Heavy Equipment Transport in Iowa
Excavators, dozers, loaders and tractors moved across Iowa on the trailer each machine needs, with the state's oversize permits arranged before pickup.
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Every carrier is vetted for operating authority and insurance, and we check the certificate before every dispatch, not once a year. USDOT 3411782 · MC 1100274
At a glance
Shipping in Iowa at a glance
The facts that decide how a load moves here. Regulatory figures link to the official page they come from.
- I-80
- I-35
- I-29
- I-74
- I-380
- I-235
How freight moves in Iowa
Freight in Iowa runs on I-80, I-35, I-29, I-74, I-380 and I-235. The state's economy leans on corn and soybean production, pork, beef and poultry processing, ethanol and biofuels and agricultural equipment manufacturing, and that is most of what moves on its roads.
Rules of the road
What shapes a move in Iowa
- When oversize loads can travel
In Iowa, permitted oversize loads normally move only from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, night movement is allowed for loads up to 12 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 100 ft long on roads at least 22 ft wide, and no movement is allowed on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, after noon on the preceding days, or during holiday weekends. Source ↗
- Escort vehicles
In Iowa, permitted loads wider than 12 ft need an escort (in front on two-lane roads and behind on four-lane roads, with an amber warning light accepted instead in the narrower width bands), loads taller than 14 ft 6 in need a front escort with a height pole, and loads longer than 120 ft need a rear escort. Source ↗
- Seasonal conditions
Iowa's state highways are not subject to seasonal weight restrictions, but counties post low-volume roads with spring weight limits during the thaw, so heavy trucks should check county postings before leaving state routes.
Iowa permit moves may be made only when roads are clear of ice and snow and visibility is at least one-quarter mile.
Rules change. The specialist on your move checks the current ones for your exact route before anything is booked.
Permits by state
If the route leaves Iowa
Every state a load crosses issues its own oversize permit. These are the offices next door, closest first, with their legal limits.
Illinois
IDOT · Illinois Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Office
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Nebraska
NDOT · Nebraska Department of Transportation, Permits Office
Legal height: 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
South Dakota
SDHP · South Dakota Highway Patrol, Motor Carrier Services
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Wisconsin
WisDOT · Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Minnesota
MnDOT · Minnesota Department of Transportation
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Missouri
MoDOT · Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services
Legal height: 14 ft on Interstates and designated highways (13 ft 6 in on other roads)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Cities
Heavy Equipment Transport by city in Iowa
These are the busiest pickup points. Any address in Iowa works, including the towns between them.
Cedar RapidsLinn County
Cedar Rapids, in eastern Iowa on I-380 and US-30, is a major grain-processing center, with corn and food ingredient plants along the Cedar River.
- I-380
- US-30
- US-151
DavenportScott County
Davenport is the largest of the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River, where I-80 and I-74 meet river locks, rail lines and metal and food processing plants.
- I-80
- I-74
- I-280
Des MoinesPolk County
Des Moines, the state capital and largest city, is where I-35 and I-80 cross in central Iowa, with I-235 running through the city, making it a central crossroads for north-south and east-west truck freight.
- I-35
- I-80
- I-235
Sioux CityWoodbury County
Sioux City sits on the Missouri River where Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota meet, on I-29, and is a center of meat and food processing for the tri-state region.
- I-29
- I-129
- US-20
Council BluffsPottawattamie County
Council Bluffs is across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, where I-80 and I-29 meet, and has been a rail gateway to the west since the transcontinental railroad, with warehouse and data center growth today.
- I-80
- I-29
- I-680
DubuqueDubuque County
Dubuque is on the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa at the meeting of US-20, US-61 and US-151, with river barge access and a heavy machinery manufacturing base.
- US-20
- US-61
- US-151
WaterlooBlack Hawk County
Waterloo, with neighboring Cedar Falls, anchors northeast Iowa at the northern end of I-380, with meat processing and farm equipment manufacturing.
- I-380
- US-20
- US-218
Heavy Equipment Transport
Trailers and machines
RGN (removable gooseneck)
The neck detaches so tracked and wheeled machines drive on at deck level.
Lowboy
A deck close to the ground for tall machines that would break the legal height on a flatbed.
Step deck
For loaders, tractors and skid steers that clear the height limit on its lower deck.
Flatbed
For attachments, smaller machines and anything loaded by forklift or crane.
Questions about shipping in Iowa
Who issues oversize permits in Iowa?
The Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (Iowa DOT). A load over the legal limits (13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) tall, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) wide) needs its permit for the exact route, and it is arranged before pickup so the machine does not wait at the yard.
When can an oversize load travel in Iowa?
In Iowa, permitted oversize loads normally move only from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, night movement is allowed for loads up to 12 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 100 ft long on roads at least 22 ft wide, and no movement is allowed on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, after noon on the preceding days, or during holiday weekends.
When does Iowa require escort vehicles?
In Iowa, permitted loads wider than 12 ft need an escort (in front on two-lane roads and behind on four-lane roads, with an amber warning light accepted instead in the narrower width bands), loads taller than 14 ft 6 in need a front escort with a height pole, and loads longer than 120 ft need a rear escort.
Are there seasonal restrictions in Iowa?
Iowa's state highways are not subject to seasonal weight restrictions, but counties post low-volume roads with spring weight limits during the thaw, so heavy trucks should check county postings before leaving state routes. Iowa permit moves may be made only when roads are clear of ice and snow and visibility is at least one-quarter mile.
Which trailer does my machine need?
The machine decides: its weight, height, width and whether it drives on. Tracked machines usually ride an RGN or a lowboy, loaders and tractors a step deck, attachments a flatbed. With the make, model and dimensions we tell you which before we quote.
How fast do you reply to a quote request?
In under 10 minutes during business hours, by text or phone for a move inside the U.S., and on WhatsApp for one going to Mexico.
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Our logistics specialists are standing by. We reply in under 10 minutes.
Every carrier is vetted for operating authority and insurance, and we check the certificate before every dispatch, not once a year. USDOT 3411782 · MC 1100274