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Alabama trucking rules

Fees, CDL costs, weight and size limits, chain laws and new bills for truckers and trucking companies in Alabama. Updated 2026-10-24.

Must-know rules · Weight, oversize & chains · Fees · Bills

Must-know rules

Alabama's biggest trucking quirks are the hazmat ban in the I-10 George Wallace Tunnel at Mobile, which forces a detour, and its reliance on roving portable-scale crews rather than many fixed weigh stations. I found no official source for chain or traction rules, idling limits, or a weight-distance tax, so those topics are left out. The oversize-permit and phone-law items rest partly on non-official sources.

Researched by our AI agent from the linked sources on 2026-10-21. Always confirm with the source.

• Must knowAxle weight limit

  The statute caps any one axle at 20,000 lb, or whatever federal law allows to keep the state's federal funds. Inadequate bridges get posted limits. This is an ALDOT-hosted copy of Title 32, Chapter 9. It looks old, so check it against the current Code.

  ALDOT: Code of Alabama 32-9-1 through 32-9-32, Trucks, Trailers and Semi-trailers
• Must knowUSDOT number and who gets inspected

  All commercial vehicles in Alabama must be marked with an interstate or intrastate USDOT number. Intrastate carriers running straight trucks or combinations at 26,000 lb GVWR/GCWR or less are exempt from federal regulations in Alabama and need no USDOT number. Passenger buses and hazmat or hazardous-waste haulers are not exempt.

  ALEA Motor Carrier Safety Unit

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Alabama's legal limits are 8.5 ft wide, 13.5 ft high, a 57 ft semitrailer and 80,000 lb gross. The single-trip permit costs $20 for most oversize loads, and permitted loads move in daylight only and never on Sundays. Alabama has no truck chain requirement or season, and I found no frost-law or seasonal weight-restriction rules in the sources.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem
Tandem axles are limited to 34,000 lb on Interstates and 36,000 lb on non-Interstate highways. On non-Interstate roads the state's weight table allows more than 80,000 lb for some axle spacings. The table tops out at 84,000 lb for 6 axles with 44 ft or more between first and last axles. State law allows a 10 percent tolerance for weight enforcement. The FHWA compilation of state laws that I used f
The Transportation Director or a designee may issue a written permit for a vehicle or a combination of no more than two vehicles that exceeds legal width, length, height or weight on the State Highway System. Weight-only single-trip fees are $10 for 80,000–100,000 lb, $30 for 100,001–125,000 lb, $60 for 125,001–150,000 lb, and $100 over 150,000 lb. ALDOT's annual-permit application shows a 150,000 Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 57 ft semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $20 from ALDOT Vehicle Enforcement Office (Oversize/Overweight Permit Office), Montgomery; 800-499-2782; Mon–Fri 7:00 AM–4:45 PM CST. Email: [email protected].
Permitted vehicles may travel daylight hours only. Travel is not allowed on Sundays, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. A single-trip permit allows five days to complete the trip and is valid for one round trip. Escorts (from ALDOT's rules PDF, a March 2016 supplement; I did not confirm the current text): height above 15'6" calls for a fro Source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
Alabama does not require trucks to carry chains in any season, and I found no posted chain-control program. The statute only permits chains of reasonable proportions when needed for safety in snow or other slippery conditions. I could not retrieve the official statute text; the wording comes from a trucking-resource page that quotes Ala. Code §32-5-210. Source

• Must knowPosted bridge limits

  Inadequate bridges are posted to define load limits. Operators must comply with all load restrictions on bridges and highway sections, whether posted on-site or set as a permit condition.

  ALDOT Rules and Regulations, Chapter 450-3-1 (Supp. 3/31/16)

Fees and DOT requirements

Alabama CDL fees are low: $56.25 for Class B and $66.25 for Class A. Truck registration is by weight, and the official schedule gives $300 at 26,001 lb and $815 at 80,000 lb. For-hire carriers that run only inside Alabama need Public Service Commission (APSC) authority, and the $100 filing fee is the only fee I could confirm. Several details are unconfirmed, including CDL validity from an official source, the renewal schedule for authority, and whether weight-distance taxes or state emissions ru

Class B CDL

$56.25 for 4 years (about $14.06 a year)
ALEA lists a $25 testing fee for CDL applicants (no checks) and a $20 skills test fee. The commercial learner permit costs $36.25. A TSA background check is needed for a hazmat endorsement, and ALEA's page gives no amount for it. A third-party site lists endorsement knowledge tests at $25 each; that Source

Class A CDL

$66.25 for 4 years (about $16.56 a year)
Same as Class B: $25 testing fee, $20 skills test fee, and $36.25 for the learner permit. Upgrading a class requires a skills test and the $20 fee. Hazmat requires a TSA background check, and the amount is not stated by ALEA. Validity of 4 years is from non-official sites (for example https://www.dm Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$300 a year Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$815 a year Source

How registration is figured

Annual license tax and registration fee set by gross vehicle weight under Ala. Code 40-12-248. For combinations, gross vehicle weight includes the empty weight of the heaviest trailer used with the power unit. It is a base amount plus an equal additional amount.
The Department of Revenue schedule lists $300 for 26,001-33,000 lb and $815 for 73,281-80,000 lb. The statute shows a base amount of $407.50 for 73,281-80,000 lb, which matches the $815 total (the statute text I saw did not show the matching additional amount). The page is dated and may not reflect current rates. A $1.25 issuance fee is listed by other sources (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hwytax Source

Intrastate operating authority

APSC Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (common carriers) or permit (contract carriers); property applicati. $100, unclear - the $100 is a filing fee on the application; I did.
APSC requires a certificate or permit to carry passengers, property or household goods for compensation between two Alabama points, unless exempt (https://psc.alabama.gov/motor-carrier-applications-forms/). Application requirements include Forms E and H from the insurance company, Secretary of State filings for corporations or LLCs, and vehicle registration (http://apsc.alabama.gov/Transportation/ Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowUSDOT number for intrastate carriers

  ALEA says commercial motor vehicles in Alabama must be marked with an interstate or intrastate USDOT number. Intrastate-only companies with straight trucks or combinations rated 26,000 lb or less (not buses or hazmat haulers) are exempt from federal regulations in Alabama and need no USDOT number. A 26,001 lb truck or an 80,000 lb combination is therefore covered.

  Motor Carrier Safety Unit - ALEA

See all 8 DOT requirements with full access

Fees change; confirm with the linked state source. Compare all states.

New Alabama trucking bills

No new trucking bills found here recently. The agent checks every morning.