Anyone tried double towing in BC Canada?

[4x4ord]

I’m wondering how many times a guy could get away with double towing through BC before getting pulled over. Absolutely ridiculous law prohibiting double towing but maybe the Leo’s don’t bother enforcing stupid laws?

[AKsilvereagle]

I know it's a little late to post this - as the GS site here finally accepted my RV.net credentials and to get used to this new format - so here it goes :

British Columbia commercial vehicle enforcement is STRICT - really STRICT - can't stress out how much REALLY STRICT they are....The main reason is the fact BC has very mountainous terrain and many hills in between in most parts.....not to mention hearing stories about the weight police in BC establishing road blocks with their portable weight scales on controlled area sites which I have yet to ever encounter to this day as my three quarter ton old Ford Trucks would never be in compliance as they would enforce not to drive the vehicle until the GVWR limit is met.

Found out how strict they were in August 1991 when relocating my Mother to live in Alaska with me as I helped hauling her household goods and car with a 26 foot U-Haul(t) truck -

All I was told by the U-Haul dealer when renting the thing was : "Make sure you do stop at every weigh station upon going thru Canada to comply with their commercial vehicle law" and I did just that !

Sooooo, First weigh station was Hope BC (check) permitted to proceed-

Second weigh station was Williams Lake BC (check) permitted to proceed-

Third weigh station was Quesnal BC - The officer "demands" and not ask me "where is your permit"....

I ask what permit are you referring to - as the officer tells me your weight permit - as I reply that I am no where near the max GVWR and as far as I know not required- as he interrupts me and yells "YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS WEIGHT PERMIT WHERE IS IT" - told him the U Haul dealer never mentioned I was required to obtain one going thru Canada -as I get interrupted again as he says YOU NEED A HOUSEHOLD GOODS PERMIT THRU BRITISH COLUMBIA and instructs me to step out of the vehicle as I was informed the U-Haul rig was going to be seized for eluding two previous weigh stations after disclosing which routes I commuted upon since entering Canada...

I requested a supervisor which was granted, as I explained the first two weigh stations waived me thru after the green lights were lit - as the supervisor asked me in my best detail memory where the proceed lights were positioned at each of the two weigh stations and describe other features to help prove that I was actually present at those two previous stations - which satisfied the supervisor....

So the supervisor instructed the officer to issue me a household goods permit and not impose any fines or penalties (as the officer still questioned the supervisor as to why) and the officer reluctantly issued the permit to me in which was $126 CAD -

Once I arrived in the Yukon at the Watson Lake Weigh Station - there main concern was if I had a disease since I was wearing a N95 mask as I replied that it was used as a dust mask when commuting thru the 300 mile stretch of unpaved roadway between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake at the time when I inquired about a permit valid for the Yukon - as the officers stated that I was kewl and no permit was required as you are now out of the BC riff raff.

After my experience with the BC commercial vehicle enforcement - I realized they don't play - and I was WELL in compliance !

[4x4ord]

I built one:



My problem is that I want to bring my wife’s bike as well. Although the lift on the back of my fifth wheel works alright and is legal in BC, hauling the bikes in my enclosed trailer while towing it behind the fifth wheel is much safer … problem with the double towing is it’s too long to be legal in Alberta and too illegal to be legal in BC. So far I’ve never been hassled over the length in Alberta.

[StirCrazy]

4x4ord wrote:
^^^I wonder if a person with a commercial drivers license and commercially licensed pick up towing an RV/motorcycle trailer would be more or less apt to be shown leniency?

no they will say you should have known better and nail you haha..

my niebour (well 8 houses down) got this to haul his bike.

I'm thinking about one also

[4x4ord]

^^^If that was the logic they could simply require a commercial (or special RV) licence for those wanting to double tow. Somewhere I read that hooking a second trailer on behind a 5th wheel in BC causes the combination to become unstable and therefore unsafe. In Alberta the combination might pull just fine but as soon as you cross that imaginary line into BC look out ... you're a menace on the road.

Edit: here is the link They say we need to use common sense but then they pass laws preventing common sense from being used.

[mkirsch]

4x4ord wrote:
What is the logic behind allowing 145,000 lb semi trucks on the road with two trailers yet forbidding people wanting to tow a 40ft 5th wheel with a boat on behind?

Because, the drivers running the 145,000lb rigs have TRAINING. They had to pass a TEST and get a LICENSE to drive an 80,000lb rig, and if I'm not mistaken they had to get a doubles endorsement which is more TRAINING and a TEST.

Anyone who barely squeaked by on their basic driving test at 16 years old with a compact car can write a check, jump into a pickup truck, and tow two trailers.

The CDL program isn't perfect but it is more than NOTHING.

[JRscooby]

Might. But OTOH, sometimes a judge will hold CDL holder to higher standard than normal person that just decides the law does not apply to them.

[4x4ord]

^^^I wonder if a person with a commercial drivers license and commercially licensed pick up towing an RV/motorcycle trailer would be more or less apt to be shown leniency?

[StirCrazy]

4x4ord wrote:
Anyone know what the penalty is for forgetting to unhook the second trailer at the Alberta border?

I don't know, but I'll see if I can find it. would imagine it is one of those 150 to 300 buck tickets though. There is also that they don't have to let you call a tow truck, they can call one themselves and those rates will be expensive as they may impound the boat, but unless you pee off the cop, he will probably let you call a tow truck or tow it yourself back the way you came.

the chances of getting away with it are small right now though, CVSE is all over the roads to and from Alberta right now as long as RCMP because of all the stupid driving behavior of commercial trucks and the higher-than-normal rate of accidents along the jasper and Banff routes.

Usually, I don't see a cop when I go to Alberta through the jasper way. the last couple of years they have been all over the place.

[4x4ord]

^^^ A fellow I know around here was fined for no breakaway brakes plus he had a $300 tow bill to have the trailer pulled to a mechanics shop. Breakaway brakes are a good idea.

[Grit_dog]

mkirsch wrote:
I think it's an absolutely ridiculous practice that should be outlawed in all 50 states, 10 provinces, and 3 territories.

Most of the people engaging in double towing have no business towing a single trailer, let alone two.

You forgot “and get off my lawn!”
Lol
What happen, someone run over your dog with a double trailer? Or a more significant experience to share, supporting your opinion.

[Reisender]

I’m not sure about the fine amount but I know we have talked to a couple folks who were simply told to drop the trailer but received no fine. It’s not uncommon to see boats or other small trailers at a couple of pull outs within a hundred kilometers or so of the border. Even truck campers that were too heavy on pickups although that’s less common.

The other thing they get people for at a safety check close to us in the Okanagan is no 12 volt battery on the trailer, so no breakaway brakes. Not sure about fines but they make you drop it until you put a battery on it. Makes sense.

[4x4ord]

Anyone know what the penalty is for forgetting to unhook the second trailer at the Alberta border?

[StirCrazy]

4x4ord wrote:


An awful lot of goods are safely shipped across BC in Super B's. What is the logic behind allowing 145,000 lb semi trucks on the road with two trailers yet forbidding people wanting to tow a 40ft 5th wheel with a boat on behind?

its commercial only and they are limited to certain roads.

here is a fact sheet https://www.cvse.ca/vehicle_inspections/PDF/MV3230.pdf

Steve

[bucky]

If Canada's road enforcement is as strict as their border enforcement I wouldn't try it.
Maybe we could learn from that in the US.