Truck weight limits
New York
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer2 primary sources
New York is the notable outlier: it permits 22,400 lb on a single axle — well above the 20,000 lb used almost everywhere else — while defaulting to a narrower 96-inch width, with 102 inches only on qualifying highways. Height is 13 feet 6 inches. Gross weight builds from 34,000 lb plus 1,000 lb per foot of axle spread, capped at 80,000 lb.
At a glance
Max gross weight80,000 lb
Max single axle22,400 lb
Max tandem axle—
Permit (width)96 in
Permit (height)13.5 ft
vs. federal gross0 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 80,000 lb[1]34,000 lb plus 1,000 lb per foot of distance between foremost and rearmost axle, capped at 80,000 lb. | § 385(10) |
| Max single axle | 22,400 lb[1]Pneumatic tires. Above the 20,000 lb federal Interstate figure, which governs on Interstates. | § 385(8) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 96 in[1]Plus safety devices; qualifying highways allow 102 in. | § 385(1)(a)(i) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 13.5 ft[1] | § 385(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
- N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 385 — Dimensions and weights of vehicles — New York State Senate
- 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.