Too big to travel? (45' X 101")
New poster here! Looking for your advice before I purchase a new Motorhome. I'd like a 45' long class A that's 101" wide, but I see there are many States here in the US that you can't drive something ...
Forum Discussion
Three tiers.
Interstate Highway system, 45' single vehicle length, 80,000 GCWR, 20,000 axle limit, 102" width, at least 13' 6" height. No state can set limits lower, they can raise them, and permit oversize loads. I live in a state where combinations can go to triples, and GCWR to something more than 100,000 pounds, on a few specific highways.
"Designated Highway" system, these are where the state by state numbers apply, and are the collection of U.S. numbered highways and state highways designated for use by commercial OTR trucking. The numbers apply here. If they are lower than limits for the Interstates, Federal law requires application of Interstate limits on roads that serve to provide access from Interstate Highway to terminals where cargo can be shifted to smaller trucks. Designated highways may have points where weights and clearances (height or length more often than width) can be limited to less. These ate supposed to be listed, and indeed, most "low clearance" lists are about substandard clearances on designated highways, rather than low clearances genereally.
Third category is everything else: state highways not designated for OTR, farm to market roads, county highways, city streets and alleys. These may have tighter clearances, lower weight limits, might forbid commercial vehicles of any size, or large vehicle types whether commercial or not.
If you choose a 45-foot 102" x 13'6" motorcoach, you can go through every state on the Interstate Highway system, use most of the other "designated" highways, but you can't always take it everywhere. There are places you can't take a panel van, too.
Interstate Highway system, 45' single vehicle length, 80,000 GCWR, 20,000 axle limit, 102" width, at least 13' 6" height. No state can set limits lower, they can raise them, and permit oversize loads. I live in a state where combinations can go to triples, and GCWR to something more than 100,000 pounds, on a few specific highways.
"Designated Highway" system, these are where the state by state numbers apply, and are the collection of U.S. numbered highways and state highways designated for use by commercial OTR trucking. The numbers apply here. If they are lower than limits for the Interstates, Federal law requires application of Interstate limits on roads that serve to provide access from Interstate Highway to terminals where cargo can be shifted to smaller trucks. Designated highways may have points where weights and clearances (height or length more often than width) can be limited to less. These ate supposed to be listed, and indeed, most "low clearance" lists are about substandard clearances on designated highways, rather than low clearances genereally.
Third category is everything else: state highways not designated for OTR, farm to market roads, county highways, city streets and alleys. These may have tighter clearances, lower weight limits, might forbid commercial vehicles of any size, or large vehicle types whether commercial or not.
If you choose a 45-foot 102" x 13'6" motorcoach, you can go through every state on the Interstate Highway system, use most of the other "designated" highways, but you can't always take it everywhere. There are places you can't take a panel van, too.
