How tall can a load be in Ontario without a permit?
Published
4.15 metres, which is about 13 ft 7 in, measured from the road to the top of the load. That is the tallest a truck and its load can be on an Ontario highway without a permit. Cross into Michigan, Ohio or New York and the limit drops to 13 ft 6 in.
The height limit is in the Highway Traffic Act, section 109, and it applies to the vehicle and the load together. For a shipper the number that matters is how tall the freight can be, and that depends on how high the trailer deck sits off the road. The same 10 ft crate is legal on one trailer and needs a permit on another.
Ontario height chart
| Height from the road, load included | What it takes on MTO highways |
|---|---|
| Up to 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) | Legal. No permit. |
| 4.16 m to 4.26 m (up to 13 ft 11 in) | Oversize permit. Fits an annual permit. No escort. Night moves allowed on King's highways under permit conditions. |
| 4.27 m to 4.86 m (up to 15 ft 11 in) | Project permit, with the load on a float type trailer. Single trip permits stop at 4.26 m on a flatbed. Route clearance from 4.30 m. No escort. Not valid in the GTA during the morning and afternoon congested periods, and no travel on statutory holidays. |
| 4.87 m and taller (about 16 ft and up) | Project permit and a pilot vehicle with a height pole set 8 cm above the load, driving ahead to check every clearance. |
On any overheight permit, the permit holder is responsible for every vertical clearance on the route: bridges, signs, overhead wires and construction zones. So dispatch checks the route before it quotes a tall load.
The US limit is lower
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and New Jersey all set 13 ft 6 in as the legal height. There is no single federal height limit; each state sets its own. So a load that is legal in Ontario at 13 ft 7 in is an inch over the moment it crosses at Detroit or Buffalo, and it needs a permit from every state on the route.
For cross border freight, plan to 13 ft 6 in from the start. It is legal on both sides, so the same load rides without a permit from the Ontario pickup to the US delivery.
Which trailer keeps the freight legal
The trailer decides how tall the freight itself can be. Subtract the deck height from the legal height and you have the room left for the load.
| Trailer | Deck height off the road | Tallest freight, about | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open flatbed, 53 ft | About 5 ft | 8 ft 6 in | Legal in Ontario and the US at that height. |
| Conestoga, 53 ft | Flatbed deck under a sliding cover | 102 inches (8 ft 6 in) | The cover sets the limit. Rides dry with no tarp. |
| Step deck, 53 ft | 42 inches on the lower deck | 120 inches (10 ft) | 42 plus 120 is 162 inches, exactly 13 ft 6 in. Legal in Ontario and the US. |
| Double drop, 53 ft | Lower still, in a 32 ft well | Taller than 120 inches | For the tallest machines, cells and tanks. Dispatch tells you if it still needs a permit. |
The step deck is the one most shippers miss. A 10 ft crate on a flatbed comes out near 15 ft, past the 4.26 m a single trip permit allows on a flatbed. The same crate on a step deck is 13 ft 6 in and rides legal with no permit in either country. We wrote up a real one in a 120 inch crate on a step deck. Deck heights and payloads for both drop deck trailers are on the step deck and double drop page.
Ways to keep a load under the limit
- Measure the crated or skidded height, not the machine on the floor. A skid usually adds 4 to 6 inches, and a crate lid adds more.
- Take off what comes off. Exhaust stacks, guards, lights, hoppers and lifting eyes often decide whether a machine is legal. Shipped separately, the machine may go on a step deck with no permit.
- Lay it down if the piece allows it. A tall, narrow piece laid on its side can come under the height limit and still stay under the width limit. Check the width too: past 2.6 m, or 8 ft 6 in, it needs a permit for width instead. See how wide a load can be in Ontario.
- Send the height and dispatch picks the deck.
How Fission handles tall loads
We run 4 step decks and 3 double drops out of Mississauga, with 90 Conestogas and 10 open flatbeds for freight up to 8 ft 6 in. For anything over the legal height, dispatch checks the route for bridges and wires, pulls the Ontario permit and each US state permit, and books a pilot vehicle when the height needs one, then quotes one price. Machinery and dies, tanks, racking and fabricated pieces are the usual tall loads. More on permitted moves is on our oversize load trucking page.
To quote a tall load, send the height from the bottom of the skid or crate to the highest point, the length, the width, the weight, both addresses and how it loads. Request a quote or call dispatch at (905) 799 7900, press 1.
Questions shippers ask
What is the maximum height without a permit in Ontario?
4.15 m, about 13 ft 7 in, for the vehicle and load together, measured from the road. It comes from section 109 of the Highway Traffic Act.
Is 13 ft 6 in legal in Michigan and Ohio?
Yes. 13 ft 6 in is the legal height in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and New Jersey. A load at 13 ft 7 in, legal in Ontario, needs a permit in those states.
How tall can freight be on a step deck?
About 120 inches, or 10 ft. On our step decks the lower deck sits 42 inches off the road, so the load tops out at 13 ft 6 in, legal in Ontario and the US.
When does a tall load need a pilot vehicle in Ontario?
At 4.87 m, about 16 ft, and taller. The pilot vehicle runs ahead with a height pole set 8 cm above the load to check every clearance. Loads from 4.16 m to 4.86 m need a permit but no pilot vehicle.
Sources: MTO guide to oversize and overweight vehicles and loads (updated July 2, 2025), the Highway Traffic Act, section 109, and state vehicle height limits as compiled by J. J. Keller. Deck heights are Fission's own equipment. Rules change, so the permit always governs the move.
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