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Florida trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Florida has no weight-distance tax and no winter chain rules in what I found. For trucks the practical issues are the 80,000 lb limit with a penalty of $.05 per pound over, open weigh stations you must enter, IFTA/IRP credentials with Florida decals, and a handheld ban in school and work zones. I could not confirm truck-specific speed limits, idling limits, chain/traction rules, hazmat tunnel or routing restrictions, or a state weight-distance tax, so those are left out.

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

• Must knowHazmat registration and safety permits

  Florida Highway Patrol enforces the federal hazmat rules. Carriers must hold PHMSA Hazmat Registration before hauling hazmat. FMCSA also requires a Hazardous Materials Safety Permit for certain highly hazardous loads, such as more than 55 lb of Division 1.1–1.3 explosives or a highway-route-controlled quantity of radioactive material. I could not confirm any Florida tunnel or state-specific hazmat routing restrictions.

  Hazardous Materials Enforcement - FLHSMV
• Must knowIFTA fuel tax credentials

  Florida is an IFTA member. Florida-based interstate carriers get one IFTA license and two decals per vehicle, valid January 1 to December 31. Keep a copy of the license in each vehicle and put the decals on the outside of the power unit. A carrier based in another member state still needs Florida fuel-use decals or temporary fuel-use permits to operate in Florida. Operating without an IFTA license, or without the decals displayed, can mean a $45 emergency fuel permit plus a $50 penalty. The enforcement page is older, so confirm current amounts with FLHSMV.

  Registration Enforcement - FLHSMV

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Florida's limits are 102 inches wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 80,000 lb gross. Its base semitrailer limit is 48 ft, or up to 57 ft on roads not restricted by the state or local authorities. A basic single-trip oversize permit is a 10-day permit that costs $5 for loads up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 85 ft long. Florida has no chain law, and I found no frost-law or seasonal weight rule in the sources I could access.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 40,000 lb tandem
Everglades Agricultural Area tandem permits allow up to 22,000 lb on any axle, 88,000 lb for the tractor and first trailer, and 155,000 lb total, and a permit is required. Above 80,000 lb on other roads, loads need an overweight permit. Trip permits for loads over 199,000 lb are in the fee schedule, but I could not confirm any road-specific higher limits beyond the Everglades Agricultural Area tan
FDOT's Tallahassee Permit Section issues overweight permits. Trip permits cost $0.27 per mile for loads up to 95,000 lb and $0.32 per mile up to 112,000 lb, rising with weight. Annual (12-month) permits for those weight classes cost $240 and $280. A vehicle found overweight without a required permit is penalized $0.05 per pound over the legal weight. A trip permit is valid from one origin to one d Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 48 ft semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $5 from Permit Section of the Office of Maintenance, Florida DOT, in Tallahassee. The permit office phone number listed in an FDOT guide is (850) 410-5777. Under s. 316
Unless the permit says otherwise, movements are prohibited on weekends and holidays. Nighttime travel is allowed only when the District Traffic Engineering Office recommends it or the Office of Maintenance makes it a permit requirement. For the widest category, one law enforcement escort and one qualified escort are required on a limited-access facility at night. Rear overhang is limited to 10 ft Source Non-government source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
I found no Florida statute requiring trucks to carry or use chains, and no seasonal or posted chain requirement. Several secondary sources say Florida has no chain law. The only related official statute I found is s. 316.299, which restricts roughened wheel surfaces and exempts studded pneumatic rubber tires. It doesn't mention snow chains, so this answer rests on those secondary sources and the a Source

• Must knowSemitrailer length and combinations

  The base limit is 48 ft for a semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination. A 48–57 ft semitrailer is allowed if the kingpin-to-rear-axle distance is 41 ft or less, except on State Highway System roads restricted by FDOT or local authorities. A combination may include no more than one truck tractor and two trailing units.

  The 2026 Florida Statutes § 316.515 (combination limit confirmed in the FindLaw copy of the 2025 text)

Fees and DOT requirements

Florida's state fees are low and flat. A CDL costs $75 for either class. Heavy-truck registration is set by a weight-bracket schedule that tops out at $1,322 a year for trucks at 72,000 lb or more. As far as I could find, Florida requires no separate state operating authority for in-state for-hire property carriers, and it charges no highway-use or weight-distance tax. However, Florida adopts the federal safety rules for intrastate carriers, and it requires a USDOT number and has intrastate insu

Class B CDL

$75 for 8 years (about $9.38 a year)
Each endorsement is $7. A hazmat endorsement also carries a $91 background-check fee. Written re-exams are $10 and driving re-exams are $20. A $15 late fee applies to renewals within 12 months after expiry, and a replacement license is $25. A tax collector's office adds a $6.25 service fee. One coun Source

Class A CDL

$75 for 8 years (about $9.38 a year)
Same $75 original/renewal fee as Class B; the statute does not charge by CDL class. Endorsements are $7 each, and the hazmat background check is $91. Written re-exams are $10 and driving re-exams are $20. The 8-year term has the same caveat as Class B. See the Florida CDL Handbook for the endorsemen Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$324 a year Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$1,322 a year Source

How registration is figured

Annual flat tax by declared gross vehicle weight bracket for heavy trucks and truck tractors (Fla. Stat. 320.08(4)). It is not based on value.
The FLHSMV fee page lists Heavy Truck (26,001-34,999 lb) at $324 and (72,000 lb or more) at $1,322. These are base weight taxes only. Tax-collector service fees, plate fees and title fees are extra, and I did not find an official total. Each semitrailer is a separate $13.50 per registration year, or $68 for a permanent registration. FLHSMV lists a $324 'Heavy Truck/Tractor 150 mile radius' rate, a Source

Intrastate operating authority

Not required for intrastate carriers.
J.J. Keller's state summary lists no Florida intrastate for-hire, exempt-for-hire or private authority requirement; I found no official source, so this is based on secondary sources. A second secondary source (Roadworthy HQ) says FLHSMV issues no operating-authority certificate and that intrastate carriers are handled through USDOT registration, IRP and insurance compliance. Two other secondary so Source Non-government source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowUSDOT / state DOT number

  FDOT says Florida carriers, interstate and intrastate, must obtain a USDOT number and display it on all commercial motor vehicles. Florida does not issue a separate state motor-carrier number. Secondary sources say intrastate carriers need one at 26,001 lb GVWR or more or when hauling placarded hazmat. The 2016 FLHSMV manual lists 10,001 lb or more, so the weight threshold is unclear; check with FLHSMV.

  FDOT Motor Carrier FAQs

See all 8 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Florida trucking bills

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