If your cargo exceeds the statutory dimensions or weights, you may not take to the road without official authorisation. This guide explains from when a heavy haulage permit is necessary, which types of permit exist, what they cost and how long processing realistically takes – and how Oversize Transports takes the entire process off your hands.
From when is a permit required?
The decisive factors are the thresholds of standard traffic. You need a permit under StVO §29 if the transport exceeds one of these limits:
- Width: over 2.55 m (refrigerated vehicles: 2.60 m)
- Height: over 4.00 m
- Length: over 16.50 m on an articulated vehicle or 18.75 m on a drawbar combination
- Weight: over 40 t permissible gross weight (44 t in combined transport)
Depending on the type of excess, one speaks of an oversize transport (excess dimensions) or a heavy transport (excess weight) – frequently both apply at once. Besides the transport permit, the vehicle itself requires the appropriate exemption permits under the German vehicle licensing regulations (StVZO); the two must match.
Individual permit or long-term permit?
The individual permit applies to a specific route within a defined period – the standard case for project cargo such as machinery, transformers or plant modules. For recurring transports on consistent lanes (e.g. prefabricated components ex works), a long-term permit can be applied for, which is usable repeatedly within defined dimensions and routes. Applications run via the road traffic authorities; on routes crossing several federal states, all affected states are involved via the nationwide online procedure – each assessing its own section. Cross-border transports additionally require permits in every transit country under its national procedure – with their own deadlines, fees and conditions, which must be factored into the overall planning. Anyone planning a multi-state route should therefore always schedule from the slowest permit procedure, not the fastest.
What does the permit cost?
The administrative fees alone usually range from around 50 to several hundred euros per permit, depending on the federal state and scope. The larger cost block arises from the conditions attached to the permit:
- escort vehicles (BF2/BF3/BF4) at hourly or daily rates,
- police escort, where ordered,
- individual bridge structural calculations at high gross weights,
- temporary measures such as dismantling signage or securing the route.
Concrete total costs can only be credibly quantified after the route survey – depending on route, weight and permit situation. Oversize Transports itemises all positions transparently and bundles them into a fixed price after the feasibility study.
How long does processing take?
As a rule of thumb: straightforward individual permits within one federal state take around one to two weeks. Multi-state routes with escort conditions typically need two to six weeks, because every authority involved has to agree. Very heavy transports, for which bridges have to be individually recalculated, can require several months of lead time. Our advice: start permit planning in parallel with project planning, not once the cargo is ready to ship – otherwise changed dimensions or weights after the application is filed mean a new procedure.
Common mistakes that cost time and money
From practice, we see four recurring stumbling blocks:
- Provisional cargo data in the application: if dimensions or weight change after filing, a new application is needed – with the full run of deadlines.
- Route applied for without a preliminary survey: if a bridge or pinch point is rejected during the official assessment, the coordination starts again from scratch. A digital route survey before the application prevents this.
- Escort capacity booked too late: BF3/BF4 vehicles and police deployment times are bottleneck resources; anyone requesting them only after the permit has been granted often loses the authorised time window.
- Loading and unloading point forgotten: the permit does not end at the factory gate – manoeuvring areas, crane pads and the last mile over municipal roads belong in the planning.
How it works with Oversize Transports
We take over the entire process: checking the cargo data, digital route analysis (bridge loads, headroom, pinch points), filing applications in all federal states and transit countries concerned, coordinating escort vehicles and police deployment times, and execution with suitable equipment up to 200 tonnes. After the feasibility study you receive a fixed-price quotation including permit and escort effort, and throughout the project you have a personal project manager with 24/7 availability. Send us dimensions, weight and lane – we will tell you promptly what is possible, what it costs and when it can run.