The 93,000-pound permit is real
Texas’s Intermodal Shipping Container Port Permit allows up to 93,000 pounds gross with a qualifying six-axle combination, or 100,000 pounds gross with a qualifying seven-axle combination. Gross means the entire loaded combination: tractor, chassis, container, cargo, and everything else on the scale.
That is not 93,000 pounds of freight. It is also not permission to run every overweight container anywhere in Texas. This article covers the Gulf-port permit under Transportation Code Chapter 623, Subchapter U.
When somebody tells dispatch, “We have a permit for that,” the next question should be: Which permit, on which truck, over which roads? The number on the permit is only one part of that conversation.
Which containers and movements qualify?
The program covers a sealed intermodal container moving in international transportation. The required seal must remain continuous from origin to destination and must be required by Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration, or federal law or regulation. A shipper’s ordinary security seal alone does not establish that requirement.
The movement must begin or end at a qualifying Gulf-coast port authority or port of entry and may not exceed 30 miles from it. TxDMV currently lists Bayport, Freeport, Houston–Barbours Cut, and Houston–IH610 as available ports.
For dispatch, collect the international shipment information, seal details, port, pickup, and delivery location before assigning equipment. “It came out of a container yard” does not answer those questions. A rail connection alone does not remove the Gulf-port condition for this permit.
There is a hazardous-material restriction: §623.406(d) excludes material designated hazardous under 49 U.S.C. §5103(a) as of January 1, 2017. Verify the cargo classification before relying on this authority. Read the statutory permit conditions.
Check gross, each axle, and each axle group
All limits below are in pounds. Both the individual-axle limit and the combined group limit apply.
| Weight being checked | Six axles total | Seven axles total |
|---|---|---|
| Entire loaded combination | 93,000 maximum | 100,000 maximum |
| Tractor single / steering axle | 13,000 | 15,000 |
| Tractor rear axle group | Two axles: 37,000 combined; 18,500 on any one axle | Three axles: 44,500 combined; 14,900 on any one axle |
| Chassis / semitrailer axle group | Three axles: 49,195 combined; 16,400 on any one axle | Three axles: 46,200 combined; 15,400 on any one axle |
The table follows §623.402, including the group caps. Texas DPS’s training reference also illustrates the configurations.
Do not add another enforcement tolerance. Section 623.402(c) already includes all enforcement tolerances in the listed gross, group, and axle weights.
The limits also cannot all be used at once. On the six-axle combination, 13,000 + 37,000 + 49,195 equals 99,195. That would exceed the 93,000-pound gross cap even though each group was at its own maximum.
Example: under gross, overweight on the steer
A six-axle combination scales at 92,500 pounds: 13,500 on the steer, 37,000 on the tractor rear group, and 42,000 on the chassis group. The gross is under 93,000, but the steer is 500 pounds over this permit’s limit. Dispatch cannot clear the load by looking only at the bottom line of the scale ticket.
Example: individual axles fit, but the group does not
On the seven-axle configuration, three tractor rear axles at 14,850 pounds each total 44,550. Each is below 14,900, but their combined weight is 50 pounds above the 44,500-pound group cap.
These are fictional examples showing weight checks, not approved loading plans. A group-only scale reading also does not establish how weight is divided among its individual axles.
Six or seven axles means a specific configuration
Count the whole combination. The six-axle arrangement has a tractor with one steering axle and two rear axles, plus a three-axle chassis. The seven-axle arrangement has one steering axle and three tractor rear axles, plus a three-axle chassis. A conventional five-axle combination does not qualify for these limits.
| Longitudinal distance | Six-axle configuration | Seven-axle configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Front tractor axle to last chassis axle | 647–744.05 | 612–703.8 |
| Between individual axles in the tractor rear group | 51–52 | 51–52 |
| Between individual axles in the chassis group | 60 | 60 |
Use the current TxDMV permit page for these spacing ranges. Under 43 TAC §219.36(k), the tractor needs truck blind spot systems, and each vehicle in the combination needs a roll stability support safety system. The permit does not authorize exceeding a tire manufacturer’s load rating.
Before committing to heavy-container work, ask the equipment owner or provider for the unit specifications. Record the spacing and required systems against the actual tractor and chassis IDs. Counting six axles from a photograph does not verify the equipment. Changing the chassis means checking the replacement, too.
