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Kentucky trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Kentucky's most distinctive feature for heavy trucks is the KYU weight-distance tax, which applies at a combined licensed weight of 59,999 lb or more. That is below the 80,000 lb legal gross limit, so many ordinary 5-axle tractor-trailers are covered. I could not confirm Kentucky rules on chains or traction devices, idling limits, or weigh-station and port-of-entry requirements, so they are left out. Several size and weight items rest on non-government permit-service sites, so check them against

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

• Must knowKYU weight-distance tax (must have number)

  Any carrier over 59,999 lb traveling in Kentucky is subject to the Weight Distance Tax and needs a KYU number (KRS 138.660). Apply, update your vehicle list and file at drive.ky.gov.

  Commercial Motor Vehicle Credentials - DRIVE (KY Transportation Cabinet)
• Must knowKYU inventory updates

  Every vehicle with a combined licensed weight of 59,999 lb or more must be listed under your KYU number (KRS 138.660, 601 KAR 1:200). Allow up to 14 business days for form updates (TC 95-38). More than 20 changes must go through the bulk upload in the Kentucky Motor Carrier Portal.

  KYTC TC 95-38 Vehicle Additions or Deletions - Weight Distance (KYU) Tax

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Kentucky has no seasonal chain-carry law. The statute only limits how chains may be used (KRS 189.190). The 80,000 lb limit is the cap on the best-classified roads. Lower-class state roads (AA and A) are capped at 62,000 and 44,000 lb. A single-trip oversize/overweight permit costs $60 and is bought online from the Division of Motor Carriers. I found no official frost law.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem
Nothing above 80,000 lb is allowed without a permit. State roads are classed AAA (80,000 lb), AA (62,000 lb) or A (44,000 lb). A vehicle 102 in wide or less and up to 80,000 lb may leave an interstate or parkway exit and travel up to 15 miles on any state highway. Vehicles up to 80,000 lb may also use any state highway without a special permit when carrying certain listed commodities. The weight m
The Cabinet may issue a single-trip permit for a nondivisible load that exceeds the weight or dimension limits. It costs $60. A single-trip permit is valid for 10 days. It is a one-time trip permit showing the origin and destination requested. It is vehicle-, route- and load-specific. KYTC adds a 4% fee for credit cards or a $3 ACH fee. An annual permit allows unlimited moves for 365 days. The wei Source

Legal size without a permit

8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 53 ft semitrailer
Single-trip oversize permit: $60 from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Division of Motor Carriers, Overweight/Over-Dimensional permit section. Applications go through the Kentucky Overweight/
A width over 8 1/2 ft needs a permit. A height over 13 ft 6 in needs a single-trip permit before the move. Except for mobile homes, permitted loads can travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week unless the permit says otherwise. Mobile homes may move Monday through Saturday, in daylight only, and not on Sunday. Kentucky has no holiday travel restrictions. No permitted load may move in Boone, Kenton, Cam Source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
I found no Kentucky law that requires trucks to carry chains in a season, and none that requires chains when signs are posted. KRS 189.190 only regulates how chains are used. A chained wheel may not be used on a highway not covered with ice unless it rests on an ice shoe at least 6 inches wide. Cross chains on rubber tires may be no more than 3/4 inch thick and no more than 10 inches apart around Source

• Must knowPermit holder duties and route limits

  The permit holder may travel only on highways maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The holder must measure all clearances of highway structures, laterally and vertically, along the route before passing. The permit must be carried in the power unit.

  Travel Provisions - DRIVE

Fees and DOT requirements

Kentucky has no separate Class A and Class B CDL fee. It charges one combined operator/CDL price on an 8-year cycle, so the CDL itself is cheap. Heavy-truck costs come from the weight-based annual registration (about $1,440 for an 80,000 lb combination), a state weight-distance tax (KYU) on trucks of 60,000 lb or more, and a $25-per-year intrastate for-hire property certificate. Intrastate carriers also need a USDOT number.

Class B CDL

$88 for 8 years (about $11 a year)
KYTC's price sheet is not split by CDL class. $88 is the standard combined operator/CDL renewal, and the REAL ID version is $93. A first CDL is sold as a prorated add-on to an existing operator license, $18.75-$45 standard or $23.75-$50 REAL ID. Other fees: commercial learner permit $11 ($14 REAL ID Source

Class A CDL

$88 for 8 years (about $11 a year)
The fees are the same as for Class B, because KYTC does not publish a separate Class A price. Standard combined operator/CDL renewal is $88 ($93 REAL ID). The original-CDL add-on is $18.75-$45 standard or $23.75-$50 REAL ID. The permit is $11 ($14 REAL ID). The application fee is $24 and the NCIC ch Source

Registration, 26,001 lb straight truck

$216 a year Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$1,440 a year Source

How registration is figured

Annual fee set by KRS 186.050 for commercial vehicles. Any vehicle with a declared gross weight, including any towed unit, over 10,000 lb is a commercial vehicle. The fee is a flat amount by weight bracket, not by value.
A declared gross weight of 26,001 lb falls in the 26,001-32,000 lb bracket, $216. An 80,000 lb combination falls in the 73,281-80,000 lb bracket, $1,440. A third-party site lists an older $1,410 figure for the top bracket. I used the statute text on the legislature's site. KRS 186.050 says IRP proportional (apportioned) registration fees follow the taxes in this section. Interstate trucks are norm Source

Intrastate operating authority

Kentucky Intrastate For-Hire Authority (property certificate under KRS 281.630). $25, annual.
KRS 281.630 requires a certificate before acting as a motor carrier. The property certificate has a $25 application fee and a $25 renewal fee, and every certificate renews annually. KYTC says Kentucky-based carriers that haul only within Kentucky pay $25 plus $10 per vehicle, and must have an original Form E insurance filing. Interstate for-hire carriers that pick up and deliver within Kentucky al Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowWeight-distance tax (KYU number)

  Vehicles with a combined licensed weight of 60,000 lb or more must have a KYU license and report mileage tax quarterly. Kentucky says there is no fee for a permanent KYU number, but the quarterly mileage tax still applies. An 80,000 lb combination is covered, and a 26,001 lb straight truck is not. I did not find the current per-mile rate on an official page, so I give none.

  Commercial Motor Vehicle Credentials - DRIVE (KYTC Division of Motor Carriers)

See all 7 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Kentucky trucking bills

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