Truck weight limits
Iowa
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer4 primary sources
Iowa states gross weight only as axle-spacing tables, never as a single figure; the primary-highway table tops out at 80,000 lb. A separate non-Interstate table for CDL-operated commercial vehicles reaches 96,000 lb, and qualifying livestock vehicles 86,000 lb. Axle limits are 20,000 lb single and 34,000 lb tandem on pneumatic tires; dimensions 8 feet 6 inches by 13 feet 6 inches.
At a glance
Max gross weight80,000 lb
Max single axle20,000 lb
Max tandem axle34,000 lb
Permit (width)102 in
Permit (height)13.5 ft
vs. federal gross0 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 80,000 lb[1]Primary-highway table maximum. Non-Interstate CDL table reaches 96,000 lb — § 321.463(6)(c)(1); livestock 86,000 lb; natural gas to 82,000 lb. | § 321.463(6)(a) |
| Max single axle | 20,000 lb[1]Pneumatic tires; 14,000 lb on solid rubber. | § 321.463(2) |
| Max tandem axle | 34,000 lb[1]Pneumatic tires. | § 321.463(2) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[2]Hay, straw and stover may run to 12 ft 5 in. | § 321.454(1) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 13.5 ft[3]Auto transporters 14 ft; hay and straw loads 14 ft 6 in. | § 321.456(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.[4]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.[4]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
- Iowa Code § 321.463 — Maximum gross weight — Iowa Legislature
- Iowa Code § 321.454 — Width of vehicles — Iowa Legislature
- Iowa Code § 321.456 — Height of vehicles — Iowa Legislature
- 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.