Size and weight of vehicles except on interstate highways, federal-aid primary system highways and United States numbered routes.
Del. Code tit. 21, § 4502
in effect(a) Except as provided in § 4503 of this title, this section sets forth the size and weight restrictions applicable to all roads, streets and highways within this State.
(b) (1) No vehicles, including any load thereon, shall exceed a total outside width of 8 feet 6 inches.
(2) No vehicles, including any load thereon, shall exceed a height of 13 feet 6 inches.
(3) No single motor vehicle, including any load thereon, shall exceed 40 feet in length, and no combination of vehicles, including the load thereon, shall exceed 60 feet in length, except as otherwise provided in this section.
a. A truck and semitrailer combination engaged in the transportation of motor vehicles shall not exceed a length of 65 feet exclusive of the overhang of the transported vehicles.
b. Buses shall not exceed 45 feet in length.
c. Piling and pole trailers and vehicles or combinations or vehicles engaged in the transportation of steel beams, pipes, angles channels and other lengths of steel, or other metals, or other articles impossible of dismemberment shall not exceed 70 feet.
(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) or (3) of this section:
a. No recreational vehicle, including any load or truck camper thereon or any camping trailer, recreational trailer or park trailer attached thereto, shall exceed a total outside width of 102 inches, exclusive of any safety equipment, which shall not extend beyond the federal motor vehicle safety standards for such equipment, or appurtenances such as awnings and lights which are integral to the construction of the vehicle, installed by the vehicle’s manufacturer or dealer, and do not extend more than 6 inches wider on each side of the vehicle; provided however, that such vehicles permissibly exceeding the 102-inch width limit with its attached equipment or appurtenances shall only be operated:
1. On roadways having travel lanes at least 11 feet in width, unless prohibited by the Department of Transportation or by a municipality based on safety reasons and marked with signs prohibiting such vehicles; or
2. On any roadway of the State when such a vehicle is being operated between a roadway permitted under paragraph (b)(4)a.1. of this section and:
A. The location where the recreational vehicle, recreational trailer, park trailer, camping trailer or truck camper is garaged; or
B. The destination of the recreational vehicle, recreational trailer, park trailer, camping trailer or truck camper; or
C. A facility for food, fuel, repair, services or rest.
b. No single recreational vehicle, including any load or truck camper thereon, shall exceed 45 feet in length; and
c. No combination of a recreational vehicle with any vehicle, including the load thereon, nor any combination of any motor vehicle with any camping trailer, recreational trailer or park trailer attached thereto, shall exceed 65 feet in length.
(c) (1) A vehicle equipped with 2 axles, having each of the 2 axles equipped with 2 hubs, with a power brake on each hub, may not exceed a total gross weight of 40,000 pounds or manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating, whichever is less.
(2) A vehicle equipped with 3 axles, having each of the 3 axles equipped with 2 hubs, with a power brake on each hub, shall not exceed a total gross weight of 65,000 lbs. or the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating, whichever is less; notwithstanding the above, and as limited in § 2105 of this title, it shall be lawful to operate such a vehicle to and from any construction site located in this State when the total gross weight does not exceed 70,000 lbs.; and it shall also be lawful to operate such a vehicle containing agricultural products when the gross weight, including vehicle and load, does not exceed 70,000 lbs.; provided that vehicles utilizing the above exception shall pay a fee of $100 per vehicle at the time of registration for this extra weight capacity.
(3) A vehicle equipped with 4 axles, having each of the rear axles equipped with 2 hubs, with a power brake on each rear hub, shall not exceed a total gross weight of 73,280 pounds or manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating whichever is less.
(4) The total gross weight of a combination tractor and semitrailer having a total of 3 axles shall not exceed 60,000 lbs. or combined manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating whichever is less.
(5) The total gross weight of a combination tractor and semitrailer having a total of 4 axles shall not exceed 70,000 lbs. or combined manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating whichever is less.
