Oversize / Overweight Permits in New Mexico
New Mexico Oversize/Overweight Regulations
According to New Mexico law, any load exceeding the following weight and size limits is considered an oversize/overweight load:
Legal Size Limit:
Width:
- 8′ 6″(from the outside points of the widest extremities, excluding safety devices)
- 8′ for undesignated roads
- Height:
- 14′ (from the roadbed to the highest point of the load or vehicle, whichever is higher)
- Length:
- 57’6″ (from the foremost point of the vehicle or load, whichever extends further, to the rearmost point of the vehicle or load, whichever extends further)
- 65′ for non-designated highways
Legal Weight Limit:
- Maximum gross weight: 80,000 lb. (including the weight of the load)
- Single axle: 21,000 lb.
- Tandem axle: 34,320 lb.
- Tridem axle: 42,000 lb.
- Weight per inch of the tire’s width: 600,00 lb.
Maximum permitted weight:
- Steer axle: 21,000 lb.
- Single axle: 26,000 lb.
- Tandem axle: 46,000 lb.
- Tridem axle: 60,000 lb.
- Four axles: 70,000 lb.
- Five axles: 74,000 lb.
- Weight per inch of the tire’s width: 600,00 lb.
New Mexico Single Trip Oversize/Overweight Permits
A general single-trip permit is issued for non-divisible oversize and overweight loads. It is valid for five days and covers one movement from point A to point B.
Multiple-trip permits are issued if the vehicle or vehicle combination doesn’t exceed:
- 140,000 lbs
- 14′ in width
- 15′ in height
- 15′ front overhang
- 25′ rear overhang
For more details:
New Mexico Annual Oversize/Overweight Permits
To obtain an annual permit, a load must meet the following requirements:
- GVW does not exceed 140,000 or 170,000 lbs, depending on the nature of the load
- vehicles with GVW exceeding 170,000 lbs require a special permit
A permit fee starts from $250.
Note: Vehicles with GVW up to 96,000 lbs. and which operate within 6 miles of Mexico’s border may not provide proof of the loads’ non-divisibility.
New Mexico Wide Load Requirements
All loads wider than 8′ 6″ (8′ for undesignated roads) require an oversized permit issued by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
Oversize Load Flag Requirements:
All corners of oversized loads and the front corners of the vehicle must feature red or orange flags.
Oversize Load Banner Requirements:
New Mexico requires the front of the towing vehicle and the rear of the load be marked with “oversize” or “wide load” sign banners.
Oversize Load Sign Requirements:
Signs must feature black letters on the yellow background.
Oversize Load Lighting Requirements:
Haul vehicles must be equipped with a roof-mounted amber rotating flashing beacon if they transport a load wider than 12′.
Oversize Pilot Cars or Escort Vehicles Requirements:
Private escort vehicles are required if the load’s width exceeds 14′ or the length exceeds 90′. Loads wider than 18′ must be hauled with one escort vehicle in the front and another in the rear if transported on two-lane highways.
Police escort vehicles are required for the front and rear of the vehicles transporting loads wider than 20′ and longer than 110′.
New Mexico Wide Load Restrictions
All loads wider than 8′ 6″ are subject to the following restrictions:
Oversize Holiday Restrictions:
Unless otherwise mentioned in New Mexico’s wide load permits, the State doesn’t allow oversized or overweight loads movements on major holidays, including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Oversize Legal Travel Times Restrictions:
Oversized loads are allowed to transport from sunrise to sunset.
Note: Movements of oversize or overweight loads are prohibited 7:00 am-9:00 am and 4:00 pm-6:00 pm in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Española.
Overweight-only vehicles can travel on interstate and 4-lane highways if escorted by a pilot car.
Oversize Road and Bridge Restrictions:
New Mexico does not provide specific bridge restrictions as the Federal Bridge Formula determines them. As for the oversize road restrictions, they come as the following:
- driving through work zones that are under construction
- neglecting warning signals when driving through work zones
- not giving traffic priority to law enforcement, emergency vehicles, etc
Oversize Seasonal Weight Restrictions:
While the Frost Law is applied in many states and provinces of Canada, no specific seasonal restrictions are provided by the state of New Mexico. However, they may appear in New Mexico oversize load permits, arising from the nature and type of the load.
New Mexico Wide Load Limits
New Mexico sticks to the Federal legal width limit of 8′ 6″ (8′ for undesignated roads). Everything wider requires a permit to be moved on public roads.
Maximum Load Limits Until a Trucking Permit Is Required:
8′ 6″ and 8′ for undesignated roads (from the outside points of the widest extremities, excluding safety devices)
Axle Weight Limits:
Legal axle weight limit:
- Single axle: 21,000 lb.
- Tandem axle: 34,320 lb.
- Tridem axle: 42,000 lb.
The maximum permitted axle weight limit:
- Steer axle: 21,000 lb.
- Single axle: 26,000 lb.
- Tandem axle: 46,000 lb.
- Tridem axle: 60,000 lb.
- Four axles: 70,000 lb.
- Five axles: 74,000 lb.
Oversize Tire Regulations:
Tires must be in normal operating condition, properly inflated, and feature the minimum tread depth of 2/32″.
Tires must not feature protuberances of any material other than rubber unless their use is required for safety.
New Mexico Trip Permits
The trip tax is calculated based on the mileage traveled in New Mexico and the vehicle’s gross weight:
- $0.07 for 12,001-26,000 lbs.
- $0.12 for 26,001-54,000 lbs.
- $0.15 for 54,001-72,000 lbs.
- $0.16 for 72,001+ lbs.
New Mexico Fuel Permits
IFTA permits are necessary for all interstate motor carriers driving in or through New Mexico. They must pay a fuel use tax to obtain an IFTA license.
If the driver does not have a valid IFTA Decal and Tax Identification Permit:
- they must pay a $5 fee for a temporary special fuel permit if the vehicle uses a special type of fuel
- otherwise, they pay $.05 per mile.
New Mexico Specialty Permits
Unless specifically exempted by law, a vehicle, combination of vehicles or a load that exceeds a maximum size or weight limitation shall not move on a public highway or street without a valid special permit issued by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
Special Permits for Irreducible Loads – Exceptions
- a vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross weight up to 96,000 pounds within twelve miles of a port of entry on the border with Mexico, and within the area described in Section 66-7-413 NMSA 1978 for the port of entry at Santa Teresa
- vehicles used to transport loads of hay for up to 50 mile distances
- vehicles hauling liquid tanks
- oversize and overweight emergency response vehicles
For more information about specialty permits:
Oversize/Overweight Load Fines in New Mexico
Oversize and overweight fines in New Mexico start at $50,00 for the first offense and can reach over $100,00. Their size depends on the weight exceeding the maximum legal weight and the number of offenses since the first one within a year.
Oversize/Overweight Permits Costs in New Mexico
The cost of New Mexico OSOW permits varies depending on the load type, nature, and excessive weight and size. It starts at $25 for a single-trip permit and can exceed several hundred dollars for an annual permit.
Trucking Permit Service
Express Permits provides a full spectrum of trucking permit services, assisting motor carriers in obtaining the appropriate oversize and overweight permits, coordinating with authorities, and ensuring compliance with state regulations, saving valuable time, effort, and potential penalties. You can rely on us regardless of your load’s type, nature, and destination.