Truck weight limits
Kentucky
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer2 primary sources
Kentucky has a two-tier structure that catches operators out. The familiar 20,000 / 34,000 / 80,000 lb figures apply only on highways the Transportation Cabinet has designated (KRS 189.222). On undesignated roads the base limits of KRS 189.221 apply and are drastically lower — 36,000 lb gross, 96 inches wide, 11 feet 6 inches high. Regulation 603 KAR 5:066 classifies routes AAA/AA/A at 80,000 / 62,000 / 44,000 lb.
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]Designated highways only — KRS 189.221(4) sets 36,000 lb on undesignated roads. Fluid milk to 90,000 lb off-Interstate; APU +400 lb. | § 189.222(1)(c) |
| Max single axle | 20,000 lb[1]Designated highways. Axles less than 42 in apart count as one axle. | § 189.222(1)(c) |
| Max tandem axle | 34,000 lb[1]Two axles spaced 42–96 in apart. Three axles: 48,000 lb. | § 189.222(1)(c) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[1]Undesignated highways: 96 in — KRS 189.221(1). | § 189.222(10)(a) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 13.5 ft[1]Auto transporters 14 ft. Undesignated highways: 11 ft 6 in — KRS 189.221(1). | § 189.222(1)(a)2. |
| 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
- KRS 189.222 — Increased weight and dimension limits on designated highways — Kentucky Legislative Research Commission
- 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.