Question about maximum vehicle length

[TomC]

Sivrtnge2- I know this, that you're not doing bed bugging (house hold moving) since you couldn't get into a residential area nor a condo complex with that setup.  I pulled a 48ft'r with a 235" cabover with a 8ft converted drom with all amenities, and that was sometimes to long for condo complexes.  Do you pull for Southern Pride?  Since they transport jet engines, a airport is about the only place you could maneurver a 400" wheelbase. Good Luck, TomC

[akroyaleagle]

Here's a couple of references:

The first is for RVs.

http://www.wecamp2.com/size.html

Note the below is for COMMERCIAL vehicles. I suppose you could argue that a bus conversion is Grandfathered.

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/size_regs_final_rpt/index.htm#bus

[buswarrior]

We already know about the reliability of RV's and their support industries....

That's why we have converted buses.

Then why would we look to them for something as legal, technical and variable across the 60 odd jurisdictions of the US and Canada as the size and weight limits, and all their exceptions, permits and legal mumbo jumbo? Keeping track of this is a full time job in a fleet setting.

These RV sources are the same folks who give you delaminating skins, recommend you buy them, recommend repair shops to fix 'em and count on you dying before you figure out you've been misinformed or ripped off.

Use the fleet sources for the size info, where screwing up on compliance regularly costs money.
More accurate and detailed.
Statutes on size usually will apply to all "vehicles", regardless of the commercial/personal issue.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[akroyaleagle]

Bus warrior,

I did not intend to ruffle your feathers.

I only attempted to provide a couple of references to the questions I thought I saw farther down in the thread.

Info posted on these boards is posted for the convenience of all.

Some want to argue their "beliefs" in spite of the written references.

[buswarrior]

No feathers ruffled!!!

The lack of good effort on the part of the RV related folks is the thing that bugs me.

Too many folks rely on their poor research and profit driven poor workmanship.

Very sorry if my post had a tone in your direction!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[sivrtnge2]

Hey Tom,
Sorry that it took me so long to get back to you. I'm still learning this board. I have a contract with the us govt. We move "high profile stuff".
...all I can say!!!

[Sean]

We already know about the reliability of RV's and their support industries....

That's why we have converted buses.

[snip...]

Use the fleet sources for the size info, where screwing up on compliance regularly costs money.
More accurate and detailed.
Statutes on size usually will apply to all "vehicles", regardless of the commercial/personal issue.
...

No disrespect meant, but this is decidedly untrue.  Almost every state regulates non-commercial vehicles differently than commercial ones.  So the advice to follow fleet guidelines is likely to cause trouble.

For example, while fleet operators (meaning commercial plated vehicles with appropriately-rated CDL drivers) can legally operate 48' and 53' semi-trailers on the STAA route network, very, very few states allow a non-commercial trailer of that length. Many states restrict non-commercial trailers or semitrailers to 40', irrespective of whether they are operated on STAA routes or not.

You can certainly circumvent this restriction by getting commercial plates and a class A CDL, but then you are still restricted in many states to the STAA network and "terminals or services" within a mile thereof.  Plus, I think you will find commercial registration to be prohibitively expensive:  you will need plates for every state you travel through, or an "apportioned" plate to cover them, pay fees by weight, stop at all scales, and buy your fuel in every state by percentage (or pay each state it's fair share of taxes on whatever fuel you do buy).  Plus you will need to keep a logbook and follow the hours-of-service regulations regarding driving time, rest periods, etc..

As non-commercial operators, we enjoy many luxuries unavailable to the commercial operator, including exemption from scales in most states, buying our fuel wherever we like, and even traveling over routes forbidden to commercial vehicles (several freeways in California come immediately to mind, along with the Garden State Parkway in NJ and various other toll roads, bridges, and tunnels throughout the US).  In most states we don't even need a special license, even though our coaches are often air-brake equipped and over 26,000 gross.  But we are also NOT entitled to the special vehicle length permissivity  that applies to commercial "combination vehicles" (tractor-semitrailers) on federal routes.

The advice in, for example, the "Motor Carrier's Road Atlas" is aimed at commercial drivers.  Don't take it as gospel, because some of it does not apply to us.  If your coach is registered as a motorhome or "house car,"  then the recreational vehicle laws and limits apply to you, and, yes, the various charts published by the RV industry and magazines (e.g. Family Motor Coaching) are usually correct.  The best information, though, is always in the actual motor vehicle codes of the states in which you are operating.

-Sean
aka "Captain Code"

[Rich (Prevost)]

I have a chart that tells you the maximum allowable length for every state. pretty cool information. Most states specify the max length of the towing & towed vehicle, and the max allowed overall. I will have to dig it out of the archives. I packed it for our move to Nashville.

Rich