Let’s start by clarification of daylight hours; the basic rule is 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset. If you do not require a pilot car/escort vehicle and are not overweight (green chart – over 52,000 lbs. on tandem axles or higher see charts in the “superloads” section above) or don’t have anything out of the ordinary going on your travel times are 7 days a week 24 hours a day if you request to do so when you order your permits. The travel times restrictions are loaded so figure this as a rule of thumb (your permit will state your allowed travel times when issued) since this is just for you to get an estimate:
Your physical permit will state your exact allowed travel times when you get it issued and they will be real close to the above examples. There are simply too many variables to list.
Holiday travel: There is no holiday travel time permitted in California unless you have a special arrangement with Caltrans. The following holidays are observed as no travel days by California state shipping regulations: New Years Day, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, George Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If the holiday is on a Friday or a Monday there is no travel permitted on Saturday or Sunday. Never travel without first verifying approval first which will be documented clearly on your permit.
Pilot cars (escort vehicles) are required to have a minimum of one flashing or strobing amber light mounted at the highest point of the vehicle. The light must be visible from 360 degrees from a distance of no less than 500′ and be completely covered when not tending a shipment. Pilot car vehicles must be equipped with a CB radio or a 2-way communication device with a range of no less than 15 miles and be in constant communication with all parties related to the shipment at all times while in transit. The vehicle is required to have identification signs on each side of the vehicle stating the company name, address, and contact telephone number. Vehicle must be equipped with the appropriate banner/sign stating ‘OVERSIZE”, with “OVERSIZE LOAD”, “WIDELOAD” and “LONG LOAD” being used when appropriate that is a minimum of 5’ in width and 10″ in height with black lettering no less than 1 5/8″ letter thickness and a yellow background mounted no less than 48″ from the pavement surface. If not tending a shipment this sign must be fully covered or removed. The vehicle must have one safety colored red flag mounted on each side of the vehicle with a minimum distance of 16″ in either direction. Vehicles must also be equipped with a handheld sign with the words “stop” on one side and “slow on the other, an emergency colored vest/shirt/jacket with reflective stripe and a red emergency flag of no less than 24” in either direction.
Note: In our professional opinion all pilot cars and escort vehicle operators have items in addition to the above: 2 – 5 pound fire extinguishers type A, B, and C, 3 reflective emergency road triangles or 18″ traffic cones, 8 burning road flares, 2 OVERSIZE LOAD banners (yellow with black lettering) and a hard hat. Also when working in California you want to make sure you have the pilot car maps.
All trucking companies that are hauling oversize and overweight shipments must have an amber-colored strobing or flashing light affixed to the top of the tractor-trailer cab that is visible 360 degrees from a minimum distance of 500′. Signs that state the exact nature of the shipment; “WIDELOAD”, “OVERSIZE LOAD”, “LONG LOAD”, “EXCESSIVE FRONT OVERHANG”, “EXCESSIVE REAR OVERHANG”. If the shipment is over 100′ overall then the “LONG LOAD” sign shall be displayed and the “OVERSIZE LOAD” sign is to be displayed for lesser lengths and other oversize configurations. The other signs will need to be used when appropriate. When shipping ANYTHING in excess of 80′ in length, 102″ in width, or more than 10′ of overhang you MUST have the appropriate sign on the front of the tractor-trailer and on the rear of the trailer and/or rear of the overall shipment. The signs must have lettering that is a minimum of 10″ in height with a minimum of 1 5/8″ letter thickness with lettering being black in color on a yellow background. All shipments that are in excess of the 102″ must also have safety-colored red flags placed on all corners of the shipment that are no less than 16″ in either direction. Overhang must be flagged as well. California law defines daylight time as 1/2 hour before sunrise and 1/2 hour after sunset which leaves you open for trouble on lighting which states that during the hours of darkness (we’ve got a 1/2 hour of lee-way time here) you must have 2 red lights on the side and rear (visible from a minimum of 500′) attached to the load or extremities. So, as soon as you pull out in the AM or if it gets close to dusk pull over and put on the red lights so you don’t find yourself in court trying to argue their error in defining “daylight hours” as it is a contradiction that our legal beagles caught while perusing their endless piles of regulations.
