02Legal weights and dimensions
According to the Roads General Authority statement based on the Saudi Roads Code:
| Item | Legal limit |
|---|---|
| Length | 23 m |
| Width | 2.6 m |
| Height | 4.8 m |
| Gross weight with two axles | 21 tonnes |
| Gross weight with three axles | 34 tonnes |
| Gross weight with four axles | 42 tonnes |
| Gross weight with five axles | 45 tonnes |
The Transport General Authority detailed in May 2025: length 12.5 m for a single truck, 23 m for a tractor unit and semi-trailer, and 20 m for a truck with a trailer; width 2.6 m; height 4.5 m unloaded and 4.8 m loaded; total weight 45 tonnes; and axle weights of 6.5, 8, 10 and 13 tonnes depending on the axle type.
03The exceptional load and applying for the permit
The official user guide for the permits service defines the exceptional load as “loads carried, together with the truck, whose weight or dimensions exceed the weights and dimensions set by law in the Saudi standards and metrology”. A load exceeding 90 tonnes has a special route in which all the requirements must be attached according to the conditions and undertakings.
The permit form asks for:
- The plate type and number, the branch in the trip’s starting region, and the trip route from city to city.
- The ID number of the vehicle owner, and the driver’s details: ID number and date of birth.
- The type of material carried.
- At least three photos of the load after it is loaded on the truck, from the front, side and rear, with the attachments set out in the conditions and undertakings.
- Weight and dimensions: measured for the truck separately and for the carried material separately, then the overhang of the material at the rear after loading is measured, and the number of axles of the truck is entered to match the weights carried.
- Agreement to the conditions and undertakings.
In the establishment’s account, a verification code is sent to the registered mobile number of the establishment’s owner. These items are from the official user guide issued by the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services, and the body that currently requires the permit is the Roads General Authority, so its current submission channel should be checked.
04Payment and permit duration
| Item | What the official guide states |
|---|---|
| Deadline to pay the invoice | 6 days from approval, otherwise the invoice expires |
| Permit usage period | 30 days from payment of the invoice |
| Route | The approved trip route appears on the printed permit |
As of the date this guide was reviewed, the available official texts do not publish the fee for the permit or the fine for transport without an exceptional permit.
05Weight and dimension violations
- Exceeding the permitted weights: SAR 200 for every 100 kilograms of excess, up to SAR 100 thousand.
- Exceeding the dimensions: SAR 1000.
- Overweight violations are recorded on the “Ifaa” platform, and an objection is submitted electronically within 30 days from the date the violation was issued.
- Monitoring through fixed and mobile weigh stations with automatic plate recognition.
06How to apply
- 1
Access the service
Sign in to the electronic services portal and choose the exceptional load permit issuing service.
- 2
Submit the request
Choose “Submit an exceptional load transport request” and fill in the plate, route, owner and driver details; the proposed route is subject to the branch’s approval.
- 3
Describe the load
Describe the material carried, upload the photos, fill in the weight and dimensions, agree to the undertakings, then submit.
- 4
Follow up
Follow the request under “My requests”: the request number, its status and its invoice.
- 5
Payment
Pay the invoice of the approved request within 6 days.
- 6
Print the permit
Print the final permit with the approved trip route, valid for 30 days from payment.
07Official source
- Authority
- Roads General Authority (RGA)
- Service
- Exceptional load permits
- Last reviewed
08Frequently asked questions
If the load and the truck together exceed the legal weights or dimensions, it is an exceptional load that needs a special permit, and the Roads General Authority counts the transport of heavy equipment among the most prominent cases that require one.
The permit usage period is 30 days from payment of the invoice, and the invoice is paid within 6 days of approval.
SAR 200 for every 100 kilograms of excess, up to SAR 100 thousand. The fine for exceeding the dimensions is SAR 1000.
Length 23 m, width 2.6 m and height 4.8 m according to the Roads General Authority statement. The Transport General Authority’s detail: 12.5 m for a single truck, 23 m for a tractor unit and semi-trailer, and 20 m for a truck with a trailer.
The gross weight is 21 tonnes with two axles, 34 with three, 42 with four, and 45 tonnes with five axles.
Electronically through the “Ifaa” platform within 30 days from the date the violation was issued.
In the goods transport activity the Transport General Authority requires a valid professional driver card for all heavy transport drivers, in addition to an operating card for the truck.
