Triple towing / Dubble Towing

I only know my states rv rules. Here in Texas rv'ers can dbl tow up to 65 ft with no special endorsement and no matter what , if your rv/ truck combo or MH goes over 26000lbs GVWR you need a class A or B NON-COMMERCIAL license.
I don't double tow so I don't worry about what other states rules are because I should be compliant length wise. Never a problem but my trips have all been only as Far East as the Applacians & the Front Range to the west, Indiana to the nort

packnrat wrote:
well i guess my 38 years of commercial driving, over 45 years of driving for pay. says i know nothing.

Usual truck driver stories about what the law is and what the state can't do. I could write a book on all the truck drivers telling me what they 'know' the law is. None of them have ever read a single statute and wouldn't know where to go to find a particular statute. But they come up with lame stories about the feds control all interstates, the laws apply nationwide no matter what a state says, etc, etc. Heard them all many times over.

but with all the major less than truck load trucking company's pulling doubles (triples in some states), i do not see how or why a single state would ban them.

States have that authority to do so, regardless what a driver thinks the law is or should be. State's rights.

in talking with a number of dot officials (yes the ones who write the tickets) and reg street leos, i only know what i know.

You may know what you know, which is driving a truck down the road, but it isn't about truck law.
I was 1 of 2 of the first FMCSA certified officers in the state. I wrote a lot of tickets to a lot truck drivers who thought they knew the law. Obviously they didn't.
They talked a good story tho. Got their legal education from the CB radio and truck stop parking lots talking to other truckers who were equally uneducated in the law. Before spouting what you 'know' it's best to know the law first. And that takes a whole lot more training and education than just pulling a trailer down a road no matter how many years a person has done it.
By giving bad advice, or what you think the law is or the way you think it should be, doesn't help anyone who has a legit question. Being a truck driver sure doesn't make a person knowledgeable in the law. It only makes them a truck driver.

well i guess my 38 years of commercial driving, over 45 years of driving for pay. says i know nothing.
sure i do not know everything. as i have tried to limit myself to just the western states. guess florida just wants to hurt company's.
but with all the major less than truck load trucking company's pulling doubles (triples in some states), i do not see how or why a single state would ban them.
but yes there are places long trucks, and doubles just should not be. like downtown new york city, etc.
in my decades the only places where i see a "ban" is for long trucks, on narrow twisty roads, but that includes buses and large rv's.
seasonal over mt passes,(ice/snow) or high wind areas (all trucks, buses, rv's) but these last two are temp deals do to conditions.
in talking with a number of dot officials (yes the ones who write the tickets) and reg street leos, i only know what i know.

I’ve read all the post and seemed to miss an important part of the commercial double rule for Florida. Florida commercial corridors consist of not only the Interstate system and turnpike, but also roads leading to and from the commercial carriers terminal or break bulk system. While an RVer may not get stopped in Florida double towing, it is still illegal.

packnrat wrote:
by forcing company's to abandon there trailers on the hwy in a government supplied parking spot.

The states aren't forcing anything. The companies know the law prior to entering any state and they have a choice to plan ahead or figure someway to get legal upon reaching a more restricted state.

as i know the dot laws, doubles are allowed everywhere on the fed and state hwy systems. (length laws can be different here).

Doubles are not 'allowed everywhere'. Doesn't matter whether fed or state highway system. The states set the laws for their states, not the feds.

also as to the 65 foot length,
fed system allows double tow up to 75 feet,(in all states) due to a weight bridge thing.
some states say 65 feet on non fed hwys. but even then you are allowed to go up to 10 miles on state hwys, then one mile on city streets to get service, food, rest, delivery/pickup, etc. (as 75 feet long).

Well, there you go. Another example actually not knowing the law. Not true.