California cities: Acton, Adelanto, Agoura Hills, Alameda, Alamo, Albany, Alhambra, Aliso Viejo, Almanor, Alondra Park, Alpaugh, Alpine, Alpine Village, Altadena, Alta Sierra, Alturas, Alum Rock, Amador City, American Canyon, Amesti, Anaheim, Anderson, Angels City, Angwin, Antioch, Apple Valley, Aptos, Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Arbuckle, Arcadia, Arcata, Arden-Arcade, Armona, Arnold, Aromas, Arroyo Grande, Artesia, Arvin, Ashland, Atascadero, Atherton, Atwater, Auberry, Auburn, August, Avalon, Avenal, Avery, Avocado Heights, Azusa, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Banning, Barstow, Bay Point, Bayview, Bayview-Montalvin, Baywood-Los Osos, Beale AFB, Bear Valley, Bear Valley Springs, Beaumont, Beckwourth, Belden, Bell, Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Belmont, Belvedere, Benicia, Ben Lomond, Berkeley, Bermuda Dunes, Bertsch-Oceanview, Bethel Island, Beverly Hills, Big Bear City, Big Bear Lake, Big Bend, Biggs, Big Pine, Big River, Biola, Bishop, Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara, Black Point-Green Point, Blairsden, Bloomington, Blue Lake, Bluewater, Blythe, Bodega Bay, Bodfish, Bolinas, Bombay Beach, Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, Bonita, Bonsall, Bootjack, Boron, Boronda, Borrego Springs, Bostonia, Boulder Creek, Bowles, Boyes Hot Springs, Bradbury, Bradley, Brawley, Brea, Brentwood, Bret Harte, Brisbane, Broadmoor, Bucks Lake, Buellton, Buena Park, Buena Vista, Burbank, Burbank, Burlingame, Burney, Buttonwillow, Byron, Bystrom, Cabazon, Calabasas, Calexico, California City, Calimesa, Calipatria, Calistoga, Calwa, Camarillo, Cambria, Cambrian Park, Cameron Park, Campbell, Camp Pendleton North, Camp Pendleton South, Cantua Creek, Canyondam, Canyon Lake, Capitola, Caribou, Carlsbad, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley Village, Carmichael, Carpinteria, Carrick, Carson, Cartago, Caruthers, Casa Conejo, Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, Castro Valley, Castroville, Cathedral City, Cayucos, Ceres, Cerritos, Challenge-Brownsville, Channel Islands Beach, Charter Oak, Cherryland, Cherry Valley, Chester, Chico, Chilcoot-Vinton, China Lake Acres, Chinese Camp, Chino, Chino Hills, Chowchilla, Chualar, Chula Vista, Citrus, Citrus Heights, Claremont, Clayton, Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clio, Cloverdale, Clovis, Clyde, Coachella, Coalinga, Cobb, Colfax, Colma, Colton, Columbia, Colusa, Commerce, Compton, Concord, Concow, Copperopolis, Corcoran, Corning, Corona, Coronado, Corralitos, Corte Madera, Costa Mesa, Cotati, Coto de Caza, Cottonwood, Country Club, Covelo, Covina, Crescent City, Crescent City North, Crescent Mills, Crest, Crestline, C-Road, Crockett, Cromberg, Cudahy, Culver City, Cupertino, Cutler, Cutten, Cypress, Daly City, Dana Point, Danville, Darwin, Davis, Day Valley, Deer Park, Del Aire, Delano, Delhi, Delleker, Del Mar, Del Monte Forest, Del Rey, Del Rey Oaks, Del Rio, Denair, Derby Acres, Desert Hot Springs, Desert Shores, Desert View Highlands, Diablo, Diamond Bar, Diamond Springs, Dillon Beach, Dinuba, Discovery Bay, Dixon, Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, Dollar Point, Dorrington, Dorris, Dos Palos, Downey, Duarte, Dublin, Ducor, Dunsmuir, Durham, Dustin Acres, Earlimart, East Blythe, East Compton, East Foothills, East Hemet, East La Mirada, East Los Angeles, East Oakdale, Easton, East Orosi, East Palo Alto, East Pasadena, East