To the average person, semitrailers are highway behemoths that you wouldn’t want to find yourself driving next to. To kids, they are a source of awe and entertainment on long drives. To all of us though, commercial trailers are the arteries and veins that keep the country moving. They are the conduit through which your favorite cereal ends up on the supermarket shelf, your Amazon delivery reaches you on time, and gas is available at your local gas station.
There’s no question about it—semitrailers are imposing, not to mention oversized loads like those carried by schnable trailers. You may be familiar to some degree with weight restrictions, but less well known are trailer length restrictions. There are semitrailer length laws by state as well as at the federal level. Before we get into that, let’s take a quick look at the typical truck configurations in America.
There are many ways commercial trucks can be classified and defined. The FMCSA defines commercial trucks as road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds designed to carry freight. The FHWA categorizes freight-carrying vehicles into nine classes based on the number of axles, the number of units, and the type of unit combinations. Nevertheless, most commercial truck configurations in America fall into three main categories.
More widely known as the 18-wheeler, the five-axle tractor semitrailer is the most recognizable commercial truck in the USA. The tractor (i.e. power unit) is either a sleeper cab or a day cab. Sleeper cabs have a sleeping berth or small living area in the tractor. They are typically used for long-haul operations. Day cabs have a shorter wheelbase and are used for short haul operations, such as delivery and pickup. The freight-carrying unit of a tractor semitrailer vehicle usually varies between 40 and 53 feet in length; although, some states allow semitrailer lengths of up to 59′ 6″.
A straight or single-unit truck is a commercial freight road vehicle where the vehicle chassis and power unit are permanently attached. Straight trucks are most commonly used for beverage delivery, parcel delivery, concrete mixing, construction debris dumping, trash compacting, and snow plowing.
LCVs are a type of combination truck that only operate in states where freight trucks exceeding 80,000 pounds are permitted. They are three- or four-unit combinations that include at least one full trailer (48 feet or less) or three short trailers.
In 1982, the US Congress passed the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) that included provisions relating to the length of truck tractor-semitrailer and truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer combinations on National Network (NN) highways or in transit between NN highways and service locations or terminals. These provisions included the following:
Some states were granted exceptions to the Federal length standards and were thus allowed to enforce higher limits before the STAA standard. These exceptions are referred to as ‘grandfathered rights;’ whereas federal laws require that states cannot legislate trailer length to be under 53 feet on the Interstate and access roads, states are free to allow trailers that are less than 53 feet on roads that aren’t funded by the federal government.
The following table is a summary of the semitrailer length laws by state:
State Maximum Trailer Length (in feet) Maximum Trailer Length (in meters) Sub-State Measures and Additional Notes Alabama 57′ 0″ 17.37 53′ 6″ maximum on roads that are less than 12′ Alaska 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways 2) Trailer must have kingpin-to-center distance of 41′ or less if it’s 48′ or more Arizona 57′ 6″ 17.53 53′ 0″ maximum on other (non-Interstate) highways Arkansas 53′ 6″ 16.31 Permit may be available for trailers up to 59′ 6″ long California 48′ 0″ 14.63 1) 53’ maximum for semitrailers with a kingpin-to-center distance of 40’ or less 2) No trailer length limit on California Black Routes Colorado 57′ 4″ 17.48 Connecticut 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated State routes Delaware 53′ 0″ 16.15 Florida 57′ 0″ 17.37 Trailer must have kingpin-to-center distance of 41′ or less if the trailer is longer than 48′ Georgia 48′ 0″ 14.63 Hawaii 48′ 0″ 14.63 Idaho 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on designated secondary highways (non-NN) Illinois 53′ 0″ 16.15 Indiana 48′ 0″ 14.63 53’ maximum permitted if 1) kingpin-to-rearmost axle distance is 40′ 6″ or less 2) kingpin-to-center distance is 45′ 6″ or less Iowa 53′ 0″ 16.15 Kansas 57′ 6″ 17.53 Kentucky 53′ 0″ 16.15 Louisiana 59′ 6″ 18.14 Maine 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-53′ network Maryland 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways 2) Kingpin-to-center distance should not exceed 41′ for trailers longer than 48′ Massachusetts 53′ 0″ 16.15 Michigan 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ maximum on non-designated highways Minnesota 53′ 0″ 16.15 Mississippi 53′ 0″ 16.15 Missouri 53′ 0″ 16.15 Montana 53′ 0″ 16.15 Nebraska 53′ 0″ 16.15 Nevada 53′ 0″ 16.15 New Hampshire 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways New Jersey 53′ 0″ 14.63 48′ 0″ maximum on State roads other than the 102″ network New Mexico 57′ 6″ 17.53 New York 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-qualifying highways 2) Trailers exceeding 48′ must have kingpin-to-rear axle center setting of 43′ or less North Carolina 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways North Dakota 53′ 0″ 16.15 Ohio 53′ 0″ 16.15 Oklahoma 59′ 6″ 18.14 53′ 0″ maximum on State roads Oregon 53′ 0″ 16.15 Pennsylvania 53′ 0″ 16.15 Kingpin-to-rear axle center must not exceed 41′ Rhode Island 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-Interstate routes 2) Kingpin-to-rear axle center must not exceed 41′ South Carolina 53′ 0″ 16.15 Kingpin-to-rear axle center must not exceed 41′ South Dakota 53′ 0″ 16.15 Tennessee 53′ 0″ 16.15 Kingpin-to-end of trailer or load must not exceed 50′ Texas 59′ 0″ 17.98 Utah 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) Permit available for trailers up to 57′ 0″ long 2) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated roads Vermont 53′ 0″ 16.15 1) 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways 2) For 53′ 0″ trailer, kingpin-to-rear axle center setting should not exceed 43′ Virginia 48′ 0″ 14.63 Up to 53′ 0″ trailer allowed as long as kingpin-to-rear tandem center does not exceed 41′ Washington 53′ 0″ 16.15 Permit available for longer trailers up to 56′ 0″ West Virginia 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways Wisconsin 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highways Wyoming 53′ 0″ 16.15 48′ 0″ maximum on non-designated highwaysTable via U.S Department of Transportation
The STAA rules only apply to truck-tractor semitrailer and truck-tractor semitrailer-trailer combinations. Certain specialized commercial motor vehicles (CMV) are subject to a different set of length rules. Notable specialized vehicles include automobile transporters, boat transporters, and truck-tractor semitrailer combinations. The length requirements of these vehicles are as follows.
Note that length provisions for automobile transporters and boat transporters exclude the front and rear overhang. No state shall impose a rear overhang of under 4 feet or a front overhang of under 3 feet.
Semitrailers are often the most cost-effective means of moving goods from one point to another. However, as you cross state borders, a trailer length that is perfectly legal in one state could be prohibited in another. Familiarizing yourself with semitrailer length laws by state will help you avoid running into any unpleasant legal surprises.
At Hale Trailer, our commercial trailer experts are prepared to help you through the whole trailer rental or purchasing process. For any questions about semitrailer length laws, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
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