How to Ship Oversize & Overweight Loads in New Brunswick
New Brunswick figures verified against Government of New Brunswick (gnb.ca) · 2026-09· Last reviewed September 2026
Freight is legal in New Brunswick until it outgrows the province's size and weight envelope; from that point, movement runs on permits, marked vehicles, and rules about when and where the load may travel.
New Brunswick oversize thresholds
- Width
- over 8.5 ft needs a permit
- Height
- over 13.6 ft needs a permit
- Weight
- Gross and axle limits follow each province's weight tables; interprovincial MoU vehicles run to 62,500 kg on compliant configurations.
- Length
- 16.2 m (53 ft) semitrailers are standard under the national MoU; overall combination limits are provincial.
Does your load need a permit here?
Skip the reading: enter your real dimensions and weight in the quote engine and it applies the thresholds of every jurisdiction on your actual route, prices permits and escorts where your load crosses the bands, and locks the price for 30 days.
Quote my load for New Brunswick →Heavy equipment, vehicles, freight, containers: all categories priced.
From routine permit to superload in New Brunswick
Not every permitted load is the same size of problem. New Brunswick tiers them:
Routine permitted
The everyday oversize move: permit, marking, escorts by band.
Route-surveyed
New Brunswick rates its highways individually for weight: each designated route carries a prescribed gross ceiling of 43,500, 50,000, 56,500, or 62,500 kg under the provincial schedule, so WHICH road you run decides your legal gross before any permit does. Oversize permits come as 7-day single trips or 3-month and annual terms inside capped dimensions.
Superload
Beyond the standard permit dimension caps, moves clear individually under the Motor Vehicle Act's special-permit authority; manufactured-home moves have their own permit tiers reaching 5.5 m of width on single trips.
Permits in New Brunswick: who issues them
Oversize and overweight permits are issued by the Service New Brunswick, Trucking Services (for Transportation and Infrastructure). Your carrier or its permit service deals with the office directly, and the cost is in your quote when your dimensions require it.
- •Manufactured and modular home moves: single-trip permits to 5.5 m wide (eaves included), 32 m long, 4.88 m high on chassis; annual and quarterly terms run slightly tighter.
The escalation ladder: from legal load to the move nobody makes
As dimensions grow, requirements stack in the same order everywhere; New Brunswick sets the exact trigger points.
1 · Legal load
Inside the envelope above: no permit, no escorts, travels any lawful hour. Typical: a 20 ft container on a flatbed, a pickup on a hotshot, pallets in a van.
2 · Permitted, no escort
Over the envelope but inside the province's first escort band: permit, banner and flags, daylight-type windows. Typical: a 10 ft wide skid-steer-and-attachments load on a step deck.
3 · One escort
From about 12 ft of width in New Brunswick: a certified pilot car leads on two-lane roads or follows on divided highways. Typical: a 12 ft wide dozer on an RGN.
4 · Two escorts / pole car
From about 16 ft wide in New Brunswick: front and rear escorts. Very tall loads add a height-pole car that proves every wire and bridge before the load reaches it.
5 · Police escort / superload
Beyond the standard permit dimension caps, moves clear individually under the Motor Vehicle Act's special-permit authority; manufactured-home moves have their own permit tiers reaching 5.5 m of width on single trips. At this scale expect route surveys, possible rolling closures, and utility crews lifting lines ahead of the convoy.
6 · Cannot move as one piece
Past what roads, bridges, and wires physically accept, or whenever the load is DIVISIBLE: authorities expect it reduced, not permitted. Booms come off, counterweights ship separately, buildings split into sections; the truly non-reducible goes to engineered transport, rail, or barge for part of the journey.
New Brunswick's escort bands are refreshingly plain: a front pilot vehicle from 3.65 m (12 ft) of width, and pilots front AND rear from 4.88 m (16 ft).
Examples are typical industry scenarios for scale, not New Brunswick determinations; the permit for your move states the binding requirements.
Permits, escorts, and travel windows in practice
The mechanics in New Brunswick follow the continental pattern: a single-trip permit describing the load and its route, escort vehicles from the province's width and length bands upward, marked banners and flags on the load, and travel windows that favour daylight and quiet roads. The details are New Brunswick's own, and they are applied to your move at dispatch. For how each piece works everywhere, see the guides on pilot cars & escorts, permits, travel windows and spring frost laws, which apply in New Brunswick's climate.
Spring weight restrictions apply on posted New Brunswick highways during thaw; the province also runs a Highway Uprating Program that raises route ratings over time.
Permits in New Brunswick are issued by the Service New Brunswick, Trucking Services (for Transportation and Infrastructure); your carrier or its permit service deals with the office directly.
Common questions
When does a load count as oversize in New Brunswick?▾
In New Brunswick, a load is oversize once it exceeds 8.5 ft in width, 13.6 ft in height; beyond those figures a permit is required before it moves.
Do I need to get the New Brunswick permit myself?▾
No. Movement permits attach to the carrier and vehicle, not to the shipper. When your dimensions require a New Brunswick permit, the carrier or its permit service obtains it, the cost is priced into your quote, and the paperwork rides in the cab.
Will my load need a pilot car in New Brunswick?▾
Escort requirements in New Brunswick begin around 12 ft of width, with two escorts from about 16 ft; road type changes the count, and the permit states the final requirement.
Can oversize loads travel at night or on holidays in New Brunswick?▾
Daylight travel is the working default for oversize loads across North America, with curfews in major urban areas and restrictions on statutory holidays. New Brunswick's current windows are applied to your route during dispatch planning, and your pickup and delivery estimates already reflect them.
Related: heavy equipment shipping · all jurisdictions · other provinces: Ontario · Quebec · British Columbia · Alberta · Manitoba · Saskatchewan
This guide is provided free, for general information, so shippers can see how oversize and overweight moves work. It is not legal advice and not a permit determination. Limits, escort bands, fees, and seasonal restrictions change regularly; before relying on any figure, verify it with the jurisdiction's transportation department or permit office, or a licensed permit service. When you book with LoadLoom, our dispatch desk and your assigned carrier confirm the current rules for your exact load and route; that confirmation, not this page, governs your shipment. LoadLoom is operated by ShipVista Corporation, licensed FMCSA freight forwarder FF-53801, USDOT 3852466. Last reviewed September 2026. Spot an error? Email customercare@loadloom.com with the official source and our desk will verify and update.