Oversize load permit in Great Britain (2026): authority, thresholds, fees

Key facts

Issuing authority

In most cases Great Britain does NOT require a permit, only NOTIFICATION: a vehicle within STGO 2003 may travel after notifications have been given to the police (Sch. 5) and to the highway and bridge authorities with an indemnity (Sch. 9). Consent (permission) is needed only: (a) width > 5.0 m up to 6.1 m — written consent of the Secretary of State on form VR1 (Art. 15(5), Sch. 7 STGO); (b) outside STGO (width > 6.1 m, rigid length > 30 m, weight > 150 000 kg or axle load > 16 500 kg) — Special Order issued by National Highways on behalf of the Secretary of State (Z4, Z7). Special vehicles/special-purpose vehicles outside C&U and STGO — Vehicle Special Order from the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). VR1/Special Order decisions are discretionary; National Highways assesses the possibility of water or rail transport (Z2). STGO applies in England, Wales and Scotland (E+W+S) — Northern Ireland is not covered by this record. [Z3]

Application channel

ESDAL (Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads) — National Highways portal for route planning and sending notifications to the police and highway and bridge authorities; VR1 and Special Order can be submitted online (Z4) or with form VR1/BE16 by e-mail to [email protected] (Scotland: [email protected]). Without ESDAL: offline forms or the NEN SOAP API (machine-to-machine). [Z1]

Login / access: ESDAL account (login + password) — online registration form separately for each person in the company; company data visible only to that company.

Thresholds for notification (not a permit)

A vehicle exceeding any of these values is an abnormal load, and the haulier must notify the police, highway and bridge authorities of the movement (in ESDAL or offline) — this is a notification duty, not a permit: “If you’re responsible for transporting an abnormal load, you need to follow regulations for notifying highway, police and bridge authorities” [Z1]. Consent (VR1, Special Order) is required only above the higher thresholds described in the notes below the table.

Values for a typical combination: tractor unit with semi-trailer or rigid vehicle with trailer, 5 axles, standard width.

NOTE: the values are the thresholds of the National Highways 'abnormal load' definition (Z1) — above them the obligation to NOTIFY begins (not a permit). A permit (consent) only from: width > 5.00 m (VR1), and > 6.10 m, rigid length > 30.00 m, weight > 150.00 t or axle load > 16.50 t — Special Order (Z4). Notification thresholds: C&U load width > 2.90 m up to 4.30 m — 2 working days to the police; STGO > 3.00 m — police (Art. 15 STGO); lateral projection > 305 mm — police. Length: C&U loads > 18.65 m up to 27.4 m — police; STGO: single rigid unit with projections > 18.75 m or combination > 25.90 m — police + attendant (Art. 12); front/rear projection > 3.05 m — police (Art. 13). These lengths do not map 1:1 onto the table rows for tractor unit + semi-trailer and motor vehicle + trailer, so no value is shown there. Weight: > 44 000 kg or axle loads outside the Authorised Weight Regulations — notification of highway and bridge authorities + indemnity (Art. 17(2)); > 80 000 kg additionally the police (Art. 17(4)). Height: no statutory load height limit; for VR1/Special Order ≤ 4.95 m is recommended (Z4). [Z1]

Permit types

Processing time

STGO notifications: police — 2 days before the date of the movement (for notifications under Art. 23, 24 and 48 STGO — 24 h); highway and bridge authorities — 2 days, and for weight > 80 000 kg 5 days (Sch. 5 para 2, Sch. 9 para 2); days counted excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (Art. 3(3)). VR1: National Highways recommends submitting 2 weeks before the movement. Special Order: recommended 10 weeks before the movement (aide memoire), form BE16 min. 8 weeks before the first movement. No statutory time limit for issuing a VR1/Special Order decision is given. [Z4]

Fees

Fees are not confirmed in the official sources read.

Escort

Private escort vehicle

An attendant (Sch. 6 STGO) is mandatory: rigid unit length > 18.75 m or combination > 25.90 m (Art. 12); front projection > 2.00 m or rear projection > 3.05 m (Art. 14); width > 3.50 m (Art. 15(4)). The National Highways code of practice for escort vehicles (self escorting) is voluntary (Z8). [Z3]

Police escort

The police receive a notification (Sch. 5) and may accept a shorter notice period; the STGO rules do not automatically impose a police escort — the conditions under which the police escort are not confirmed. [Z3]

Some details are not confirmed in the official sources read.