The route can disqualify the movement
This permit does not authorize Interstate highway operation. Travel must use TxDOT-approved roads in the counties and municipalities designated for the permit, within the port-distance condition. Posted road and bridge limits still apply; toll-road travel needs the toll authority’s approval. Check curfews and current restrictions before movement.
TxDMV’s port name “Houston–IH610” does not grant permission to haul the overweight load on IH610. A port listing identifies a port option; the roadway restriction is a separate requirement.
For a Houston dispatch plan, review every segment between the terminal gate and delivery. Do not stop at “the customer is close to the port.” Check the actual turns, bridges, jurisdictions, and any proposed toll road. If the driver’s navigation app suggests an Interstate shortcut, that suggestion does not change the permit.
Example: the load fits, but the detour does not
The truck and container have been checked, but construction changes the route. The proposed detour uses an Interstate. Hold the movement for a route review. Sending the driver with the same permit and saying “it is only one exit” does not resolve the restriction.
What does the permit cost, and what goes in the truck?
TxDMV lists a $6,000 annual government permit fee, separate from consulting or application-assistance charges. The permit expires one year after its effective date and is self-issued through TxPROS. Select the intended ports, counties, and municipalities during the application.
The permit belongs with the tractor for which it was issued, with the required windshield sticker displayed. For a loaded container on a public road, §623.408 also requires a copy of the department-prescribed weight record containing the information required by §621.410(c), carried in the tractor and presented to an authorized officer on request.
A bill of lading, a terminal release, a verified container cargo weight, and an axle scale ticket answer different questions. Organize them together, but check the required weight record against TxDMV’s prescribed form. Do not assume whichever document the driver received at the gate satisfies it.
Do not treat an annual permit as a fleet-wide pass. If dispatch substitutes a tractor, stop and verify its permit status. Section 219.36 allows transfers only under specified conditions; an ordinary truck swap is not a reason to move the sticker and keep going.
A dispatch checklist that earns its place
PassPro recommends keeping these checks in one movement file so the next person can see what was verified:
- Identify the shipment. Record the container, international movement, cargo classification, required seal, origin, destination, and qualifying port.
- Identify the equipment. Match tractor and chassis IDs to configuration, measured spacing, safety-system documentation, and tire ratings.
- Review the weights. Check gross, each axle, and each axle group. If the available weighing record cannot establish a needed value, resolve that gap.
- Check the actual permit. Confirm the tractor, effective dates, sticker, designated areas, and conditions.
- Review the complete route. Document the roads and restrictions checked. Give the driver clear instructions for a closure or missed turn.
- Verify the cab documents. Have the permit, required weight record, and trip instructions accessible before release.
- Brief the driver. Review the equipment and route, safe speed and following distance, and who to contact before changing the plan.
This is a recommended dispatch process, not an agency approval or an eligibility score. If an answer changes after the review, reopen that part of the decision. A different truck, a replacement chassis, or a changed delivery address needs an actual check.
Is the North Texas 93,000-pound permit the same thing?
No. TxDMV also offers a North Texas Intermodal Permit: up to 93,000 pounds on qualifying six-axle combinations, with a $1,000 annual fee. Its designated route is in Bowie County on US71/US59 from the Arkansas border to the eastbound IH49 entrance ramp. That authority does not cover a Houston port movement.
Official sources and review scope
- TxDMV — Intermodal Shipping Container Port Permit: current ports, spacing ranges, application, fee, and operating conditions.
- Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 623, Subchapter U: §§623.401–623.411; especially weight limits, route conditions, and required documents.
- TxDMV — statutes and rules: official access to current 43 TAC Chapter 219. See §219.36 for equipment requirements, permit conditions, and transfers; TxDMV’s adopted text includes that section on PDF pages 70–73.
- Texas DPS — Intermodal Shipping Container Port Permit Training: configuration diagrams and driver-training reference. Use current TxDMV spacing ranges alongside this material.
- TxDMV — North Texas Intermodal Permit: the separate Bowie County program.
Reviewed October 5, 2026. This guide covers the Texas Gulf-port permit and a brief comparison with the North Texas program. It does not cover every port-authority permit or approve a particular load. Verify current agency requirements and the issued permit before movement.
Have an overweight-container question?
Bring the equipment details, available weights, permit, and proposed route. PassPro can help review the records and identify what still needs confirmation. TxDMV issues the permit.
