when / where / how are doubles legal?

souNdguy

Well-known Member
I don't see doubles in my state often. Have seen the odd usmail contractor or fedex contractor with semi tractor and 2 shorty box trailers.. but that's about it. have seen tow trucks towing a truck that had a trailer.

the other day I say a truck pulling an RV, with a boat behind it. looked like a train coming thru town headed for the interstate.

soundguy
 
In Ia they can come 15 miles in Sd has a lot of them Here it lets them be able to haul fertiler and soy beans in
 
In Indiana its common to see doubles if there pups. On the Indiana Toll Road You will see 53ft.doubles and triples. The triples are pups. They have to bust them up at the Ill.state line. I don't know if they have to bust them up on the Ohio Turnpike.
 
Info from Rand McNally Motor Carriers' road Atlas.
With some exceptions due to narrow lanes etc, doubles are allowed in all states, on the interstate system & state highways. Access on secondary roads for fuel, service, terminals etc usually limited to 1 mile off the network. Some states allow 5 miles. Farther than that must be broken apart & pulled as singles. In most states trailers not longer than 28 feet each.
Toll roads except Illinois allow double full size & triple 28 footers, but must be broken down at exit gate.
In the case of RV & boat that you mentioned, lead trailer must be fifth wheel/kingpin hitch. Ball hitch such as on goosenecks not allowed.
Willie
 
The scrap hauler that I drove was a double roll off, 90 foot long. Called a super train, as it was a 4 axle lead and a 9 foot spread, with a tandem converter. Both trailers were live. And yes I had to back around some corners. Once I picked up a load and the guy told me there was a low ton bridge ahead. It was a narrow road and I had dropped the pup out at the edge of the road. So I had to back up a little over a 1/2 mile to get back out. I still don't know if there really was or not. It had 165000# plates on it.
6366.jpg
[/img].
 
Double trailers are allowed in all 48 states per federal law. This is the same law that allows 102 wide and 53 ft single trailers. All states are forced to go along with this law to get highway funds.
The catch is both trailers must be 28 ft or shorter and they are only allowed on the national highway system.
Here is the roads that includes in Florida.(all the colored roads)

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/fl/fl_floridaeast.pdf

If you are caught off any of these colored roads with legal doubles; one of the trailers is over 28 ft long; or a 102 wide you can be ticketed. They do allow a 3 to 5 mile allowance to get to and from points of loading or terminals.

Out west they allow triple 28 ft trailers and doubles that include one large trailer and one small trailer. This is over and beyond federal law so the states rule on what can be pulled.
Most if not all turnpikes allow double large trailers.
 
i forgot you were a driver, thanks for chiming in ( thanks to all )

that makes sense.. it was a mile or two from the interstate.. so he was liely legal. i know the boat was less than 28' and doubt the rv was longer..e tc..
 
In SW Ohio I see double pups all over the place. UPS, OverNite, Yellow, R&L all pull double pups arould Cincinnati Ohio and running on most state routes. Now if you hook anything else up together its not legal. Now I have seen loads of new trailers, Large goose necks hauling other trailers and pulling a car trailer loaded with other smaller trailers. I have noticed alot of new trailers with reece hitches made into the frame of the back of a stock/horse or goose neck trailers. I dont know if its legal but I have seen them on the roads. Bandit
 
We run doubles here. 11 axels total.
Allowed all over the state 35-40 yards of gravel 20 - 22 cords of pulpwood. Called michigan trains.
 

Last summer in VT I saw a motor home pulling a box trailer with a car on a dolly behind it. It was many miles from the interstate. I put a post on here about it and got an answer that rules are different for RVs. Just one of many rules that don't apply to them I guess.
 
as far as i know on a big truck doubbles are leagle west of the missippi river, i personally dont know about east of it, but im assuming they are there too, some states even allow tripples, for little trucks, [ pickups] in nm doubbles are leagle IF the first trailer is a fifth wheel hitch,ie a rv trailer with a small boat, 4 wheeler ect behind it, first trailer must not be a gooseneck or tag along, although the mexican car wholesalers hook as many as 3 towbars to the same car and dont seem to get bothered, states may varry on this for smaller trucks and of course if over 10,000 a cdl is strongly advised to avoid trouble with the man, who's rules are open to inturpretation by the individual cop
 
There arent many people that can do it but there are some that can back them together.I have seen it done and was impressed.
 
RV doubles are a totally different set of rules in most states.

Most Eastern states do not allow RV doubles at all.

California does require a CDL.

Length limit is anywhere from 65' to 75' depending on the state.

Most states that allow doubles actually don't care what type of hitch. Only a few require the first trailer to be a 5th wheel, and the second to be a boat.
 
(quoted from post at 23:47:52 03/06/12) We run doubles here. 11 axels total.
Allowed all over the state 35-40 yards of gravel 20 - 22 cords of pulpwood. Called michigan trains.

Back when I was driving we even had them for gas & diesel. We could load up to 161,000 gross. Is that still the limit???

They were sure nice to pull as the pup followed the 24' lead around corners.
 
I deal with commercial laws every day so just to be sure my answer was correct I ask my safety man about your question.
This is what he said..........

Commercial doubles are allowed in all 48 states and follow the rules I stated below.
RV's and other private vehicles have separate rules because they are exempt from things like CDL's and there is no way to enforce if the driver is qualified to drive such rigs. So the federal rules do not apply.
He give me the link below with the non-commercial rules.
You can see that non-commercial doubles are not allowed in Florida.

From the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles web site.......

"Florida statutes require that non commercial vehicle combinations consist of no more than two units and such combinations may not exceed a total length of 65 feet. F.S. 316.515(3)"
R V rules
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top