Triple towing, legal where?

[Phil Saran]

Is there a website somewhere that would list what states allow triple towing.  I have  one ton Dodge Ram 3500

and a 34 foot fifth wheel trailer and am looking at adding a side by side on a open trailer behind that.

It is legal here in Colorado where I live, but what other states??

[SWharton]

That is double towing.................Not sure about the legality but the length may be the bigger problem.

[sandsys]

Minnesota allows double towing as long as the first tow has a 5th wheel hitch. I remember how excited our friend with a trailer was that he would also be able to bring his boat. That was back in the 70s when the trucking industry just got this passed. I don't think anyone realized back then that this would apply to campers, not just truckers, except campers themselves. They guy who told our camping club about it was a cop so he was probably one of the first to realize the implications of this new law.

Linda

[chirakawa]

Here is one site among many.  They actually refer to it as triple towing.  http://www.rvsafely.com/rvroadlaws.htm

[Dutch_12078]

Some states define towing double as "triple towing" because there's three units including the TV.

[Chad Heiser]

A good reference is a trucker's atlas that can be purchased on line or at any truck stop.  They have a page that lists all the double/triple towing laws and length laws by state.  It is also a handy reference to keep around in the truck for the maps and other features as well.  

Most of the western states allow recreational doubles except Washington and Oregon.  I have towed doubles in all the western states from North Dakota to the north and Texas to the south and everything in between out to the coast (except Washington and Oregon) with no issues from law enforcement (and my rig is a lot longer than you will be with your set up).  Colorado allows recreational doubles on a standard driver's license, so you won't need to worry about any issues with your license no matter what state you are in (as long as that state allows doubles to start with).  It may be helpful to carry a copy of the actual Colorado statute that shows this in case a local LEO is used to seeing some type of endorsement in their state.

[noteven]

Aw Chad you wrecked up a good possible 6 page thread with your clear straight forward information...again 😀

[Double-Trouble]

2 hours ago, noteven said:

Aw Chad you wrecked up a good possible 6 page thread with your clear straight forward information...again 😀

🤣

2 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

A good reference is a trucker's atlas that can be purchased on line or at any truck stop.  They have a page that lists all the double/triple towing laws and length laws by state.  It is also a handy reference to keep around in the truck for the maps and other features as well.  

Most of the western states allow recreational doubles except Washington and Oregon.  I have towed doubles in all the western states from North Dakota to the north and Texas to the south and everything in between out to the coast (except Washington and Oregon) with no issues from law enforcement (and my rig is a lot longer than you will be with your set up).  Colorado allows recreational doubles on a standard driver's license, so you won't need to worry about any issues with your license no matter what state you are in (as long as that state allows doubles to start with).  It may be helpful to carry a copy of the actual Colorado statute that shows this in case a local LEO is used to seeing some type of endorsement in their state.

My understanding is California requires a commercial class A plus doubles endorsement for non residents also.With that said I am a California resident and in 13 years of double towing have never been pulled over or given a second look.

[Chad Heiser]

35 minutes ago, Double-Trouble said:

🤣

My understanding is California requires a commercial class A plus doubles endorsement for non residents also.With that said I am a California resident and in 13 years of double towing have never been pulled over or given a second look.

California does not and cannot require non commercial out of state residents to follow their licensing laws.  Licensing is reciprocal to all states, so if you a legally licensed in your home state you are legally licensed in all 50 states (registration is the same).

California does require their own residents to have a commercial class A license with a doubles endorsement in order to legally tow doubles (whether commercially or recreationally).  They also require all commercial drivers (regardless of the state they are from) to have a doubles endorsement on their commercial license in order to tow doubles commercially in the state (but they would need this in any state to do so).  

Therefore if your home state (outside of California) allows you to tow recreational doubles with some license class less than a commercial class A with endorsement and you have that lesser class license that allows you to do so, then you may tow your doubles registered in your home state in California as well.

[Kirk W]

While I'm no fan of towing double, I wonder if anyone here actually knows someone who was ticketed & fined for doing so recreationally? Like many who have been RVing for a long time, I have heard more than one such story but never have I actually met someone who was. We used to tow double or even triple out on the farm but that was never on major highways and for me, it has been many years ago and that is my only actual experience doing so and it didn't involve an RV.

