| Author | Message | ||
| Douglas Tappan (Dougthebonifiedbusnut)
Registered Member Username: Dougthebonifiedbusnut Post Number: 134 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 24.62.45.179  Rating: N/A |
I'm putting this under a new topic because I don't want what I'm going to present buryied in the other thread.I'm sorry Sean I wasn't challenging you by any means I just know how thorough you are( and thank you for being so)I think it has to be pointed out that none off our "Motorhomes" are Commercial Vehicles, none of the rules regarding commercial vehicles apply.Except for an 8 year stint working on aircraft for the DOD I have over 35 years driving heavy trucks. You can call a "Dolly"anything you want it is still Double towing I just want to get an answer> I spent 2-3 hours looking at Ch 90 of the Ma. general laws and could nnot find the answer(but than I'm not a great puter guy)I even called the State Police and they could'nt answer the question. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1131 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.145  Rating: N/A |
Doug, I don't take any of this personally; I'm just here to help out. To avoid any confusion, let me clarify that you are correct -- commercial vehicle laws do not apply. That's what I was trying to say in the other thread, as it is a two way street. Not only do we private coach owners not have to put up with scales, mandatory time limits, and CDL requirements -- we also do not get any special exemptions that apply only to commercial vehicles. For example, most states allow a 53' semi-trailer if it is commercial, but private trailers are usually limited to 45' and sometimes 40'. A car-wheel tow dolly is not double-towing, because it is not "hitched" to the car with an articulated hitch. The car is hard-mounted to the dolly (each of two wheels semi-permanently affixed to the dolly) and the wheels are off the ground. This makes the dolly's wheels part of the trailer. In much the same way, a large dolly can be attached to the kingpin of a semi-trailer that will turn it into a full trailer; the dolly-trailer combination thus becomes a single full trailer and towing it (behind a straight truck) does not require a doubles endorsement. I don't know the specific law in MA, but I can tell you that peace officers and even DMV clerks are often unaware of their own laws. Both Louise and I have been stopped for motorcycle headlight modulators in states where they are explicitly allowed by code, and you can't lecture a cop on the finer points of the law on the side of the road. And more than once I've taken paperwork from DMV office to DMV office to DMV office until I got a clerk that gave me the right answer -- way easier than getting a recalcitrant public servant to get off their duff and actually look something up. Without going to the law library and studying it, I have to rely on the resources available to me, which show that MA is one of the states that does not allow private doubles, and moreover has a 60' combined length limit, making even some coach/toad combinations illegal. That's not to say people don't get away with it, just as Bernie Madoff ran a Ponzi scheme instead of an investment firm for decades without being stopped, and drug kingpins are living in penthouses in Miami. Some violations, such as a coach that's 48' long (illegal in all but four states) might go for years before getting stopped, and I know someone who has one. Double-towing is a little more noticeable, though, and is likely to get you stopped sooner. I do have more than a passing familiarity with the specific laws in several states. I used to run a nationwide fleet of (admittedly commercial) vehicles, I spent time in the saddle as a uniformed but non-sworn traffic officer, and I held a certification from the state police as a driving safety instructor. When I started converting my bus, I spent close to 100 hours researching the regulations in the 49 continental states. Again, you do not need to rely on my word, I'm just trying to help you stay out of trouble. It won't bother me at all if you want to try this, so long as I'm not behind or next to you ;). Please let us all know how it comes out after you've done it for a while. At least you will not have the same problem as the truck/fiver/boat guys. If you get stopped, you will likely be able to just persuade the officer to let you unhitch the Jeep and be on your way, and you'll only need two drivers to the next state line. The double-trailer guys end up having to leave the boat right where it is, drive the fiver to the state line, then come back for the boat. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Douglas Tappan (Dougthebonifiedbusnut)
Registered Member Username: Dougthebonifiedbusnut Post Number: 135 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 24.62.45.179 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Sean, Point well taken about the Tracktor, Dolly, Full trailer combination. |