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Iowa trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Iowa's big recent change for heavy haulers is HF 979. It raised the Annual All-Systems Overweight Permit cap to 12.5% over legal weight and, from Oct. 27, 2025, allows a per-ton fee on single-trip overweight permits. Iowa also requires carriers to be Iowa-based to get IRP or IFTA credentials through the state, and its hands-free phone law has carried fines since Jan. 1, 2026. I could not confirm from official sources the truck speed limits, idling limits, winter chain rules, hazmat routing or tu

Researched by our AI agent from the linked sources on 2026-10-22. Always confirm with the source.

• Must knowHF 979 – single-trip overweight permit ton fee

  Single trip overweight permits may have a ton fee under the changes HF 979 made to Iowa Code 321E. The listed base price is $35 for a single trip and $70 for a round trip. The page notes the ton fee applies from Oct. 27, 2025. The page does not give the per-ton amount, so check it when you apply.

  Get Oversize & Overweight Permits (Iowa DOT)
• Must knowHF 979 – Annual All-Systems Overweight Permit

  The permit costs $500 and is valid for 12 months. It allows up to 12.5% over legal weight: 90,000 lb for 5 axles, 101,250 lb for 6 axles, and 108,000 lb for 7 axles. Axle weight is capped at 20,000 lb. It covers unlimited trips on state roads and certain city and county roads, but not the interstate. The vehicle must be registered for the gross weight of the vehicle and load.

  Annual All-Systems Overweight Permit fact sheet (Iowa DOT)

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Iowa's legal limits are standard (8.5 ft wide, 13.5 ft high, 53 ft semitrailer, 80,000 lb gross). Oversize loads may move on weekends, and the only blackout is three summer holidays. Iowa has no truck chain-carry season and no statewide frost law. Spring weight limits come from posted local embargoes, and higher gross weights (90,000 and 96,000 lb) are allowed on non-interstate roads for six- and seven-axle trucks.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem
No permit is needed to haul 90,000 lb on 6 axles or 96,000 lb on 7 axles under the weight tables in Iowa Code 321.463(6)(c)(1). That table applies to commercial motor vehicles on noninterstate highways, operated by a driver with a valid CDL unless section 321.176A applies. It does not apply on the Interstate. The full axle-spacing tables are in Iowa Code 321.463.
Permitted loads must be nondivisible unless you operate under the All Systems Overweight permit. The single-trip permit costs $35. It has no limit on gross weight, height or length, and the maximum axle weight is 20,000 lb. If combined gross weight exceeds 100,000 lb, a single-trip permit is issued only if the issuing authority determines it would not cause undue damage to the road. Effective Oct. Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 53 ft semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $35 from Iowa DOT, Motor Vehicle Division, Office of Vehicle & Motor Carrier Services, 6310 SE Convenience Blvd., Ankeny, IA 50021. Phone 515-237-3264. Permits can be ap
Movement is allowed seven days a week except for designated holidays and special events with abnormally high traffic. Loads can run 24 hours a day if they are 11 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in tall or less and 100 ft long or less, and stay within permitted weights. Continuous (night) moves must meet extra conditions in the permit's general provisions. The designated holidays are Memorial Day, Indepen Source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
Iowa Code 321.442 allows tire chains of reasonable proportions on any vehicle when needed for safety because of snow, ice or other skid conditions. I found no Iowa statute or rule requiring trucks to carry chains or chain up. That means no season, no designated chain routes and no stated fine. The statute copy I found is a 2014 version, so verify against the current Iowa Code. Source

• Must knowTandem axle limit (statute)

  Iowa Code 321.463 sets a 20,000 lb limit on any one axle with pneumatic tires and 34,000 lb on a tandem axle with pneumatic tires. I only found this wording in the 2003 code text. The current code also contains axle-group tables, so confirm against the current statute.

  Iowa Code 2003: Section 321.463

Fees and DOT requirements

Iowa's state costs are low. A CDL costs $8 per year of validity, up to 8 years. Trucks registered in Iowa pay a flat fee set by gross weight, not by value. A for-hire carrier that runs only inside Iowa needs state authority from the Iowa DOT (a $150 application fee) and a USDOT number. I found no weight-distance tax or state emissions program for trucks in these searches, but that is not proof that none exists.

Class B CDL

$64 for 8 years (about $8 a year)
The official Iowa DOT fee is $8 per year of validity, so $64 for the maximum 8-year license. Licenses issued at age 78 or older are valid for 2 years. A commercial learner's permit (CLP) is $12 and valid for 1 year. The Iowa DOT fee page and CDL Quick Guide do not state per-endorsement fees or a ski Source

Class A CDL

$64 for 8 years (about $8 a year)
The official fee is the same as Class B: $8 per year of validity, so $64 for 8 years. The CLP is $12 and valid for 1 year. Testing: the CDL Quick Guide lists a 50-question general knowledge test and a 20-question combination vehicle test for Class A. Endorsement and skills-test dollar amounts are no Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$375 a year Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$1,695 a year Source

How registration is figured

Flat annual fee set by the combined gross weight at which the truck or combination is registered, in tons. Value is not used. The truck must be registered at or above its unladen weight. Iowa Code 321.122.
26,001 lb is just over 13 tons, so it falls in the 'exceeding 13 tons, not exceeding 14 tons' row at $375. 80,000 lb is 40 tons, which is the $1,695 row. Over 40 tons the fee is $1,695 plus $80 per extra ton. These figures come from the statute table, and the 80,000 lb figure matches the Iowa DOT statement below. Special trucks and farm trucks have separate, lower schedules. Interstate trucks: Iow Source

Intrastate operating authority

Intrastate Motor Carrier Permit (property and household goods carriers) or Motor Carrier Certificate (passenger carriers. $150, one-time.
Any for-hire carrier moving freight or passengers only within Iowa needs this authority from the Iowa DOT before it starts hauling (Form 441052). The application fee is $150. The sources do not say outright that a general freight permit never renews. A non-expiring permit is stated explicitly for liquid (nondairy) carriers, so confirm renewal terms with Iowa DOT Motor Carrier Services at 515-237-3 Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowUSDOT number for intrastate carriers

  Iowa-based for-hire intrastate carriers need a USDOT-IA number. Intrastate for-hire carriers must have and display a USDOT number, and intrastate private carriers are not required to display one. Carriers that already hold a USDOT number for interstate work don't get a second number but must still get Iowa intrastate authority.

  Rules & Regulations (Iowa DOT)

See all 8 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Iowa trucking bills

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

• Enacted IA HF979: A bill for an act relating to vehicles operating with a permit for excessive size or weight, and providing fees. (Formerly HF 696, HSB 202.) Effective date: 07/01/2025. Signed by Governor. H.J. 1229. · 2025-06-06
• Pending IA SF390: A bill for an act relating to vehicles operating with a permit for excessive size or weight, and providing fees.(Formerly SSB 1043.) Subcommittee: Dickey, Dotzler, and Gruenhagen. S.J. 393. · 2025-03-03

Bill data from LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).