Which trailer does your load actually need?

It comes down to three things: loaded height, weight, and whether the equipment rolls on its own wheels. A load stays legal on a flatbed if it clears 13'6" total height on a ~5 ft deck and weighs under about 48,000 lbs. Taller loads step down to a step-deck; taller or heavier still moves to a double-drop, lowboy, or RGN; and self-propelled machines drive onto an RGN whose gooseneck detaches into a ramp. This tool applies those rules for you.

A load is legally oversize once it passes 8'6" wide, 13'6" tall, or roughly 53 ft long, and overweight once the gross combination tops 80,000 lbs. Past those limits you need a state permit; bigger loads add pilot cars, height poles, or bridge analysis. Exact thresholds vary by state, so the permit is confirmed once the route is set.

A superload is too big or heavy for normal oversize permits — generally over about 16 ft wide, 16 ft tall, 150 ft long, or 200,000 lbs, though each state draws its own line. Superloads usually need engineering review, bridge analysis, police escorts, and route-specific approval.

It's a planning estimate that uses standard U.S. legal limits and typical trailer deck heights to get you to the right category fast. The final trailer, axle setup, and permits are confirmed once we have the exact dimensions, weight, lift points, and route.