Porterville, East Quincy, East Richmond Heights, East San Gabriel, East Shore, East Sonora, Edgewood, Edwards AFB, El Cajon, El Centro, El Cerrito, El Cerrito, El Dorado Hills, Eldridge, El Granada, Elk Grove, Elkhorn, Elmira, El Monte, El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), El Rio, El Segundo, El Sobrante, El Verano, Emerald Lake Hills, Emeryville, Empire, Encinitas, Escalon, Escondido, Esparto, Etna, Eureka, Exeter, Fairbanks Ranch, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fair Oaks, Fairview, Fallbrook, Fall River Mills, Farmersville, Farmington, Fellows, Felton, Ferndale, Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, Fillmore, Firebaugh, Florence-Graham, Florin, Folsom, Fontana, Foothill Farms, Foothill Ranch, Ford City, Foresthill, Forest Meadows, Forestville, Fort Bragg, Fort Jones, Fortuna, Foster City, Fountain Valley, Fowler, Frazier Park, Freedom, Fremont, French Camp, French Gulch, Fresno, Friant, Fruitdale, Fullerton, Furnace Creek, Galt, Gardena, Garden Acres, Garden Grove, Gazelle, Georgetown, Gerber-Las Flores, Gilroy, Glen Avon, Glendale, Glendora, Glen Ellen, Golden Hills, Gold River, Goleta, Gonzales, Goshen, Graeagle, Grand Terrace, Granite Bay, Granite Hills, Grass Valley, Graton, Grayson, Greenfield, Greenhorn, Green Valley, Greenview, Greenville, Grenada, Gridley, Groveland-Big Oak Flat, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Guerneville, Gustine, Hacienda Heights, Half Moon Bay, Hamilton Branch, Hamilton City, Hanford, Harbison Canyon, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hayfork, Hayward, Healdsburg, Heber, Hemet, Hercules, Hermosa Beach, Hesperia, Hickman, Hidden Hills, Hidden Meadows, Hidden Valley Lake, Highgrove, Highland, Highlands-Baywood Park, Hillsborough, Hilmar-Irwin, Hollister, Holtville, Home Garden, Home Gardens, Homeland, Homewood Canyon-Valley Wells, Hornbrook, Hughson, Humboldt Hill, Huntington Beach, Huntington Park, Huron, Hydesville, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, Imperial, Imperial Beach, Independence, Indian Falls, Indian Wells, Indio, Industry, Inglewood, Interlaken, Inverness, Inyokern, Ione, Iron Horse, Irvine, Irwindale, Isla Vista, Isleton, Ivanhoe, Jackson, Jamestown, Jamul, Johannesburg, Johnsville, Joshua Tree, Julian, Keddie, Keeler, Keene, Kelseyville, Kennedy, Kensington, Kentfield, Kerman, Kernville, Kettleman City, Keyes, King City, Kings Beach, Kingsburg, Kirkwood, Klamath, Knightsen, La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Ladera Heights, Lafayette, Laguna, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna West-Lakeside, Laguna Woods, Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, La Habra, La Habra Heights, Lake Almanor Country Club, Lake Almanor Peninsula, Lake Almanor West, Lake Arrowhead, Lake Davis, Lake Elsinore, Lake Forest, Lakehead-Lakeshore, Lake Isabella, Lakeland Village, Lake Los Angeles, Lake Nacimiento, Lake of the Pines, Lake of the Woods, Lakeport, Lake San Marcos, Lakeside, Lakeview, Lake Wildwood, Lakewood, La Mesa, La Mirada, Lamont, Lanare, Lancaster, La Palma, La Porte, La Presa, La Puente, La Quinta, La Riviera, Larkfield-Wikiup, Larkspur, Las Flores, Las Lomas, Lathrop, Laton, La Verne, Lawndale, Laytonville, Lebec, Le Grand, Lemon Cove, Lemon Grove, Lemoore, Lemoore Station, Lennox, Lenwood, Lewiston, Lexington Hills, Lincoln, Lincoln Village, Linda, Linden, Lindsay, Little Grass Valley, Littlerock, Live Oak, Live