Truck weight limits
District of Columbia
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer3 primary sources
The District sets its limits by regulation rather than statute, in 18 DCMR chapter 25, and diverges from the national pattern on every axis. A single axle may carry 21,000 lb — above the usual 20,000 — but once gross weight passes 73,000 lb that falls back to 20,000 lb with a 34,000 lb tandem cap. The gross weight table tops out at 79,000 lb, below the 80,000 lb almost everywhere else. Default width is just 8 feet, with 8 feet 6 inches allowed only for buses on approved routes and tractor-trailer combinations on routes specified in § 2511.
At a glance
Max gross weight79,000 lb
Max single axle21,000 lb
Max tandem axle34,000 lb
Permit (width)96 in
Permit (height)13.5 ft
vs. federal gross-1,000 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 79,000 lb[1]Maximum of the axle-spacing table (reached at 46–51 ft). Below the 80,000 lb used by most jurisdictions. | § 2505.5 |
| Max single axle | 21,000 lb[1]Falls to 20,000 lb once gross weight exceeds 73,000 lb — § 2505.5. Axles over 18,000 lb require four conventional or two wide-base tires (§ 2505.2). A 1,000 lb loading tolerance applies (§ 2505.4). | § 2505.1 |
| Max tandem axle | 34,000 lb[1]Stated as the tandem cap that applies once gross weight exceeds 73,000 lb; otherwise axle groups are governed by the § 2505.5 table. | § 2505.5 |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 96 in[2]Stated as 8 feet. Buses on a route approved by the Director, and tractor-trailer combinations on routes specified in § 2511, may run 8 ft 6 in — §§ 2501.2, 2501.3. | § 2501.1 |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 13.5 ft[2] | § 2501.5 |
| 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.[3]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.[3]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
- 18 DCMR § 2505 — Wheel and Axle Loads: Gross Weights — D.C. Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances
- 18 DCMR § 2501 — Width and Height of Vehicles — D.C. Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances
- 49 CFR § 383.51 — Disqualification of drivers — U.S. Government Publishing Office
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.