Truck weight limits
Pennsylvania
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer4 primary sources
Pennsylvania caps gross weight at 80,000 lb, with lower per-configuration ceilings for smaller combinations (e.g. 73,280 lb for several four-axle setups) and a 2,000 lb allowance for natural-gas and electric vehicles. Legal dimensions are 8 feet 6 inches wide and 13 feet 6 inches high.
At a glance
Max gross weight80,000 lb
Max single axle—
Max tandem axle—
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]Lower caps apply per configuration under § 4941(b),(c); NG/EV +2,000 lb under § 4941(d). | § 4941(a) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[2]Stated as 8 ft 6 in. Mirrors, sunshades and tarpaulins may extend 6 in per side — § 4921(e). | § 4921(a) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 13.5 ft[3]Municipal buses up to 14'6" — § 4922(b). | § 4922(a) |
| 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
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 4941 — Maximum gross weight of vehicles — Pennsylvania General Assembly
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 4921 — Width of vehicles — Pennsylvania General Assembly
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 4922 — Height of vehicles — Pennsylvania General Assembly
- 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.