(6) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (c)(6)a. or (c)(6)b. of this section, the total gross weight of a combination tractor and semitrailer having a total of 5 or more axles may not exceed 80,000 lbs. or combined manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating, whichever is less.
a. For a live-haul poultry truck traveling less than 150 miles from the farm to the plant, the total gross weight, including load, of a combination of a truck tractor and semitrailer having a total of 5 or more axles may not exceed 90,000 pounds or combined manufacturer’s gross combined weight rating (GCWR), whichever is less. However, such a live-haul poultry truck may exceed the established weight limit by no more than 3% to account for variations in bird weight due to bird size, moisture retention caused by precipitation, or other unanticipated conditions. For the established weight limit and associated 3% variance to apply to a live-haul poultry truck, the following conditions must exist:
1. The live-haul poultry truck must be subject to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) inspection.
2. The live-haul poultry truck must adhere to all bridge weight limits.
3. The live-haul poultry truck must not use the interstate highway system.
4. The axles on a live-haul poultry truck must be a minimum of 96 inches apart no later than May 8, 2015.
b. For a truck hauling farm produce grown in this State and traveling from the farm on which the farm produce is grown to a location at which the farm produce is to be processed or stored, or from a location at which the farm produce is processed or stored to an export facility within this State, the total gross weight, including load, of a combination of a truck tractor and semitrailer having a total of 5 or more axles may not exceed 90,000 pounds or combined manufacturer’s gross combined weight rating (GCWR), whichever is less.
1. For purposes of this paragraph (c)(6)b., “farm produce” means fruits, vegetables, or commodity grains.
2. This paragraph (c)(6)b. applies to a truck hauling farm produce if all of the following conditions are met:
A. The truck hauling farm produce is subject to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) inspection.
B. The truck hauling farm produce adheres to all bridge weight limits.
C. The axles on a truck hauling farm produce must be a minimum of 96 inches apart.
D. The truck hauling farm produce does not use the interstate highway system.
(7) Except as otherwise provided herein, for single unit vehicles, no axle load shall exceed 22,400 pounds. With respect to any single unit vehicle, the maximum gross weight between any 3 consecutive axles that actually bear weight upon the pavement, and which have wheels spaced between 144 inches and not less than 60 inches apart when measured horizontally between their center lines, shall not exceed 60,000 lbs. With respect to any single unit vehicle, the maximum gross weight between any 2 consecutive axles that actually bear weight upon the pavement, and which have wheels spaced between 96 inches and not less than 40 inches apart when measured horizontally between their center lines, shall not exceed 40,000 pounds. With respect to any single unit vehicle, the maximum combined gross weight between any 2 consecutive axles that actually bear weight upon the pavement, and are less than 40 inches apart when measured horizontally between the center lines, shall not exceed 20,000 pounds. Where the distance between consecutive axle centers exceeds 96 inches, the weight for each such axle shall not exceed 22,400 pounds.
(8) Except as otherwise provided herein, for combination unit vehicles, no axle load shall exceed 22,400 pounds. With respect to any combination unit vehicle, the maximum gross weight between any 2 consecutive axles that actually bear weight upon the pavement and which have wheels spaced between 96 inches and not less than 40 inches apart, measured horizontally between their center lines, shall not exceed 36,000 pounds. Where the distance between consecutive axle centers exceeds 96 inches, the weight for each such axle shall not exceed 22,400 pounds. With respect to any combination vehicle, the maximum combined gross weight between any 2 consecutive axles that actually bear weight upon the pavement, and are less than 40 inches apart when measured horizontally between the center lines, shall not exceed 20,000 pounds.
(9) Farm operations. — Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, the following applies to vehicles registered as (i) farm trucks or (ii) registered commercial motor vehicles that are controlled or operated by a farmer and while used in the operation of a farm. For these vehicles, no single axle load shall exceed 22,400 pounds, and with respect to any vehicle equipped with coupled axles spaced less than 48 inches apart measured horizontally between their center lines, the combined weight on the coupled axles shall not exceed 20,000 pounds and, with respect to a vehicle equipped with coupled axles spaced 48 inches or more apart measured horizontally between their center lines, the combined weight on the coupled axle shall not exceed 40,000 pounds. Furthermore, any farm loaded truck or farm vehicle carrying harvested products or livestock may exceed the weight limits established under this subsection by no more than 3 percent.
(10) Whenever the total gross weight permitted in any provisions of this section exceeds the total gross weight permitted as calculated pursuant to paragraph (c)(7) of this section, paragraph (c)(7) of this section shall be void.
(d) The Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation may, on the basis of engineering and/or traffic investigations, determine that any road, street, or highway under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation is not of sufficient width to accommodate vehicles otherwise permitted by this section and may thereafter prohibit vehicles of an otherwise permissible width from operation on such road, street or highway.
Source: DE Code (Official Site)URL: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title21/c045/index.htmlFetched: 6/28/2026
Source: DE Code (Official Site)URL: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title21/c045/index.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026