GWB Oversize and Overweight Permit Toll
An oversize vehicle pays double the established toll for its class, plus a $40.00 escort fee, and must have a Port Authority Police escort. There is no permit to apply for: you call the GWB Communications Desk on 201-346-4100 at least two days before the trip.
Port Authority Truckers' Guide read 4 October 2026 | Toll schedule effective 4 January 2026, read 2 October 2026
What the Port Authority Charges, and What It Does Not
Two figures, both published. Everything else about an oversize crossing is settled on the phone.
There is no Port Authority oversize permit, no permit application and no published permit fee. Approval is a call to the facility's 24-hour Communications Desk.
The Doubled Toll, by Class
The left column is the Port Authority's published rate; the right column is that rate doubled, which is our arithmetic over its published figures rather than a separate schedule the Port Authority prints. Tariff effective 4 January 2026.
| Class | E-ZPass peak | Doubled, oversize |
|---|---|---|
| Truck (2 axle, dual rear) | $45.34 | $90.68 |
| Truck (3 axle) | $68.01 | $136.02 |
| Truck (4 axle) | $90.68 | $181.36 |
| Truck (5 axle) | $113.35 | $226.70 |
| Truck (6+ axle, base rate) | $136.02 | $272.04 |
Add the $40.00 escort fee to each of these. Class 6 carries a further per-axle addition beyond six axles; see the full commercial rate table.
When a Vehicle Counts as Oversize
The Port Authority defines oversize by its own published width, length and height limits per facility, so the threshold moves with the crossing. These are the figures from the Truckers' Guide, read 4 October 2026. Widths are overall body widths for vehicles without safety devices.
| Crossing | Height limit | Width limit |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington Bridge | 13 ft 6 in | 10 ft |
| Lincoln Tunnel | 13 ft | 8 ft 6 in |
| Holland Tunnel | 12 ft 6 in | 8 ft |
| Goethals Bridge | 13 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Outerbridge Crossing | 13 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
| Bayonne Bridge | 13 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in |
All six desks are staffed 24 hours a day. The GWB height limit is 13 ft 6 in on the upper level and 13 ft 6 in on the lower level: the same figure, so changing deck gains no clearance.
The Approval Call, Step by Step
The Port Authority's Truckers' Resources page puts the whole procedure in one sentence: operators of convoys, oversize or overweight vehicles must obtain permission from the facility Manager or the Manager's Representative and must arrange for a Port Authority escort, by calling the crossing's 24-hour Communications Desk at least two days before the intended trip.
- Work out whether you are over any of the published limits for the crossing you intend to use, from the table above.
- Call that facility's Communications Desk at least two days ahead. For the George Washington Bridge that is 201-346-4100.
- Obtain the Manager's or the Manager's Representative's permission for the trip, and settle the Police escort with them at the same time.
- Budget double the established toll for your class, plus the $40.00 escort fee.
Crossing over the limits without that permission is not simply a toll question. The Truckers' Guide warns that violators of the size and weight restrictions are subject to a summons and a fine, and the Port Authority states that all vehicles using its crossings are subject to search by Port Authority Police.
What a Port Authority Police Escort Is Not
It is not a private pilot car. The escort is provided by Port Authority Police and arranged through the facility Manager, which is why the $40.00 is described as an escort fee payable by the oversize vehicle rather than as the cost of a vehicle you bring yourself. Your own state DOT may separately require certified escort vehicles over its own thresholds for the road miles either side of the crossing; that is a different permit from a different agency, and the Port Authority does not set or collect it.
The 179th Street Ramp Carries Its Own Limits
Separate from the bridge limits, the Truckers' Guide records that from Monday 9 December 2024 and until further notice, the 179th St. westbound ramp carries vehicle restrictions of 10 ft of width and 110 ft of length. A combination legal across the deck can therefore still be barred from that particular ramp, so the approach matters as much as the crossing.
In the New York-bound direction the Guide also routes commercial vehicles needing local Fort Lee streets to the I-95 Express Lane and the Upper-Level Exit 73 approach, and urges commercial vehicles away from the I-95 Local Lane and Lower-Level Exit 73 approach.
Related Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an oversize load pay extra toll on the George Washington Bridge?
It pays double. The Port Authority Truckers' Guide states that the toll for oversized vehicles is double the established toll rate, so a 5-axle combination at the $113.35 E-ZPass peak rate pays $226.70, and a 6-axle at $136.02 pays $272.04. On top of that, oversized vehicles are subject to an escort fee of $40.00, which the Guide notes is subject to change. There is no separate permit fee, because there is no permit: see the next answer.
How do I get approval for an oversize load on the GWB?
You telephone, and there is no application form. The Port Authority requires operators of convoys, oversize or overweight vehicles to obtain permission from the facility Manager or the Manager's Representative and to arrange a Port Authority escort. Call the George Washington Bridge Facility Communications Desk on 201-346-4100, which is staffed 24 hours a day, at least two days before the intended trip. The escort is provided by Port Authority Police, not by a private pilot car you hire.
What counts as oversize at the George Washington Bridge?
Anything exceeding the facility's published width, length or height limits. For the GWB the Truckers' Guide publishes an overall body width limit of 10 feet for vehicles without safety devices, and a height limit of 13 feet 6 inches on both the upper and the lower level. The 179th Street westbound ramp carries its own separate restriction of 10 feet of width and 110 feet of length, in force since 9 December 2024. Note that the other five Port Authority crossings are narrower than the GWB: the Lincoln Tunnel, Goethals Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing and Bayonne Bridge are 8 feet 6 inches wide and the Holland Tunnel 8 feet.
Is the GWB upper level unlimited in height for a tall load?
No, and this is the most common mistake made about this bridge. The Truckers' Guide lists GWB Lower Level 13 feet 6 inches and GWB Upper Level 13 feet 6 inches side by side. Being open to the sky does not make the upper deck unlimited, and switching decks buys no clearance. Separately, all trucks must use the upper level whatever their height.
Do oversize loads have time-of-day restrictions on the GWB?
The Port Authority publishes no standing timetable for oversize crossings. The timing is settled in the approval call with the facility Manager or the Manager's Representative, alongside the Police escort arrangements, so the answer depends on the trip rather than on a published window. Trucks of all sizes do have their own cheaper overnight toll band, Sundays to Thursdays from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but that is a rate band and not a permission.
Which Port Authority crossing should an over-dimensional load use?
Not necessarily the GWB. The GWB is the widest of the six at 10 feet, but all four other bridges and the Lincoln Tunnel share the same 13ft 6in height limit as the GWB, so there is no taller Port Authority alternative; the Lincoln Tunnel is lower at 13 feet and the Holland Tunnel lower still at 12 feet 6 inches. Whichever facility you use, the oversize rules are the same: approval from that facility's Communications Desk, a Port Authority Police escort, double the established toll and the $40.00 escort fee.
Sources: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Truckers' Guide (English, April 2026), read 4 October 2026; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Bridge and Tunnel Tolls (July 2026 Toll Rates schedule), read 2 October 2026.