Truck weight limits
South Dakota
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer3 primary sources
South Dakota holds axles to 20,000 lb and tandems to 34,000 lb, and writes "including all enforcement tolerances" directly into both caps — so these are absolute rather than pre-tolerance figures. The 80,000 lb gross limit is expressly confined to Interstate highways; the statute states no equivalent flat ceiling for other roads, which run off the axle-spacing schedule and bridge formula.
At a glance
Max gross weight80,000 lb
Max single axle20,000 lb
Max tandem axle34,000 lb
Permit (width)102 in
Permit (height)14 ft
vs. federal gross0 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 80,000 lb[1]Interstate highways only. No equivalent flat cap is stated for other highways — those follow the axle-spacing schedule and the § 32-22-16.1 bridge formula. | § 32-22-16(3) |
| Max single axle | 20,000 lb[1]Including all enforcement tolerances — an absolute cap. | § 32-22-16(1) |
| Max tandem axle | 34,000 lb[1]Including all enforcement tolerances. Two consecutive tandem sets at 34,000 lb each when spaced 36 ft or more. | § 32-22-16(2) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[2] | § 32-22-3 |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 14 ft[2] | § 32-22-14 |
| 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
- SDCL § 32-22-16 — Axle and gross weight limits — South Dakota Legislature
- SDCL §§ 32-22-3, 32-22-14 — Width and height — South Dakota 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.