What Is the Legal Width of a Truck
Shipping oversized loads can be difficult, but sometimes it`s the most efficient way to get all your goods from point A to point B. Since there are many laws and restrictions on shipping large loads, it`s important to stay informed. The best practices above will help you ensure that your oversized loads are legal and safe. When preparing to move large loads, it is important to know the exact dimensions of the shipment to determine if approval is required and support services are required. It is a side-access semi-trailer with a drop-down chassis, designed and used for the transport and delivery of beverages in bottles or cans. The top coupling plate may extend beyond the front of the semi-trailer, but not beyond a semicircle with a radius from the hindawn to the front corner of the semi-trailer (Figure 10). The minimum and maximum length of the trailer is 8.53 m (28 feet) plus the length of the elongated top coupling plate. States may not specify an overall length for a tractor and beverage semi-trailer combination. The differences between AASHO`s policy and the FHWA`s interpretation of grandfathering have caused considerable confusion not only for states, but also for the freight transportation industry. Since the 1946 AASHO policy formed the basis for the original 96-inch width legislation, the FHWA decided that the subsequent definition of the AASHO was an acceptable basis for revising the agency`s policy. As a result, the FHWA adopted the 28th. June 1979 the AASHTO definition of vehicle width (44 FR 37710).
To this extent, the FHWA also noted that the only “approved safety features” allowed to exceed 96 inches are mirrors, turn signals, and grab handles to enter and exit the cab. The “Additional Information” section of the NPRM considered whether a step extending outward from the front bumper extending from the front bumper outward could be permitted across the full width of the front bumper. The operator would use the loading and unloading process step to secure the vehicle to be transported to the front of the head restraint. An ANPRM commentator requested a 4-inch wide step, while NPRM pointed out that the 3-inch exclusion provided sufficient space and that if an extra inch was needed, the step could be recessed to the front of the unit in some way. The ATA and NATA have made similar comments on this issue. They assert that to avoid a regulatory conflict with 49 CFR 399,207(b)(4)[6], the level should be 5 inches deep and extend across the width of the front bumper. As an alternative to this step, NATA suggested that the FHWA consider excluding a car carrier`s front bumper from length measurement and allowing step incorporation, i.e. a 5-inch wide bumper can be excluded from length. The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) required that particular trucks be included in the final coverage of the rule.
Since the STAA is silent on trucks reserved for trucks, the power to regulate their operations rests with the states. Maximum laws are created to protect motorists and public property. Know the maximum values. Neither the special equipment rules in section 658.13(e)(1) nor the general length provisions of section 658.13(a)-(d) permit steps beyond the front bumper of car carriers, and FHWA designs have not permitted such devices. The FMCSA level regulations apply only to “high-level COE trucks or tractors,” which are rarely used for car carriers, and they require steps “on each side of the vehicle where there is a seat**” [49 CFR 399.207(b) (emphasis added)], not at the front of the vehicle. All previous federal declarations on proprietary length devices referred to the trailer or semi-trailer. In the state of Hawaii, commercial vehicles are allowed on all highways of the following maximum width (unless otherwise indicated on the road by sign): Standard: 9 feet or 108 inches. Metric: 2.74 meters or 274 centimeters.
When recreational vehicles (RVs) are moved to the customer`s place of delivery, for example from a production site to a dealership or between a dealer and a fair, these are commercial vehicles within the meaning of Part 658 (the vehicle itself is the goods being transported), the most relevant issue being the limitation of the width of the vehicle to 102 inches. However, when a customer takes possession, their status changes. Unless clearly used in a commercial enterprise, they become private personal property and are no longer subject to Part 658. RVs often contain items attached to the sides of the device when parked. When RVs move, these devices fold or roll against the body. As long as they remain in the 3-inch zone, states have generally excluded devices from the width of the vehicle (as long as they do not carry cargo) while the unit is in commercial condition. This last rule is clear about what can and cannot be excluded from the width measurement. The TTMA is free to include regulatory language in its newsletter service to members, but reference to a TTMA newsletter in a regulation may limit the availability of regulatory information to TTMA members and/or newsletter subscribers. A tractor is defined as a non-load-bearing unit used in combination with a semi-trailer. A truck carrying goods on the same chassis as the engine and cab, commonly referred to as a straight truck, is not subject to federal regulations, but only state regulations. Similarly, a straight truck towing a trailer or semi-trailer is subject only to the state`s vehicle length regulations, except that the total length of its two freight units cannot exceed a 65-foot limit set by the federal government.
(See discussion of ISTEA “Freeze” on page 13.) The only cases where federal regulations apply to a station wagon consisting of a truck carrying goods are camels, maxi cube vehicles, and car and boat carriers, which will be discussed later in this paper. Warning flags, red or fluorescent orange, 18 squares, must be affixed to the front and rear corners of the oversized cargo. Additional flags shall be affixed to any extension or projection extending further from the sides of the vehicle and corners. Note that flag mounting is NOT included in the total width of the load. The ATA suggested that the agency use these regulations as an opportunity to designate camel equipment tractors used by the ammunition transportation industry as specialized equipment. That would be beyond the scope of that rule. Weight restrictions are applied per axle. A shipment cannot exceed the total weight limit, but it can exceed the axle limits. In this case, simply adjusting the cargo can make the shipment legal and eliminate the need for special permits.