length & the law

[Off Call at Last]

I have a 39' KSDP and towing a car trailer. Trouble is...I am 68 feet long all connected. I bought it used and didn't think to ask (about legal limits)at the time. Question is, has anyone been hassled by D.O.T. or been fined or stopped. What should I be doin' about my predicament or is it a real predicament? Thanks for any and all advice.

[Off Call at Last]

I have a 39' KSDP and towing a car trailer. Trouble is...I am 68 feet long all connected. I bought it used and didn't think to ask (about legal limits)at the time. Question is, has anyone been hassled by D.O.T. or been fined or stopped. What should I be doin' about my predicament or is it a real predicament? Thanks for any and all advice.

[Ken Roberts]

Wade and Lee Ann, first by its Federal charter, the D.O.T. only involves themselves with commercial vheicle which you are not, regardlees of your overall length. Secondly, weight and length laws for other than commercial vehicles is the responsibility of the individual states.

With some exceptions, and CA would come to mind, the generally accepted consensus is that if the vehicle is legal in the state of domicile then it likewise is legal where it travels.

My greater concern would be how your insurance company would handle a major accident or god forbid a fatality. Granted you may have had a wonderful relationship for several years, even decades. However, in today's age the insurance industry is not one to mess with. For example ask residents of FL what has happened to their homeowners coverage and rates since Katrina and many of them were not hurricane claimants.Your insurance company may very well treat you honorably; but, you nor them have any clue as to how the other parties insurance carrier will react if a catastrophe is involved.

Granted you can say that you are accident free, that you are a safe and capable driver and catastrophies happen to other people. However, that is not my style and with a behometh in excess of 16 tons rolling down the highway I tend to take a prudent course relative to any safety issues involving our coach/enclosed trailer combo.

Good luck and safe travels however you elect to proceed, Ken, '04 DSDP....

[SargeW]

It's hard to say exactly Wade. While most states limit you to 65' total length, most will not cite unless there is an accident that brings attention to yourself.

If there was an accident regardless of fault, you could be cited for illegal length vehicle. Your biggest issue will be manuvering in and around parking lots, fuel stations and campgrounds.

Sarge

[Hitchhiker]

Wade,

You don't say which state your rig is tagged in but I saw in your profile that you listed a South Dakota address. If tagged in that state you should be good for up to 80' with a two unit rig. Look at this website.

[Gary RVRoamer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">by its Federal charter, the D.O.T. only involves themselves with commercial vheicle </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't think that is quite acurate, Ken. The US DOT has responsibility for all federal transportation regulation, including administration of the federal highway system and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Commercial regulation is under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but that is only one of the FDOT's many responsibilities.

That said, it is certaily true that regulations applying to commercial vehicles do not necessarily apply to recreational vehicle in private use and this leads to a lot of confusion among RVers and on web sites such as this. However, I think the 102 inch width and 65 foot overall length limit applies to all vehicles on the "National Highway System (those designated as Interstate or US highways). Exception permits are required to exceed those parameters and are routinely granted to qualified drivers with a demonstrated need. We see evidence of that in "wide loads" and tandem trailers.

I would say that chances of being stopped and measured are slim for a private coach that is close to the 65 foot limit, but it could be a factor in liability if a accident were to occur.

[rebelsbeach]

It might be comforting to note that I pulled a 24' Stacker trailer virtually all over the east coast and across a lot of the northeast for several months and at 74' in length I never encountered even a glimpse from an LEO...
Now I DID receive more than a cursory glance the one time I parked it all behind a Cracker Barrel....

Other than Califirnia, the land of fruits and nuts,I can't imagine you'd ever have an issue...

[SargeW]

Being that i'm from the land of fruits and nuts Bob, you don't know how accurate that statement is!!