Map › All states › Colorado

Colorado trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Colorado's defining issues for trucks are the I-70 mountain corridor and the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel. Chains must be carried from Sept 1 to May 31, placarded hazmat is routed over Loveland Pass, and a 2026 law now bars commercial vehicles from I-70's far-left lane on specified sections. I could not confirm truck speed limits, port-of-entry rules, weight-distance tax or IFTA/IRP notes, handheld phone rules, or CDOT's official legal size limits in this session, so I left those out.

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

• Must knowChain law: carry chains Sept 1 to May 31 (I-70)

  The Traction Law is in effect each year Sept. 1 through May 31 on I-70 between Dotsero and Morrison, and CDOT may also activate it on other state highways. All commercial motor vehicles are required to carry chains during this period. A 2026 industry summary puts the carry requirement at GVWR/GCWR of 16,001 lb or more.

  CDOT, CSP and safety partners share new Traction Law requirements, winter driving preparedness tips
• Must knowChain law: how many tires, and who it covers

  The Commercial Motor Vehicle Chain Law requires large vehicles to put chains or alternate traction devices on all drive tires, up to four. It is based on the vehicle's GVWR or GCWR, whether the use is private or commercial.

  Colorado State Patrol: chain law information

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Colorado requires every truck over 16,000 lb to carry chains from Sept 1 to May 31 on listed mountain corridors, even in good weather. Its non-interstate weight limits are higher than the interstate ones (85,000 lb gross and 40,000 lb tandem, versus 80,000 and 36,000). I found no official Colorado frost-law or seasonal weight-restriction rule.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 36,000 lb tandem
The State Patrol lists 80,000 lb gross on interstates (I-70, I-25, I-76), subject to the Federal Bridge Weight Formula. Non-interstate highways allow 85,000 lb, subject to the state bridge formula. Tandem axles are limited to 36,000 lb on interstates and 40,000 lb on non-interstates. Vehicles using an alternative fuel on a non-interstate highway get 1,000 lb more gross weight. An auxiliary power o
Weights above the legal limits require an overweight permit under C.R.S. 42-4-510(11). Permits are obtained through COOPR. A single-trip permit is $15 plus $5 per axle if overweight (for example, $45 for 6 axles, before the surcharge noted in the oversize block). A single-trip non-interstate divisible permit for a quad axle is $30 plus $10 per axle. Annual overweight-only and oversize/overweight p Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft 6 in high, 57 ft 4 in semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $15 from CDOT Permit Office, 2829 W. Howard Pl., Denver, CO 80204; local 303-757-9539, long distance 1-800-350-3765; open 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Permits are
Under CDOT's rules, permitted loads may generally travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The main exception is that loads over 14 ft wide may not travel in hours of darkness unless a Chapter 6 Special permit authorizes it. Darkness is defined as sunset to sunrise. Non-LVC permitted loads may not travel 6 a.m.-9 p.m. on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. The July 4 rules are extended when Source

Chain law

Trucks must carry chains (Sep 1 - May 31)
Since Aug. 7, 2024, every CMV driver must carry chains from Sept. 1 to May 31. This covers vehicles with a manufacturer GVWR or GCWR of at least 16,001 lb used in commerce, or used to carry 16 or more passengers. Roads covered: I-70 west of MP 259 (Morrison) to the Utah border; CO 9 MP 63-97 (Frisco-Fairplay); US 40 west of MP 256 (Empire); US 50 west of MP 225 (Salida); US 160 west of MP 304 (Wal Source

• Must knowChain law activation (separate from must-carry)

  Once CDOT activates the CMV Chain Law, it stays in effect until CDOT says otherwise by sign or other notice, or until the centerline or lanes are visible on a descending grade. CMVs are restricted to the right lanes from Sept. 1 to May 31, except to pass stalled or slower vehicles when traction is lost.

  CMV Chain Law fact sheet — CDOT Freight

Fees and DOT requirements

Colorado's CDL fee is $35 for both Class A and Class B, valid 4 years. The fee doubled from $17.50 on June 30, 2026. Registration for heavy trucks is set by a declared-gross-weight schedule in statute. General for-hire property carriers that stay inside Colorado appear not to need a state operating permit, but they still need a Colorado intrastate USDOT number and minimum insurance.

Class B CDL

$35 for 4 years (about $8.75 a year)
Commercial learner's permit (CLP) $20. Knowledge retest $11.50 and skills retest $15.40, but those two figures come from the DMV fee page, which still showed the old $17.50 CDL fee and may be stale. Duplicate CDL $12.30. The motorcycle endorsement adds $2 on that same page. I found no separate state Source

Class A CDL

$35 for 4 years (about $8.75 a year)
Same fee schedule as Class B. The state lists one CDL fee with no separate Class A charge. The 4-year term comes from the DMV's published fee list and a Colorado county page (https://phillipscounty.colorado.gov/commercial-drivers-license). CLP $20. Retests, duplicates and the $2 motorcycle endorseme Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$490 a year Source Non-government source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$1,975 a year Source Non-government source

How registration is figured

Annual fee set by statute (C.R.S. 42-3-306). Trucks and tractors with an empty weight over 16,000 lb pay by declared gross vehicle weight, using separate schedules for private carriers and for-hire common/contract carriers. Lighter trucks pay by empty weight. Trucks operated under 10,000 miles a yea
These are private-carrier amounts from the statute text as of Jan. 2025: $490 for 24,001-30,000 lb and $1,975 for 'over 74,000' lb. I did not confirm whether later amendments changed them. For-hire common/contract carriers use a higher schedule. The 'over 74,000' for-hire figure is $2,350 (an older statute version at https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2016/title-42/taxation/article-3/part-3/sec Source Non-government source

Intrastate operating authority

Not required for intrastate carriers.
The Colorado State Patrol states that HB 09-1244 removed the PUC permit requirement for property carriers, along with the $50 annual vehicle stamp and PUC insurance filings. For-hire property carriers must still carry minimum liability insurance, enforced by CSP. Several non-official insurance sites say intrastate carriers need a PUC permit and state ID, which conflicts with the CSP document. That Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowIntrastate USDOT number and marking

  Colorado State Patrol says all carriers, interstate or intrastate, operating commercial motor vehicles must register with FMCSA for a USDOT number. Intrastate-only carriers must mark vehicles with the USDOT number followed by the suffix 'CO'. Older CSP rule versions also require updating the registration every 24 months.

  General Regulations FMCSR Part 390 (Colorado State Patrol)

See all 6 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Colorado trucking bills

Enacted signed into law · Pending still moving through the legislature · Did not pass

• Did not pass CO HB1286: Automated Driving System Commercial Vehicles Governor Vetoed · 2026-05-28

Bill data from LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).