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HTS Logistics

Heavy Equipment Transport and Heavy Haul Trucking in Ohio

Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, routed around the 2026 Ohio Turnpike restriction

Quick answer

How is an Ohio heavy haul move routed in 2026?

Off the Ohio Turnpike whenever the load is wider than 10 ft or taller than 13 ft 6 in: a construction restriction closes the whole Turnpike to those loads until sunrise on January 2, 2027, so the ODOT permit routes them on state highways. Loads over 12 ft wide also stay off the road 6:30–9:00 AM and 4:30–6:00 PM on weekdays in 22 metro counties, including Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton.

Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).

Which Ohio routes carry heavy equipment?

Ohio heavy haul trucking runs on a compact Interstate grid: I-71 links Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, I-70 crosses the state through Dayton and Columbus, I-75 runs from Cincinnati through Dayton to Toledo, and I-77 heads south from Cleveland through Akron and Canton. The Ohio Turnpike across the north has its own permits, and in 2026 it is off limits to most wide loads.

Ohio ranks fifth for carriers that haul for hire between states and list machinery as cargo, with 3,255, or 15.8% of all 20,543 Ohio carriers in that for-hire interstate class, and fifth in active broker authorities, 949 on FMCSA's May 14, 2026 count (data pulled October 17, 2026). The machinery box is one a carrier ticks on its own registration, and it can mean a small equipment trailer as easily as a lowboy.

HTS Logistics arranges Ohio loads as a licensed property broker (MC 1178470); the carrier or its permit service holds the ODOT permit, ordered through OHPS, and ODOT wants $500,000 of liability coverage or a surety on file (form OS-32) before it issues one. Under ORC 4513.34 that permit carries the load on state routes through any city without a local permit or fee, but county, township and city streets off the state system still need local permits.

REQUEST AN OHIO RATE CALL (631) 683-8275

Can oversize loads use the Ohio Turnpike in 2026?

Only small ones. From January 2, 2026 until sunrise on January 2, 2027, a construction restriction keeps anything taller than 13 ft 6 in or wider than 10 ft off the entire Turnpike, Indiana line to Pennsylvania line. That catches ordinary machines: a Cat 320 excavator, at 10 ft 5 in wide, has to use ODOT routes all year.

The Turnpike's own holiday bans run sunrise to sunrise for loads above 13 ft 6 in of height, 90 ft of length or 10 ft of width, and its 2026 list is longer than ODOT's: Easter (April 3–7), Thanksgiving (November 25–30) and Christmas through New Year (December 23, 2026 to January 2, 2027) among them.

For loads that are heavy but not wide, the Turnpike can still help. Without a permit it allows 90,000 lb gross and 21,000 lb per single axle, against 80,000 lb and 20,000 lb on ODOT roads, so a load grossing 85,000 lb on legal axle weights needs no overweight permit on the Turnpike portion, though it does once it leaves. Turnpike permits are one-way only, and a trip must finish within 24 hours or the maximum-fare toll applies.

What changes around Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati?

Rush hours. On weekdays, loads over 12 ft wide may not move between 6:30 and 9:00 AM or between 4:30 and 6:00 PM in 22 counties that cover every major Ohio metro (ODOT permit provisions, form OS-1A):

Ohio counties under the weekday wide-load curfew, by metro
MetroCounties under the weekday curfewInterstates
ColumbusFranklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, UnionI-70, I-71, I-270
ClevelandCuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, MedinaI-71, I-77, I-90, I-480
CincinnatiHamilton, Butler, Clermont, WarrenI-71, I-75, I-275
DaytonMontgomeryI-70, I-75
ToledoLucas, WoodI-75, I-475
Akron and CantonSummit, StarkI-76, I-77
YoungstownMahoningI-76, I-80, I-680

Weekends cut in as well. Loads over 12 ft wide stop at 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays and may not restart until half an hour before the following sunrise; from April 1 to November 30, Fridays end at 3 PM too. An 11 ft 9 in Cat 336 excavator escapes all of this; a Cat D10 dozer, 12 ft 4 in wide once the blade is off, does not, although it stays under Ohio's 13 ft trigger for a width escort.

When does an Ohio load become a superload, and what does it add?

Sooner than in most of the states we track: a gross above 120,000 lb, a width above 14 ft, a height above 14 ft 6 in, or axle weights beyond the routine limits. Height alone can make the call. A John Deere S790 combine with its header off comes to about 15 ft 4 in on a 2 ft deck, and a Cat D10 to about 16 ft 3 in, so both are superloads on height; past 14 ft 10 in they also need a second escort, and the owners of overhead signs, signals and utility lines along the route must be part of the plan.

