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Illinois trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Illinois trucks are held to 55 mph in the six-county Chicago area, and Chicago has its own 3-minute diesel idling limit. Interstate fuel tax runs through IDOR's MyTax Illinois, and the Illinois Tollway requires its own oversize permit. I could not confirm winter chain rules, hazmat routing and tunnels, weigh-station or port-of-entry requirements, or any 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 knowTruck speed limit (Chicago area)

  In Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, the statute sets a lower limit for heavy second-division (truck) vehicles outside urban districts. An older code version states that limit as 55 mph for vehicles with a gross weight of 8,001 lb or more. I could not retrieve the current text of the rural-interstate truck limit outside those counties, so check the statute before relying on a number.

  625 ILCS 5/ Illinois Vehicle Code (Sec. 11-601 speed limits), ilga.gov
• Must knowPosted truck limits and restricted roads

  Obey posted truck width, length, height and weight signs, because some highways prohibit trucks entirely. Higher limits apply on state highways designated by IDOT and on local roads designated by local officials.

  Illinois CDL Study Guide, Illinois Secretary of State

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Illinois uses the standard federal-style limits: 8'6" wide, 13'6" high, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem and 80,000 lb gross. Oversize and overweight permits come from IDOT's Springfield Permit Office through the online ITAP system. There is no chain-carry or chain-required law, because chains are only permitted when needed for safety. I found no official statewide frost law, though the tollway and local roads have their own rules.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem
625 ILCS 5/15-111 sets 80,000 lb gross for combinations of 5 or more axles, plus a bridge-formula table for other axle groups. It also allows higher limits for some special vehicles, mostly off the Interstate. Examples are rendering trucks (22,000 lb single axle and 40,000 lb tandem) and propane cargo-tank vehicles (22,000 lb single, 40,000 lb tandem and 90,000 lb gross on 5 or 6 axles). Special H
IDOT's Permit Office issues special permits under 625 ILCS 5/15-301 through ITAP. The applicant must give gross weight, each axle weight and axle spacings, and for overweight loads two of make, model or serial number. Fees come from statutory tables by weight, axles and distance (for example, the overweight-axle table starts at $30 for the first 45 miles). IDOT permits are valid only on state-juri Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 53 ft semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $12 from Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Bureau of Operations, Permit Office, 2300 South Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62764. Phone (217) 785-1477 or (8
Overdimension permit loads generally move from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. Loads up to 12' wide, 13'6" high and 115' long may move 7 days a week, except on holidays (92 Ill. Adm. Code 554). Overweight-only loads with legal dimensions have no time restriction. Per IDOT form OPER 993, loads over 200' long move Monday to Friday in daylight only, with no Saturday or Sunday travel Source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
I found no Illinois law requiring trucks to carry or put on chains, and no seasonal chain-carry requirement. 625 ILCS 5/12-401 only says the tire rules do not prohibit chains of reasonable proportion when needed for safety because of snow, ice or skidding conditions. Source

• Must knowLegal height

  Maximum vehicle height including load is 13'6" on any Illinois highway. The Secretary of State truck manual says the same.

  Illinois Secretary of State, Size and Weight Limitations (CDL publication)

Fees and DOT requirements

Illinois CDLs are cheap: $60 for a Class A or B renewal. Truck registration is not. It is a flat weight tax, and an 80,000 lb tractor-trailer pays about $2,890 a year. For-hire carriers that stay inside Illinois need an Illinois Commerce Commission Public Carrier Certificate on top of any federal registration. Sources conflict on whether intrastate-only carriers need a USDOT number, so confirm that with the Illinois State Police.

Class B CDL

$60 for 4 years (about $15 a year)
The Secretary of State fee sheet lists CDL renewal (Class A, B and C) at $60, and $50 for age 69 and older. The study guide says the renewal and out-of-state transfer fee is $60 for ages 18-69 and includes $10 for the basic license, $24 for the CDL, $6 for CDLIS and $20 for the Motor Carrier Safety Source

Class A CDL

$60 for 4 years (about $15 a year)
The fee is the same as Class B. The CDL fee sheet lists one price for Class A, B and C. A Class A also needs the combination knowledge test: required for applicants to operate a Class A combination/articulated vehicle (20 questions). The permit and upgrade fees are the same as for Class B ($50 for t Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$730 a year Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$2,890 a year Source

How registration is figured

Trucks, tractors and buses over 8,000 lb pay a flat weight tax set by gross weight class (truck plus maximum load). The statute says the rates include the $10 registration fee. The Secretary of State's fee schedule shows the full-year amount in the first-quarter column. The schedule says fees are ef
At 26,001 lb the truck is in class J (26,001-28,000 lb), at $730 for a full year. At 80,000 lb it is in class Z (77,001-80,000 lb), at $2,890 for a full year. Both come from the Secretary of State calendar/fiscal registration fee sheet. The statute text in some older public acts still shows $2,790 for class Z. Use the Secretary of State schedule, which shows $2,890. The statute adds an optional ex Source

Intrastate operating authority

Public Carrier Certificate (Illinois Commerce Commission); household goods movers need a separate Household Goods Carrie. $50, annual.
The ICC says generally any person or entity engaged in for-hire transportation of property in intrastate commerce in Illinois must obtain a Public Carrier Certificate, though certain carriers are exempt. Federal authority does not replace it. The ICC says the initial application fee is currently $50.00. Each vehicle must carry an ICC cab card, bought annually at $5 per vehicle. J.J. Keller's summa Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowFuel tax (IFTA)

  Illinois-based carriers running qualified vehicles in two or more IFTA jurisdictions need an IFTA license and decals from the Illinois Department of Revenue. Qualified vehicles include combinations with gross or registered weight over 26,000 lb. The license is valid through December 31 of each calendar year, and returns are filed quarterly. A truck that stays only in Illinois does not need IFTA.

  MFUT-53 Illinois International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) (Illinois Department of Revenue)

See all 7 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Illinois trucking bills

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

• Pending IL HB4374: VEH CD-CDL EXEMPTION Referred to Rules Committee · 2026-01-14
• Pending IL HB4184: VEH CD-CDL LICENSING Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jason R. Bunting · 2025-12-02
• Pending IL HB3608: VEH CD-CDL DRIVER SCHOOL Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee · 2025-04-11

Bill data from LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).