Required documents

• Notification to the police (Sch. 5 para 4 STGO): list of police forces, user details (address, telephone, e-mail, operator licence number, reference number), point of departure and destination, time, date and route, description and profile of the load, registration and type of vehicles, length/width/height, weight, number of wheels per axle, axle loads and spacings [Z3]
• Notification to highway and bridge authorities (Sch. 9 para 4) with the same scope of data + indemnity according to the model in Sch. 9 Part 2 ('Form of indemnity') [Z3]
• VR1: application + supplementary part (distance, value of the item, cost of dividing the load, consideration of water transport, cost of road transport); the signed VR1 must be carried by the driver [Z5]
• Special Order: form BE16 (haulier details with operator licence number, route, dimensions and weight of the items, axle and tyre details, suggested route); the Special Order document in the vehicle [Z6]
• 'STGO CAT 1/2/3' plates on the front of the towing vehicle; for cat. 2 and 3 a 'Special Types Use' plate with the manufacturer's weights [Z7]

Traffic restrictions

STGO speed limits: cat. 1 — motorway 60 mph, dual carriageway 50 mph, other roads 40 mph; cat. 2 and 3 — 40/35/30 mph (Z7). No entry onto a bridge when another STGO vehicle is on it, and no stopping on a bridge (Art. 18 STGO). National Highways prefers water transport for the largest loads ('water preferred policy') and publishes the High and Heavy Load Grid route networks. Nationwide traffic ban time windows — not confirmed (set in the police/authorities' response to the notification). [Z3]

Official sources

1. [Z1] National Highways — 'Abnormal loads and the ESDAL system' (redirect target of gov.uk/esdal-and-abnormal-loads): definition of an abnormal load (> 44 000 kg, axle > 10 000 / 11 500 kg, width > 2.9 m, rigid length > 18.65 m), ESDAL — route planning and notification of the police and highway and bridge authorities, registration per user, helpdesk (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://www.nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/abnormal-loads-and-the-esdal-system/
2. [Z2] National Highways — 'Notifying an abnormal load movement offline': notification forms, VR1 (width 5.0–6.1 m), BE16 (Special Order), indemnity form, NEN SOAP API for hauliers without ESDAL, discretionary decisions of the Abnormal Loads Team, assessment of the water/rail alternative (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://nationalhighways.co.uk/roads-and-travel/freight-and-professional-drivers/abnormal-loads-and-the-esdal-system/notifying-an-abnormal-load-movement-offline/
3. [Z3] The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 (STGO), S.I. 2003/1998, consolidated text (as amended by S.I. 2023/524): Art. 3(3) (counting days excluding Saturdays, Sundays, holidays), Art. 12–17 (length, projections, width, weight — notifications, attendants, Secretary of State consent > 5 m), Sch. 1 (AILV categories 1–3, max. 6.1 m width, 30 m length, 150 t), Sch. 5 (police notification), Sch. 7 (application to the Secretary of State), Sch. 9 (notification of highway and bridge authorities + indemnity) (Legal act, read 2026-10-04)
   https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1998/contents
4. [Z4] National Highways — 'Aide Memoire for notification requirements' (updated 01.2022): table of notification thresholds and periods, VR1 and Special Order, no statutory height limit (≤ 4.95 m recommended), Special Order — apply 10 weeks in advance, VR1 — 2 weeks in advance (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/ox4pi2ge/aide-memoire-notification-requirements-for-moving-abnormal-loads.pdf
5. [Z5] Form VR1 (Revised 01/22) — application for Secretary of State consent for a movement with a width > 5.0 m and ≤ 6.1 m; the applicant and the haulier may be different entities; addresses of National Highways (Birmingham) and Transport Scotland (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/fjxhrour/vr1-form-updated-09-22.pdf
6. [Z6] Form BE16 (01/22) — vehicle details for movements under a Special Order (width > 6.1 m, rigid length > 30 m, weight > 150 t); submission min. 8 weeks before the first movement (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/j3qktggo/be16-form-revised-jan-22.pdf
7. [Z7] DVSA/DfT — 'Special types enforcement guide' (2018): AIL categories 1–3 (46/50 t, 80 t, 150 t), speed limits, notification periods, Special Order, marking, projections (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-types-enforcement-guide/special-types-enforcement-guide
8. [Z8] National Highways — 'Advice for hauliers': ESDAL guide, lighting and marking code, 'water preferred' policy, High and Heavy Load Grid route networks (5.486 m / 6.096 m height) (Official website, read 2026-10-04)
   https://nationalhighways.co.uk/roads-and-travel/freight-and-professional-drivers/abnormal-loads-and-the-esdal-system/advice-for-hauliers/

Rules and fees change. Check the official source before you file an application.