Abnormal Load Permits South Africa: Limits, Classes and Escorts

A load is abnormal when it exceeds the legal limits for length, width, height or mass — and cannot be broken down. Then it may only travel on public roads under an exemption permit issued in terms of Section 81 of the National Road Traffic Act. The rules that govern it are set out in TRH 11, the Department of Transport’s standard for abnormal loads.

This page sets out when a permit is needed, the classes your load falls into, and — the part operators actually have to plan around — how many escort vehicles you will be required to run.

The rule that decides everything: indivisibility

TRH 11 is explicit: “permits will only be considered for abnormally dimensioned loads that are considered to be indivisible.”

If the load can be split into two legal loads, it must be. A transformer, a boiler, a bridge beam or a mining shovel cannot be cut in half, so it qualifies. Three excavators that happen to be going to the same site can be carried separately, so they do not. This is the first question a permit office asks and it is where most applications fail.

Two kinds of abnormality

• Dimension abnormality — the vehicle or its load exceeds the legal limit on length, width, height, overhang, load projection or wheelbase. Any one of those is enough.
• Mass abnormality — the mass of the combination, or of any one axle group, exceeds the legal limit. A combination can be within its total mass and still be abnormal because one axle group is overloaded.

The legal limits you must exceed to be abnormal

Vehicle type	Overall length	Overall width	Overall height
Single (rigid) vehicle	12.5 m	2.6 m	4.3 m
Articulated — truck-tractor and semi-trailer	18.5 m	2.6 m	4.3 m
Any other combination (interlink, drawbar)	22 m	2.6 m	4.3 m

Dimensional classes: D1 to D6

Permit conditions get stricter as the load gets bigger, so TRH 11 sorts loads into classes. Both the width and the length must fall inside a class for the load to belong to it — a load that is narrow but very long is graded on the length.

Class	Maximum width	Maximum length
D1	2.75 m	27 m
D2	3.00 m	30 m
D3	3.25 m	34 m
D4	3.75 m	40 m
D5	4.75 m	54 m
D6	over 4.75 m	over 54 m

Mass classes: M1 to M6

Class	Maximum laden mass
M1	60 t
M2	65 t
M3	80 t
M4	100 t
M5	125 t
M6	over 125 t

Route categories: it is the road, not just the load

Escort requirements depend on the road as much as the load. A wide load on a dual carriageway causes far less disruption than the same load on a narrow rural road, so TRH 11 classifies road sections by paved width and posted speed limit.

Category	Paved width	Posted speed limit
A	18 m or wider	any
B	13 m to under 18 m	100 km/h or more
C	13 m to under 18 m 10 m to under 13 m	under 100 km/h 100 km/h or more
D	10 m to under 13 m under 10 m	under 100 km/h any

How many escorts you will need

This is the table that determines what an abnormal move actually costs. Find your dimension class down the side and your route category across the top.

Class	Route A	Route B	Route C	Route D
D1	No escort	No escort	No escort	No escort
D2	No escort	No escort	No escort	1 own escort
D3	No escort	No escort	1 own escort	2 own escorts
D4	No escort	1 own escort	2 own escorts	2 traffic officer escorts
D5	1 own escort	2 own escorts	2 traffic officer escorts	2 traffic officer escorts
D6	2 traffic officer escorts	2 traffic officer escorts	2 traffic officer escorts	2 traffic officer escorts

The jump from an own escort to a traffic officer escort is the one to watch when pricing a job: officer escorts are provided by the road traffic authorities, normally two vehicles, and they have to be booked and paid for. A route change that drops you from category D to category B can remove that requirement entirely.

What an escort vehicle must be, and where it must travel

• An own escort is provided by the carrier and must be a passenger car or light motor vehicle with GVM not exceeding 3,500 kg, fitted with an amber flashing light and an abnormal vehicle warning board on the roof, visible from all directions.
• A single own escort travels 10 to 50 m behind the abnormal vehicle — as far back as possible while staying in sight, so other road users get warning while normal overtaking is still possible.
• It moves to the front when the abnormality is an excessive front overhang, or when a height gauge is prescribed for loads over 4.7 m.
• Where two own escorts are specified, one travels in front and one behind, each 10 to 50 m from the load.
• A traffic officer escort is provided by the road traffic authorities and normally consists of two vehicles. At the permit office’s discretion one may sometimes be replaced by an own escort.

One point of law worth knowing: a private escort has no legal authority to control other traffic unless specifically authorised. Where it becomes necessary, it must be done reasonably, and the safety and convenience of other road users always takes precedence over the abnormal vehicle.

Speed, signage and the rule people break by accident

• Any abnormal vehicle limited to 60 km/h or less must display the prescribed speed restriction sign.
• When you are not operating under a permit that requires warning boards and flags, you may not display them. Flashing and other warning lights must be switched off. Leaving the boards up and the lights on between jobs is an offence, and it is a common one.

Who issues the permit

Abnormal load permits are exemption permits under Section 81 of the National Road Traffic Act, issued by provincial permit offices. A route crossing provincial boundaries needs the route cleared with each authority, and the conditions attached — timing, escorts, restricted hours — are set per permit rather than nationally. Build the permit lead time into the job: it is not a same-day document.

An abnormal load and a dangerous goods load are two separate regimes, and a load can be both — an oversized tank of flammable liquid needs the Section 81 permit and everything in the dangerous goods rules. Meeting one says nothing about the other.

Source and currency

Source: TRH 11, Dimensional and Mass Limitations and Other Requirements for Abnormal Load Vehicles, 8th revision, Pretoria 2010, issued by the Committee of Transport Officials’ Abnormal Loads Technical Committee — Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1 and 4.2, and sections 1.2, 4.3.4 and 4.4. Permits are issued under Section 81 of the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996. TRH 11 is published by the Department of Transport.

Current as at 14 August 2026. TRH 11 is a technical standard and is revised infrequently, but permit conditions, fees and provincial procedures change more often. Confirm current requirements with the issuing permit office before you plan a move.

Running abnormal work?

Abnormal load driving is the highest-paid driving grade in South African road freight — the bargaining council minimum is R4,909.20 a week, well above the extra-heavy rate. See the full NBCRFLI wage table for 2026/27 for every grade, and driving licence codes for what a Code EC licence covers.

If you move abnormal or project cargo and want the work to find you, list your trucks free on the Kweli Load Exchange — shippers with oversized cargo search by vehicle type and corridor, and what you deliver stays on your record.

Not sure whether your load is over the line? The legal truck dimensions and mass limits for South Africa set out the 12.5, 18.5 and 22 metre length limits and the two ways a combination can be overloaded.