Oak, Livermore, Livingston, Lockeford, Lodi, Loma Linda, Loma Rica, Lomita, Lompoc, London, Lone Pine, Long Beach, Loomis, Los Alamitos, Los Alamos, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Angeles, Los Banos, Los Gatos, Los Molinos, Lost Hills, Lower Lake, Loyalton, Loyola, Lucas Valley-Marinwood, Lucerne, Lynwood, McArthur, McCloud, Macdoel, McFarland, McKinleyville, McKittrick, Madera, Madera Acres, Magalia, Malibu, Mammoth Lakes, Manhattan Beach, Manteca, Manton, March AFB, Maricopa, Marina, Marina del Rey, Mariposa, Markleeville, Martinez, Marysville, Mayflower Village, Maywood, Meadow Valley, Meadow Vista, Mecca, Meiners Oaks, Mendocino, Mendota, Menlo Park, Mentone, Merced, Mesa, Mesa Vista, Mettler, Middletown, Millbrae, Mill Valley, Millville, Milpitas, Mineral, Mira Loma, Mira Monte, Mission Canyon, Mission Hills, Mission Viejo, Mi-Wuk Village, Modesto, Mohawk Vista, Mojave, Mokelumne Hill, Mono Vista, Monrovia, Montague, Montara, Montclair, Montebello, Montecito, Monterey, Monterey Park, Monte Rio, Monte Sereno, Montgomery Creek, Moorpark, Morada, Moraga, Moreno Valley, Morgan Hill, Morongo Valley, Morro Bay, Moss Beach, Moss Landing, Mountain Mesa, Mountain Ranch, Mountain View, Mountain View, Mountain View Acres, Mount Hebron, Mount Shasta, Muir Beach, Murphys, Murrieta, Murrieta Hot Springs, Muscoy, Myrtletown, Napa, National City, Nebo Center, Needles, Nevada City, Newark, Newman, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Nice, Niland, Nipomo, Norco, North Auburn, North Edwards, North El Monte, North Fair Oaks, North Highlands, North Lakeport, North Woodbridge, Norwalk, Novato, Nuevo, Oakdale, Oakhurst, Oakland, Oakley, Oak Park, Oak View, Occidental, Oceano, Oceanside, Ocotillo, Oildale, Ojai, Olancha, Olivehurst, Ontario, Onyx, Opal Cliffs, Orange, Orange Cove, Orangevale, Orcutt, Orinda, Orland, Orosi, Oroville, Oroville East, Oxnard, Pacheco, Pacifica, Pacific Grove, Pajaro, Palermo, Palmdale, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Palo Alto, Palo Cedro, Palos Verdes Estates, Palo Verde, Paradise, Paramount, Parksdale, Parkway-South Sacramento, Parkwood, Parlier, Pasadena, Patterson, Paxton, Pearsonville, Pedley, Penn Valley, Perris, Petaluma, Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge, Pico Rivera, Piedmont, Pine Hills, Pine Mountain Club, Pine Valley, Pinole, Piru, Pismo Beach, Pittsburg, Pixley, Placentia, Placerville, Planada, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Plumas Eureka, Plymouth, Point Arena, Point Reyes Station, Pollock Pines, Pomona, Poplar-Cotton Center, Port Costa, Porterville, Port Hueneme, Portola, Portola Hills, Portola Valley, Poway, Prattville, Prunedale, Quail Valley, Quartz Hill, Quincy, Rail Road Flat, Rainbow, Raisin City, Ramona, Rancho Calaveras, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Mirage, Rancho Murieta, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rancho San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Santa Margarita, Rancho Tehama Reserve, Randsburg, Red Bluff, Redding, Redlands, Redondo Beach, Redway, Redwood City, Reedley, Rialto, Richgrove, Richmond, Ridgecrest, Ridgemark, Rio Dell, Rio del Mar, Rio Linda, Rio Vista, Ripon, Riverbank, Riverdale, Riverdale Park, Riverside, Rocklin, Rodeo, Rohnert Park, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rollingwood, Romoland, Rosamond, Rosedale, Roseland, Rosemead, Rosemont, Roseville, Ross, Rossmoor, Round Mountain, Round Valley, Rowland