Box truck height and clearance: how tall is a 26 ft box truck?
Box truck height is the number that hurts the most when you get it wrong. A wrong weight costs you a ticket; a wrong height takes the roof off the box. This page puts the heights of a 26 ft box truck in one place, inside, at the door and overall, then shows how often trucks hit bridges, what the legal limits are, and how to plan around low clearances. There is a printable clearance card at the end.
Key finding
A 26 ft box truck with a tall body can stand over 13 ft 6 in, which is at or above the legal height limit in states at the low end of FHWA's 13 ft 6 in to 14 ft range. The same "26 ft truck" can be a foot and a half shorter or taller depending on the body ordered.
How tall is a 26 ft box truck?
Two state DOTs put a number on it. PennDOT and West Virginia DOT both say a typical 26 ft moving or delivery truck may be 11 ft to 13 ft 6 in tall. That is a wide range, and the reason is simple: the box length is fixed at 26 ft, but the body height is a buyer's choice, and the chassis sets how high the floor sits.
We built the chart below from published specs to show where that range comes from. Overall height is roughly the floor height plus the inside height plus the body's roof and floor structure.
Heights of a 26 ft box truck, part by part
| Measurement | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Inside (interior) height | 79⅛ to 109⅛ in by body option; up to 8 ft 7 in on rental trucks | Morgan; Penske |
| Rear door opening height | 73¼ to 103¼ in | Morgan |
| Floor (deck) height | about 46 to 50 in | Penske |
| Outside body height | 85⅜ to 115⅜ in | Morgan |
| Overall height, ground to roof | about 11 ft to 13 ft 6 in typical; tall bodies can exceed it | PennDOT, WVDOT; our estimate above |
Box truck interior height decides cubic feet: each extra foot of height on a 26 ft box adds roughly 200 cubic feet (about 25.9 ft long times 7.7 ft wide on a 96 in body). It does not add payload. Box truck door height is the limit people forget: the opening is about 6 in shorter than the inside of the box, so a crate that fits inside may still not go through the door.
There is no single standard box truck height. Rental fleets cluster around an 8 ft to 8 ft 7 in interior, which puts the truck near 13 ft overall, and that is the closest thing to a standard. For every other measurement of the 26-footer, see our 26 ft box truck dimensions guide; for how the 26 ft compares with smaller trucks, see the box truck sizes chart.
How to measure your box truck's height
Measure once, write it down, and stick it where you will see it.
- Park empty on flat, level ground with normal tire pressure. An empty truck rides highest, so this is your worst case.
- Find the highest point. It is not always the roof edge: check roof vents, marker lights, a reefer unit, an air deflector or anything else above the box.
- Lay a straight board or level across the highest point so it sticks out past the side of the box.
- Measure straight down from the underside of the board to the ground with a tape. Have a helper hold the tape plumb.
- Round up to the next inch, not down. Write the number in feet and inches.
- Check for a height sticker in the cab. If the posted number is lower than what you measured, use yours and replace the sticker.
Re-measure after anything that can change height: new tires, suspension work, a roof-mounted add-on, or a different body.
How often trucks hit bridges
There is no single national count of box truck bridge strikes. These are the most recent public figures we could verify, each from the agency that published it.
| Where | Figure | Period | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States, all vehicles | 11,000 to 18,000 vehicle-bridge collisions a year (cars and trucks combined) | 2013 to 2019 | NHTSA data cited by the National Academies (2025) |
| Kansas | 377 vehicle strikes to bridges; 9 killed, 138 injured in bridge strike crashes | 2025 | Kansas DOT |
| Pennsylvania | More than 600 strikes to bridges or other overhead structures | 2013 to 2023 | PennDOT |
Two findings from the National Academies literature review explain a lot of these crashes. An older study it cites found only 12 percent of drivers estimated their vehicle's height correctly. And in a 2014 survey, 33 percent of motor carriers described situations where they believed GPS navigation errors contributed to crashes. Kansas DOT and PennDOT both name rental and delivery box trucks among the vehicles their campaigns target, and both tell drivers not to rely on navigation apps alone.
Legal height limits for box trucks
There is no federal height limit for commercial vehicles. FHWA's federal size regulations report says states set their own, and most height limits fall between 13 ft 6 in and 14 ft, with exceptions for lower clearances on particular roads.
What that means for a 26 ft box truck:
- Most rental-style 26 ft trucks, near 13 ft, are under every state's general limit.
- A tall body can reach or pass 13 ft 6 in. In Pennsylvania, vehicles and loads taller than 13 ft 6 in need a Special Hauling Permit, per PennDOT. Check the limit in each state you run before you order a tall body.
- The legal limit is not a clearance promise. Plenty of bridges, tunnels and underpasses are lower than the state limit and are signed. PennDOT signs every bridge under 14 ft 6 in; Kansas requires signs on bridges 14 ft or lower.
Low clearance route planning
A legal truck can still hit a low bridge. These are the habits that keep a 26-footer's roof on.