I spent a lot of years enforcing truck laws. I was certified in Federal Motor Carrier laws, recognized by the courts in traffic and civil court as a subject matter expert, and taught truck law for many years to law enforcement and trucking companies.
But what the FMCSA and fed DOT says doesn't matter when pulling an RV. Guess why? Because when you're pulling your RV you are not a commercial vehicle and that's what FMCSA and fed DOT regulate. So forget about FMC laws and what you 'know' about DOT laws. If you really knew anything about DOT laws then you'd have known they don't apply when pulling an RV.

by forcing company's to abandon there trailers on the hwy in a government supplied parking spot.

a set of doubles can get in where a 48 foot single can not.

as i know the dot laws, doubles are allowed everywhere on the fed and state hwy systems. (length laws can be different here).
except where the state has not fixed defective bridges,(weight thing), or just no clearance, (aka: the infamous 11 foot bridge deal), but that would include all trucks and buses. or do to ice and snow hazards. (mt passes, windy areas, etc).
but only to a point can a city just ban all trucks.

and not sure about all the states but are pu trucks not reg as commercial? they are in the western states, sure you jump through some hoops can get it changed to a rv, or show. but never tow or haul anything.

also as to the 65 foot length,
fed system allows double tow up to 75 feet,(in all states) due to a weight bridge thing.
some states say 65 feet on non fed hwys. but even then you are allowed to go up to 10 miles on state hwys, then one mile on city streets to get service, food, rest, delivery/pickup, etc. (as 75 feet long).

but under no reason should a rv try this length. pu trucks are not rated for this kind of work.

packnrat wrote:

miltvill wrote:
In FL ONLY commercial vehicles may double tow, and only on the turnpike and interstate roads. Their are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailerTheir are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailerTheir are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailer. They may not double tow on local or state roads. Just because you see someone double towing doesn't mean it's legal. Your rig may not exceed 65 feet in total length.


FL statue 316.515(3)

"Unless otherwise specifically provided for in this section, a combination of vehicles not qualifying as commercial motor vehicles may consist of no more than two units coupled together; such nonqualifying combination of vehicles may not exceed a total length of 65 feet, inclusive of the load carried thereon, but exclusive of safety and energy conservation devices approved by the department for use on vehicles using public roads."

in doing this the state is setting them selves up for a huge law sute, or many more, for theft of goods.

I'd be curious to see your reasoning behind that thought.

miltvill wrote:
In FL ONLY commercial vehicles may double tow, and only on the turnpike and interstate roads. Their are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailerTheir are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailerTheir are several assembly locations along the turnpike and interstate roads for the commercial drivers to pick up a second trailer or drop off their second trailer. They may not double tow on local or state roads. Just because you see someone double towing doesn't mean it's legal. Your rig may not exceed 65 feet in total length.


FL statue 316.515(3)

"Unless otherwise specifically provided for in this section, a combination of vehicles not qualifying as commercial motor vehicles may consist of no more than two units coupled together; such nonqualifying combination of vehicles may not exceed a total length of 65 feet, inclusive of the load carried thereon, but exclusive of safety and energy conservation devices approved by the department for use on vehicles using public roads."

in doing this the state is setting them selves up for a huge law sute, or many more, for theft of goods.

Allworth you have it exactly right, and the Keep Florida green thing would explain why I was pulled over for towing "Doubles". I had Florida tags and was on Hwy 17 not the interstate when FHP pulled me over.

I had been towing my boat behind our 5ver for 3 years and never a problem, then that day the FHP officer pulled me over but didn't cite me, just wanted to warn me it was illegal then we talked for 15 minutes about having the same boat. Made me think was he bored and was it illegal.

I did talk to Florida DOT later to confirm his warning, after arguing with the DOT with my explanations in the end I could tow "double's" but it just became too hard, license truck as commercial vehicle, GVW, driver log, driver physical, name of company permanent on door of truck, finally I said "uncle". I had a CDL "A" license and thought I was good as I had a "Doubles" endorsement, but wasn't complying with the rest.

I continued to tow for a few more trips but stayed mostly on Interstates in Florida to "stay green", then after a conversation with a nice fellow camper in Georgia about how I towed he convinced me it was risky. He was a lawyer and said if I got involved in a accident my fault or not I could loose too much to a guy like hime cause the letter of the law put me in the wrong.

That was our last trip driving together, the wife towed the boat behind her Explorer after that. And eventually sold the boat so now we travel together again.

Keith

Miltvill has it right. Only commercially registered vehicles in Florida. It is usually not enforced on the "Keep Florida Green. Bring Yankee money." theory, but they can if they decide to.

When I was the Traffic Engineer people used to call about this one all the time. Same answer.