• Shippers in California must adhere to state size and weight regulations.blue truck image by Edyta Anna Grabowska from Fotolia.com
  
  With many ports accepting imported goods, California is a launch pad for goods shipped to many Western states. Its large economy is also the source for a lot of intrastate commerce and shipping, too. Because of the number of trucks on the road, California developed several of its own trucking regulations in addition to regulations imposed by the Federal Department of Transportation.
  
  

Weight Limits

• To preserve the highway system, the California Vehicle Code regulates the maximum load weight that may travel on its roads. As a general rule, no vehicle may exceed a gross weight of 80,000 pounds, though how that weight is distributed on a load may reduce the overall maximum load. Trailers and vehicles with single-axle arrangements may only carry 20,000 pounds per axle, while grouped axles bunched closer than 8 feet, 6 inches may carry up to 34,000 pounds per axle group. Weight limits for grouped-axle vehicles with axles spread farther than 8.5 feet vary by the number of distance between the axles. See the California Department of Transportation's Weight Limit chart for specifics.
  
  

Weight Limit Exceptions

• Trucks pulling shipping containers on portions of Highway 1 between Los Angeles and Long Beach may be exempt from normal weight limitations, with a maximum weight limit of 95,000 pounds in certain criteria. Log haulers may carry up to 35,500 pounds on tandem axles if they operate on roads that are part of the National Network.
  
  

Length Limits

• A single truck without a trailer may not be longer than 40 feet in total, and no load may exceed 65 feet long on these vehicles. Semi trucks pulling a trailer may be up to 65 long, so long as neither portion of the vehicle is more than 28.5 feet long; trailer measurements are made from the kingpin to rear axle.
  
  

Height and Width Limits

• Trucks on state highways must be less than 14 feet high from the ground, although a few state routes have clearances less than 14 feet. Consult the California DOT website for a list of state routes with overpasses that are less than the normal clearance. Trucks may not be wider than 102 inches. Clearance and street widths on local routes may be less than that on state and federal highways.
  
  

Oversized Loads

• Shippers needing to haul heavy or bulky cargo may apply for an oversized load permit from the California Department of Transportation. These permits are granted on a case by case basis from the Department of Transportation.