- Use truck routing with your real height. A car navigation app does not know you are 13 ft tall. Truck GPS units and trucker apps such as Trucker Path, which lists truck restrictions and customized routing, let you enter your height.
- Check the state's low clearance map. Some states publish them. Pennsylvania's 511PA has a "Low Bridge" map layer for bridges under 13 ft 6 in.
- Treat signs as the final word. New pavement, snow and ice shrink the real clearance below what was posted.
- Watch the usual traps: old railroad underpasses, parkways and scenic roads, parking garages, bank and pharmacy drive-thrus, hotel canopies and some fuel station canopies.
- Ask about the last mile. Receivers in old downtowns and industrial parks often know their own low spots. A two-minute call is cheaper than any roof repair.
- Keep a safety margin. Our rule at the desk: if the posted clearance is less than your height plus 6 inches, find another way.
Clearance also shapes which freight makes sense. A detour around a low bridge adds miles that the rate has to cover; run the extra distance through the load profit calculator before you accept. When we look for box truck loads for a carrier, a load into a downtown dock with a 12 ft underpass on the only approach is a load we flag before it is offered.
Printable box truck clearance card
Print it, write your measured height, cut it out and tape it to the dash where you will see it before every overpass. Two cards per sheet, letter size.
Box truck clearance card (SVG, letter size, 2 per page)Opens in any browser. Print at 100% scale.
Methodology
The overall heights in the chart are planning estimates, not measurements of any one truck. We added Penske's published floor height for its 26 ft trucks (about 46 to 50 in) to three inside heights: Morgan's lowest (79⅛ in), Penske's rental figure (8 ft 7 in) and Morgan's tallest (109⅛ in). On top we added the full 6¼ in difference between Morgan's inside and outside body heights. Some of that structure sits under the floor, so the estimate leans tall, which is the safe direction for clearance. Roof-mounted equipment is not included. The result lines up with the 11 ft to 13 ft 6 in range PennDOT and WVDOT publish.
Bridge strike figures are quoted as each agency published them and are not comparable to each other: they cover different years, roads and vehicle types.
Update schedule: reviewed once a year, and whenever a cited agency publishes new strike data. Next review: October 2027. Spot an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source.
We only dispatch 26 ft box trucks, and height is one of the first things we record for every truck. If you want someone else to find, check and negotiate your loads while you drive, our box truck dispatch service handles it for a flat percentage of gross, only on loads you haul.
FAQ
What is the height of a box truck?
For a 26 ft box truck, about 11 to 13 ft 6 in overall, per PennDOT and WVDOT, with most rental-style trucks near 13 ft. Smaller box trucks on van chassis are shorter. The only number that counts for a bridge is your own truck measured to its highest point.
What is a box truck's interior height?
On a 26 ft truck, Penske lists up to 8 ft 7 in inside, and Morgan builds dry freight bodies from 79⅛ in to 109⅛ in inside (about 6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 1 in). The buyer picks the height when the body is ordered, so two 26 ft trucks can differ by more than two feet inside.
How high is a box truck door?
On Morgan's 26 ft dry freight bodies, the rear roll-up door opening is 73¼ to 103¼ in tall, about 6 in less than the inside height of the same body. Width is 88 in on a 96 in body and 94 in on a 102 in body. Tall freight is limited by the door before the box.
Is there a legal height limit for box trucks?
There is no federal height limit for commercial vehicles. States set their own, and FHWA reports most fall between 13 ft 6 in and 14 ft, with lower limits on some roads. Pennsylvania, for example, requires a Special Hauling Permit for vehicles taller than 13 ft 6 in.
Does a box truck sit higher empty than loaded?
Yes. Springs compress under load, so an empty truck usually rides a little higher. Measure the truck empty for your clearance card: that is its tallest state and the safe number to plan around.
What should I do if a bridge looks too low?
Stop before it, put your flashers on and find another route, even if that means backing out with a spotter or calling for help. A posted clearance lower than your height plus a safety margin is a hard no. Never guess, and never follow a car GPS through a parkway or low underpass.
Sources
- PennDOT: Launches campaign to prevent bridge hits, Check Your Height, Know It's Right (July 22, 2025) (checked October 2026)
- West Virginia DOT: bridge strike awareness campaign (July 21, 2025) (checked October 2026)
- Kansas DOT: KDOT urges motorists to reduce crashes, Check Your Height, Know It's Right (2026 release on 2025 data) (checked October 2026)
- National Academies: Prevention and Mitigation of Bridge and Tunnel Strikes (2025), Appendix A literature review (checked October 2026)
- FHWA: Federal Size Regulations for Commercial Motor Vehicles (FHWA-HOP-04-022, October 2004) (checked October 2026)
- Morgan Corporation: Gold Star aluminum dry freight body specifications (PDF, 01/2018) (checked October 2026)
- Penske Truck Rental: 22 to 26 ft box truck (non-CDL) specifications (checked October 2026)
- Trucker Path: truck restrictions and routing features (checked October 2026)