Florida Oversize Permits: A Practical Guide to PAS (2026)

What “oversize or overweight” means in Florida 

Florida requires an oversize or overweight (OS/OW) permit when your vehicle and load exceed Florida’s legal size or weight limits. As a rule of thumb: width above 102″, height above 13′6″ (14′ for automobile transporters), and several length configurations beyond statute triggers require a permit; excess gross or axle weights do as well. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) enforces these thresholds and assesses penalties if you move without a valid permit. 

Penalties to know: florida uses a penalty schedule for overdimension (e.g., $250 per foot over width/height; length has its own schedule), and overweight is $0.05 per pound over the legal or permitted limit. In practice, these numbers escalate quickly on heavy moves, treating them as a risk you can (and should) engineer out. 

Before we ever request a permit, Simplex Group’s team validates your declared weight, measures, and registration so your application data matches your equipment and bill of lading. That upfront hygiene dramatically reduces enforcement surprises on the road.

Permit types in Florida

Florida’s State Permit Office issues four core permits for the state system:

• Annual Blanket
• Annual Vehicle-Specific Blanket
• Ten-day Trip permit (single origin to a single destination)
• Three-month Route-Specific Blanket (for defined routes)

Trip and route-specific permits require you to define a route; blanket permits cover recurring operations within their scope. Picking the right type depends on frequency, corridor stability, and your load profile.

When you’re unsure which instrument minimizes cost and lead-time, Simplex Group models your lane, frequency, and dimensions and then prepares the correct mix (e.g., annual blanket for repeat corridors plus trip permits for outliers).

Self-issue limits

Florida allows self-issued Trip permits in the Permit Application System (PAS) up to 16′ wide, 18′ high, 150′ long, and 200,000 lb (limited to 140,000 lb if the unit is self-propelled). Above these thresholds, expect additional review and routing. To self-issue, you must route with PAS’s GIS feature, which checks network constraints against your inputs.

For customers that prefer hands-off execution, Simplex Group’s permit specialists handle the PAS setup, account administration, and self-issue workflows on your behalf, then archive approvals with your job packet.

How to apply to PAS

• Step 1: prepare your data. VIN, plate, axle count and spacing, tire sizes, overall and loaded dimensions, commodity description (non-divisible), and contact info.
• Step 2: build the route in PAS. Use GIS routing and respect network notes (posted bridges, construction detours and restrictions noted in the app).
• Step 3: select the permit type: Trip (10 days), route-specific (3 months), or appropriate blanket.
• Step 4: validate constraints. Check turning radii, vertical clearances, and district notes.
• Step 5: submit, pay, and download. Keep all attachments; your permit provisions control your movement.

Simplex Group’s team assembles the application, runs a route sanity check, and files or maintains Driver Qualification (DQ) files and permit records so your audits and roadside checks are consistent end-to-end.

Operating windows, curfews, and Turnpike notes

Florida permits often include time-of-day restrictions and special instructions in congested metro areas and on certain corridors (including parts of Florida’s Turnpike). Treat your permit provisions as the single source of truth: if the permit says “no movement” during peak hours or inclement weather, you must stand down. When planning, assume that larger moves (height/width) face tighter windows and potential district coordination. (If you routinely run Miami–Orlando–Tampa corridors, bake in padding for urban peaks.)

Simplex Group programs your dispatch with those windows and pushes exception alerts if weather or closures invalidate the printed plan.

Escorts or pilot cars: equipment and regulations

Escort (pilot) vehicles, when required by your permit, must meet Florida Administrative Code equipment and marking rules; e.g., Class 2 amber warning lights visible at 500 ft and “OVERSIZE LOAD” signage meeting minimum letter and stroke specs. Your permit will specify if one or more escorts (front or rear) are needed based on your route and dimensions. Always match the equipment list and placements before departure.

Enforcement, mistakes that cause delays, and how to avoid them

The fastest path to violations is mis-reporting dimensions or weights, ignoring route notes (low structures, detours), or misunderstanding permit provisions (speed, hours, weather). 

Remember: oversize without a permit can trigger up to $1,000; overweight without a permit is $0.05 per pound over the legal or permitted baseline. Keep proofs organized and consistent with your registration and scale tickets. 

After 20 years supporting trucking entrepreneurs, Simplex Group focuses on the little things that prevent big problems: reconciling scale data to the axle schedule, confirming your registration weight vs. permitted weight, and maintaining the paperwork so your story checks out at the roadside.

Practical tactics from the field

• Engineer for self-issue where possible. If your typical moves sit under the PAS self-issue limits, streamline around those dimensions to cut lead time and cost.
• Treat the permit as a contract. Provisions on your PDF are operational orders; follow them literally.
• Re-route smart. If PAS balks at clearance, consider small configuration changes (jeeps/dollies/neck position) that reduce height or spread weight legally.
• Document discipline. Keep a uniform packet (permit, attachments, proof of non-divisible load, contact sheet).
• Know your help lines. FDOT State Permit Office can clarify provisions and routing questions; One-Stop Permitting lists other FDOT permit types you may need in parallel. 

When edge cases arise (super-heights, special escorts, construction detours), Simplex Group’s specialists coordinate with the State Permit Office and update your driver packet so the crew is never guessing.

FAQs