[FL-JOE]

Years ago I was camped next to a double tow out in the state of Washington.  He had a 1-ton modified flat bed pulling a fiver, towing an aluminum trike trailer.  They were full time and he said they had been stopped in a couple different states (don't recall where) because of the combination.  He said they were not ticketed but told to get legal.  The trike trailer was so light that he could take the trike off and actually pull the trailer with the trike, thus separating the combination until they were out of the state.

But again, here is someone who was stopped but not cited.

[dennisvr]

I also was stopped, but not cited (in California).  I live in Calif. and have a CDL with doubles endorsement.  I was pulling a 33' 5th wheel with a small trailer with a quad on it.  Length limit for any trailer in combination is 28'. 

[noteven]

Ha! Two 29ft trailers would be too big anyways...

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

That is one of the interesting things, a commercial truck can have a single trailer of virtually unlimited length.  But the minute it goes double commercially, twin 28' trailer seem to be the norm in a lot of states.

[noteven]

Saskatchewan Canada triple tow: 

Clicky

[WeBeFulltimers]

Class "A" CDL doubles/triples endorsement means tractor pulling TWO or THREE trailers. I pulled doubles (2 trailers) for years but never triples (3 trailers).

[Lou Schneider]

20 hours ago, chirakawa said:

Here is one site among many.  They actually refer to it as triple towing.  http://www.rvsafely.com/rvroadlaws.htm

Double towing is the correct term, if triple tow means two trailers behind a truck then a tractor pulling three trailers would be quadruple towing and I've never heard it described that way.

[remoandiris]

1 hour ago, Lou Schneider said:

Double towing is the correct term, if triple tow means two trailers behind a truck then a tractor pulling three trailers would be quadruple towing and I've never heard it described that way.

And a tractor pulling nothing would be "single towing".  LOL!!!

[ET156]

I manage a RV park in Long Beach WA. and have had people towing a 5th wheel and a boat behind their 3500 Ram. They came through Ca. and Oregon with no problem so I am thinking that both states have changed their ways. I am a retired owner operator and was surprised to see people towing doubles. Actually Wa. considers it to be triples due to the weight rating of the pick up trucks. 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

North Dakota allows triple pup-28ft trailers or a B-Train which is 2 53 ft trailers, or regular doubles- 2 pup.  Fed-X and UPS run triples thru here daily.  Menards pulls B-trains regularly from their warehouse about 3 miles from us.  

I did see a farm tractor pulling 4 hay trailers down a state road this week.... each trailer had 18 round bales on it....

 

[noteven]

2 hours ago, remoandiris said:

And a tractor pulling nothing would be "single towing".  LOL!!!

probably yes in The RV World 😀

[noteven]

33 minutes ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

North Dakota allows triple pup-28ft trailers or a B-Train which is 2 53 ft trailers, or regular doubles- 2 pup.  Fed-X and UPS run triples thru here daily.  Menards pulls B-trains regularly from their warehouse about 3 miles from us.  

I did see a farm tractor pulling 4 hay trailers down a state toad this week.... each trailer had 18 round bales on it....

 

I’ll bet that state toad was flattened....

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

2 minutes ago, noteven said:

I’ll bet that state toad was flattened....

Yes it was!

 

[chirakawa]

4 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Double towing is the correct term, if triple tow means two trailers behind a truck then a tractor pulling three trailers would be quadruple towing and I've never heard it described that way.

I agree.  I didn't write the website.

[packnrat]

On 9/15/2018 at 9:07 AM, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

That is one of the interesting things, a commercial truck can have a single trailer of virtually unlimited length.  But the minute it goes double commercially, twin 28' trailer seem to be the norm in a lot of states.

not quite right on total length. pending some state rules 75 feet, (B train, triples, etc excluded) or a max axle spacing of (*) is the rule. not very many fixed trailers longer then 53 feet. yes there are "extendable" or "special" trailers but need a extra legal permit to move on any public roadway.

in ca double towing (commercial) is 75 MAX.  rv it is (65) max.

then there is the total weight limits. (based on the tow rig).

and lets not forget how to stop the combo, so got brakes??

and the width is 102 inches max, with some "lesser" roads prohibited due to "oversize laws".

even some roads over "X" feet long can be prohibited.

but sad some mt pass roads are not restricted, and if you do tow ANYTHING over them you will cause damage.

 

mind the laws in your home state, read up on the dot rules, as most hwy patrol do not know the laws, including the dot inspectors.

but they have the ticket book at the ready.

it can be confusing and strange to understand all the laws for just the 48 connected states. or even just your "area" of the country.