Up to 250,000 lb, ODOT runs the bridge analysis itself. Above that, or for a complex load, the review sits with its Office of Structural Engineering for about 2 weeks before the permit issues 1 to 2 days later, and a superload on dimensions alone can take 3 working days. Ohio is also strict on clearance: a permitted load must stay at least 4 in below the lowest structure on its route.

When a superload needs an ODOT or Ohio State Highway Patrol escort for conditional bridge crossings, the escort is booked at least 48 hours ahead and the move must start within 1 hour of its scheduled departure, or it is postponed and the permittee pays for the aborted move. We confirm loading times at the pickup before that escort is booked. For blade-off widths and shipping weights of 13 dozers, see our bulldozer transport page.

ODOT permits, briefly

  • On ODOT roads the no-permit limits are 80,000 lb gross, a height of 13 ft 6 in and a width of 8 ft 6 in.
  • One escort starts over 13 ft wide: a lead escort, or a rear escort on multi-lane highways.
  • ODOT's Special Hauling Permits Office issues permits through OHPS; a single-trip permit is valid 5 days.
  • A one-way oversize trip is $75, or $145 once the load passes 14 ft in width or 14 ft 6 in in height; overweight trips are $145, plus a ton-mile charge above 120,000 lb.

Our Ohio oversize permit rules cover holiday windows, the full escort table and spring-thaw limits.

Ohio moves in 2026: common questions

Does HTS Logistics haul Ohio loads itself?

No. The carrier hauls; HTS Logistics, a licensed property broker (MC 1178470) in East Northport, New York, books it and coordinates the move. For Ohio we look for a carrier, from Ohio or elsewhere, whose authority, insurance and trailer fit the load, and it hauls under its own authority and ODOT permit. We plan the escorts, the Turnpike question and the curfew calendar around it.

Can an Ohio load be stored partway through the trip?

A routine permitted load can, within its single-trip permit's 5 days. A superload cannot: ODOT expects it to run straight from where it was built or entered the country to where it will be installed, or to a port or the state line, with no warehouse stop on the way. So storage is planned before or after the Ohio leg, not in the middle of it.

Is there an Ohio permit for moving one machine between several job sites?

Yes. ODOT's regional heavy haul single-trip permit covers up to 150 miles with up to 4 added destinations, at $135 for an oversize load or $145 for one that is oversize and overweight. A contractor moving a dozer or excavator between nearby jobs may be able to use it instead of a new permit for every leg.

What if my Ohio load is a little heavier on one axle than the permit says?

Small axle overages are tolerated. An axle that is 2,000 lb or less over its permitted weight does not void an ODOT permit, as long as the gross stays within the permit. Beyond that the load is outside its permit, so confirm the machine's shipping weight, and what its attachments add, before the permit is ordered.

Can a wide load reach a site on an Ohio two-lane road?

Yes, if the road is wide enough. On two-way roads the maximum routine width is the roadway width minus 8 ft, which keeps an 8 ft lane open for oncoming traffic. Where that reserve lane cannot be kept, ODOT may require extra escorts, including uniformed officers in marked cruisers. Rural deliveries to farms and quarries are checked against that rule before the quote.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.

  1. FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov, az4n-8mr2) (pulled Oct 17, 2026; cargo types such as Machinery, Large Objects are self-reported on Form MCS-150)
  2. FMCSA Carrier - All With History, legacy Licensing and Insurance file (6eyk-hxee) (active broker authority counts as of May 14, 2026, when the file was frozen)
  3. ODOT: Special hauling permits
  4. ODOT: Ohio Hauling Permit System (OHPS)
  5. ODOT: Operational guide for vehicles with a special hauling permit
  6. ODOT: Limitations and provisions of a special hauling permit (OS-1A)
  7. OAC 5501:2-1-03: Limitations on permits
  8. OAC 5501:2-1-05: Schedule of fees
  9. ORC 4513.34: Special permits
  10. Ohio Turnpike: Permits
  11. Ohio Turnpike: Special hauling permit information (rev. 2018-08-07)
  12. Ohio Turnpike: 2026 holiday and construction restrictions
  13. Ohio Turnpike: OD/OW permit fees (rev. 03/26/19)
  14. Caterpillar 320 hydraulic excavator technical specifications (AEXQ3758-01 (11-2025))
  15. Caterpillar 336 hydraulic excavator technical specifications (AEXQ4077-01 (12-2025))
  16. Caterpillar D10 dozer technical specifications (AEXQ3209-03 (09-2026))
  17. John Deere S760-S790 combine operator's manual, dimensions and transport (OMHXE122585)

Send us an Ohio load

Send the machine's height as loaded if you have it, plus both addresses and your dates. In Ohio a few inches of height can turn a routine permit into a superload.

  • FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
  • Permits, escorts and route surveys arranged for each move
  • Carriers checked for authority, insurance and safety record
  • Commercial shippers, dealers, contractors and auction buyers

Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.

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