Heights, Rubidoux, Running Springs, Sacramento, St. Helena, Salida, Salinas, Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, San Andreas, San Anselmo, San Antonio Heights, San Ardo, San Bernardino, San Bruno, San Buenaventura (Ventura), San Carlos, San Clemente, Sand City, San Diego, San Diego Country Estates, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Francisco, San Gabriel, Sanger, San Geronimo, San Jacinto, San Joaquin, San Joaquin Hills, San Jose, San Juan Bautista, San Juan Capistrano, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Lucas, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos, San Marino, San Martin, San Mateo, San Miguel, San Pablo, San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Clarita, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Maria, Santa Monica, Santa Paula, Santa Rosa, Santa Venetia, Santa Ynez, Santee, Saratoga, Sausalito, Scotts Valley, Seal Beach, Searles Valley, Seaside, Sebastopol, Sedco Hills, Seeley, Selma, Seven Trees, Shackelford, Shafter, Shandon, Shasta Lake, Shaver Lake, Shingle Springs, Shingletown, Shoshone, Sierra Madre, Signal Hill, Simi Valley, Solana Beach, Soledad, Solvang, Sonoma, Sonora, Soquel, Soulsbyville, South Dos Palos, South El Monte, South Gate, South Lake Tahoe, South Oroville, South Pasadena, South San Francisco, South San Gabriel, South San Jose Hills, South Taft, South Whittier, South Woodbridge, South Yuba City, Spreckels, Spring Garden, Spring Valley, Springville, Squaw Valley, Squirrel Mountain Valley, Stallion Springs, Stanford, Stanton, Stinson Beach, Stockton, Storrie, Stratford, Strathmore, Strawberry, Suisun City, Summerland, Sun City, Sunnyside-Tahoe City, Sunnyslope, Sunnyvale, Sunol, Sunol-Midtown, Susanville, Sutter, Sutter Creek, Taft, Taft Heights, Taft Mosswood, Tahoe Vista, Talmage, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Tara Hills, Taylorsville, Tecopa, Tehachapi, Tehama, Temecula, Temelec, Temple City, Templeton, Tennant, Terra Bella, Thermalito, Thousand Oaks, Thousand Palms, Three Rivers, Tiburon, Tierra Buena, Tipton, Tobin, Tomales, Toro Canyon, Torrance, Tracy, Tranquillity, Traver, Trinidad, Truckee, Tulare, Tulelake, Tuolumne City, Tupman, Turlock, Tustin, Tustin Foothills, Twain, Twain Harte, Twentynine Palms, Twentynine Palms Base, Twin Lakes, Ukiah, Union City, Upland, Upper Lake, Vacaville, Valinda, Vallecito, Vallejo, Valle Vista, Valley Acres, Valley Center, Valley Ranch, Valley Springs, Val Verde, Vandenberg AFB, Vandenberg Village, Vernon, Victorville, View Park-Windsor Hills, Villa Park, Vincent, Vine Hill, Vineyard, Visalia, Vista, Waldon, Wallace, Walnut, Walnut Creek, Walnut Grove, Walnut Park, Wasco, Waterford, Watsonville, Weaverville, Weed, Weedpatch, Weldon, West Athens, West Bishop, West Carson, West Compton, West Covina, Westhaven-Moonstone, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Westley, West Menlo Park, Westminster, West Modesto, Westmont, Westmorland, West Point, West Puente Valley, West Sacramento, West Whittier-Los Nietos, Westwood, Wheatland, Whitehawk, Whittier, Wildomar, Wilkerson, Williams, Willits, Willowbrook, Willow Creek, Willows, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Winter Gardens, Winterhaven, Winters, Winton, Wofford Heights, Woodacre, Woodcrest, Woodlake, Woodland, Woodside, Woodville, Wrightwood, Yorba Linda, Yosemite Lakes, Yosemite Valley, Yountville, Yreka, Yuba City, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley.