I was wondering about CDL's and endorsements also. I am trying to find out about permits to see what would be involved. Not sure any recreational over-size permits are available anywhere, but interesting question. The dealership I used to work at ran permits about every day for hauling combines and tractors that were over weight or over width. I know there is a process to do that, but that is commercial trucking, not recreational use.

 

No permits are available or needed in all the states I have ever checked into, the only odd one may be California but would be just after your money. It's my understanding that if you are on a federal interstate they will leave you alone but when you go off onto state roads it may be a different story.

Remember you are recreational not commercial.

Denny

 

Recreational use doesn't require a CDL.

 

If you are 26,001lbs or higher or over 8.5ft wide, 13'6" high, or what ever the length limit is (I thought it was fairly universally 65ft, but that doesn't appear to be entirely correct) - what do you do to stay legal? I understand a CDL is a commercial drivers license - B for straight trucks, A for tractor/trailer, then there are endorsements for things such as air brakes, doubles, triples, etc. Depending on what the vehicle is equipped with you are driving you need the class license and endorsements for that.

Apparently in Michigan there is a recreational endorsement for doubles from what one poster in this thread mentioned. I've never heard of that before, but I am not in Michigan and I'm sure there is a lot I haven't heard of before.

So I suppose my question is simply if there are routes around the "regulations" for commercial trucks' limits at 65ft length, lets say, 13'6" height, 8'6" wide, and 80,000lbs for an 18 wheeler by way of permits - if a recreational vehicle is outside of the limits imposed by the state/federal regs - what options does one have?

One boat manufacturer I looked at once was describing how certain models were trailerable and others were not because some had a beam width such that going down the road they were over 8'6" and they had to get over-size permits to move them to the water. That would make such a boat, though easily within the limitations of what a super duty can pull, hard to transport.

On the other side of the token, I can see a wide loads and tall loads being harder to get down the road than a long load. No matter what dimension you're over you are still "over".

 

I just checked the Secretary of State for Michigan and under section 721 you can tow doubles if you have the R endorsement on your license. And there are other restrictions on this.

 

Commercial or recreational, farm use, etc. If you are over the federal weight &/or size limits, a permit is required. Get a Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas & study the federal regulations & the regulations of each individual state that you plan to travel through. If you abide by all of the commercial requirements, you'll be good for recreational towing. Recreational use gets you a free pass on SOME regulations in SOME states, but it varies from state to state. You guess which ones & where.

 

From NJ to Sarasota then over to Fort Wilderness and back to Jersey. Never had an issue. I've had troopers and sheriffs pass me never slowing down to even look.
I'm at 65' long total.

 

Been to Ft. wilderness many times. We like the 300 and 400 loops.

It's not they are going to check you out on the road, it is if you have a accident or need help on the road and they ask for your license then it could be a problem.

 

Licensing is irrelevant really. Even though I have a class A CDL with double/triple trailer endorsement it makes no difference because I'm hauling Recreational, not Commercial. As long as I'm on Interstate Highways I'm fine, where you can get jammed up is on local and state roads.

 

State Road Laws | RV Trip Wizard? | RV Trip Wizard Inc.

Can not confirm accuracy.

 

These links always come up. I assure you it is inaccurate on the dimensions for New Jersey. I don't know where they get there info from but it is wrong. All the links I've seen so far for a cheat sheet on towing laws were full of flaws. Go to the source. Look up the statutes.

Also Recreation Vehicles laws are separate from Commercial Vehicles. I see a lot of comments above confusing the two.

Here's the actual statute from NJ pertaining to Recreational Vehicles.
To sum it up,
Max length on an RV such as a motor home is 45 feet.
Max length of a combination vehicle (truck & trailer) is 65 feet.
Max width is 102" NOT including lighting and awning upto an additional 3" on each side. (Total width may be up to 108" including factory/dealer installed attachments)


39:3-84. a. (13) The maximum overall length of a recreation vehicle including any load or truck camper thereon found or operated in this State shall not exceed 45 feet and no combination of a recreation vehicle with any vehicle, including the load thereon, nor any combination of any motor vehicle with any camping trailer, fifth wheel trailer or park trailer attached thereto, as these terms are defined in section 1 of P.L.1991, c.483 (C.46:8C-10), shall exceed 65 feet in length. Further, the outside width of a recreation vehicle found or operated in this State shall not exceed 102 inches, excluding safety appurtenances such as awnings and lights which are integral to the construction of the vehicle, installed by the vehicle's manufacturer or dealer, and do not extend more than three inches wide on each side of the vehicle, provided however, that such vehicles permissibly exceeding the 102 inch width with their attached equipment or appurtenances shall only be operated:

(a) On roadways having travel lanes at least 11 feet in width, unless prohibited by the Department of Transportation or by a municipality based on safety reasons and marked with signs prohibiting such vehicles; or

(b) On any roadway of the State when such a vehicle is being operated between roadways permitted under subparagraph (a) of this paragraph; and

(i) The location where the recreation vehicle, fifth wheel trailer, park trailer, camping trailer or truck camper is garaged; or

(ii) The destination of the recreation vehicle, fifth wheel trailer, park trailer, camping trailer or truck camper; or

(iii) A facility for food, fuel, repair, services or rest.

b. No vehicle or combination of vehicles, including load or contents, found or operated on any public road, street or highway or any public or quasi-public property in this State shall exceed the weight limitations set forth in this Title. Violations shall be enforced pursuant to subsection j. of section 5 of P.L.1950, c.142 (C.39:3-84.3).


Also, it is double towing as seen in my picture above. Double meaning 2 trailers. Triple towing is three trailers and is rarely if ever used on the east coast anymore. I don't know how these RV websites translate it too triple towing when there's only 2 trailers.

 

The triple tow came about maybe 15 years ago when someone at Trailer Life started calling it that, now all they all use it.

Denny

 

I never heard a source if where it was started until now. Thanks!
Whoever that person is should get a kick in the ***. I wonder if it is one of the guys still in the magazine.

 

All I know is when I used to get it one year it was called double tow and the next year the guide said triple tow. I no longer get Trailer Life because it became nothing but advertising with very few useful articles.

Denny