routes Monday to Friday, 7 to 9 am and 3 to 7 pm. Source

“Restricted travel times are Mon-Fri 7am-9am and 3pm-7pm on the designated routes”

Holidays

No travel the day of, or the night before, New Year's Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans Day and Christmas. No Saturday to Monday travel on Memorial Day, Victory Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and MLK Jr Day weekends. No Saturday or Sunday travel at Easter, and no travel Wednesday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week. Source

“No Wednesday through Sunday travel the week of Thanksgiving”

Escorts

Escorts are required when the load is 12 ft wide or more, 85 ft long or more, over 13 ft 6 in high, or has an overhang of 15 ft or more. A permit reviewer can also require them. Source

“Whenever a permit reviewer determines it is necessary due to the specific circumstances.”

Signs, flags and lights

Show an OVERSIZE LOAD sign, black letters on yellow, at least 7 ft long and 18 in high, at the front of the truck and the rear of the load. Flags are red or orange, at least 18 in square. Drive with low beams on. Source

“All warning flags will be either red or orange fluorescent and at least eighteen (18) inches square.”

Easy to miss

The Washington Bridge on Route 195 in Providence is limited to 48 tons and closed to oversize vehicles. RIDOT lists this until December 2028.
Construction zones on RIDOT's restriction list cap width as low as 10 ft on some roads, for example Route 37 East over Route 2 in Cranston. The portal builds the route, but RIDOT says you are still responsible for it.
Holiday rules reach past the holiday itself: the night before some holidays, the whole weekend for others, and Wednesday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week.

Questions

Can I move an oversize load on a weekend in Rhode Island?

Usually not. RIDOT's rules say no moves from sunset Friday to sunrise Monday unless your permit says otherwise.

Can an oversize load cross the Washington Bridge in Providence?

No. RIDOT's restriction list says the Route 195 Washington Bridge is limited to 48 tons with no oversize vehicles, expected until December 2028.

Is an electronic oversize permit OK in Rhode Island?

Yes. RIDOT accepts electronic permits, but the permit must be readily available inside the vehicle. A Rhode Island single trip permit is good for 5 days, counting the trip date.

Sources

Your permit is the legal document; follow everything it says. Rules change; check RIDOT's site before you move.Last checked October 2026.