Truck weight limits
Colorado
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer3 primary sources
Colorado diverges on all three axes. Tandem weight is 36,000 lb on the Interstate and 40,000 lb off it, both above the federal 34,000. Non-Interstate gross runs off Colorado’s own formula W = 1,000(L + 40) capped at 85,000 lb, while the Interstate uses the federal bridge formula capped at 80,000. Height is 14 feet 6 inches, among the most generous in the country.
At a glance
Max gross weight85,000 lb
Max single axle20,000 lb
Max tandem axle40,000 lb
Permit (width)102 in
Permit (height)14.5 ft
vs. federal gross+5,000 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 85,000 lb[1]Non-Interstate, via W = 1,000(L + 40). Interstate uses the federal bridge formula capped at 80,000 lb — § 42-4-508(1)(c). Alternative-fuel vehicles +2,000 lb. | § 42-4-508(1)(b) |
| Max single axle | 20,000 lb[1]Pneumatic tires. Per-wheel 9,000 lb. Electric-utility digger derricks and bucket booms: 21,000 lb off-Interstate. | § 42-4-507(2)(b) |
| Max tandem axle | 40,000 lb[1]Non-Interstate highways. Interstate system: 36,000 lb. Both above the federal 34,000 lb. | § 42-4-507(2)(c) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[1]Stated as 8 ft 6 in. | § 42-4-502(1) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 14.5 ft[1] | § 42-4-504(1) |
| CDL disqualification — first major | 1 year for a first conviction while operating a CMV or a non-CMV; 3 years if operating a CMV transporting placarded hazardous materials. Applies to alcohol/controlled-substance influence, 0.04+ BAC in a CMV, test refusal, leaving the scene, using the vehicle in a felony, driving while disqualified, and causing a fatality by negligent operation.[2]Federal floor. A state may impose longer periods but may not go below this; verify state law before relying on it. | § 383.51(b), Table 1 |
| CDL disqualification — lifetime | Life for a second conviction of any combination of the Table 1 major offences in a separate incident. A state MAY reinstate after 10 years following an approved rehabilitation programme — § 383.51(a)(6) — but not after a subsequent disqualifying conviction. Felony manufacture/distribution of a controlled substance, and severe forms of human trafficking, draw life with NO 10-year reinstatement.[2]Federal floor. The 10-year reinstatement is permissive — states are not required to offer it. | § 383.51(a)(6), (b) Table 1 items (9)–(10) |
2 Sources
- C.R.S. §§ 42-4-502, 42-4-504, 42-4-507, 42-4-508 — Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services
- 49 CFR § 383.51 — Disqualification of drivers — U.S. Government Publishing Office
- 2 CCR 601-14 — Rules governing chain law and passenger vehicle traction law requirements on the state highway system — Colorado Department of Transportation / Transportation Commission
Review record
Every figure above was transcribed from the primary source cited beside it and carries a pinpoint locator. Editorial review by a credentialed reviewer is pending.