Virginia Trucking Resources
Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs)
Information on obtaining a commercial driver's license in Virginia is available from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Contact DMV at (866) DMVLINE [(866) 368-5463].Size and Weight Requirements
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) regulates the size and weight of vehicles. See their Web site for a complete description of requirements.
Hauling Permits
Overweight and oversized loads need permits to travel legally in Virginia. Hauling permits are available through the DMV. Contact DMV's Hauling Permit Section at (804) 497-7135.
Emergency Permits
If a permit is needed in an emergency, call DMV's Hauling Permit Section at (804) 497-7135, or fax a letter explaining the emergency to (804) 367-0063.
Office hours are 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office is closed for lunch from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
If an emergency occurs after hours, contact the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Emergency Operations Center at (800) 367-7623.
Weigh Stations
DMV is responsible for administering Virginia's weigh stations. For more information, contact DMV's Motor Carrier Services Division at (866) 878-2582.
STAA Routes
The Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) was enacted in 1982 to provide access for larger vehicles to the interstate highway system and certain federal-aid primary routes.
Virginia developed and implemented a program to evaluate STAA access requests, resulting in a system of approximately 3,286 miles of designated highways. These are in addition to the interstate system.
The STAA system in Virginia has three components:
- The National Network
- Virginia Qualifying Highways
- The Virginia Access System
See the Truck Map Legend for more information and a map and listing of STAA routes.
Vehicle Length Restrictions
VDOT has length-based restrictions on state-maintained highways. See the Truck Map Legend for more.
Truck Restrictions
The Through Truck Restriction Guidelines 
are available for citizens requesting a through truck restriction for their residential streets.
Hazardous Materials
VDOT does not regulate the transport of hazardous materials. That function is with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. VDOT only gets involved if hazardous materials are being transported through one of the six state-owned tunnels. Details >
For information on transporting hazardous materials through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, see http://www.cbbt.com/hazmat.html.
US DOT Numbers
US DOT numbers may be obtained from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which may be contacted at (800) 832-5660.
National Trucking Regulations
Information is available from these divisions of the Federal Department of Transportation:
Industry Trade Associations
The following associations can help provide information about current issues in the trucking industry:
- Virginia Trucking Association (804) 355-5371
- Truckload Carriers Association
- Specialized Carriers Rigging Association
- American Trucking Association
