Best tractor for flatbeds & stepdecks

Only way it needs a permit is if your OVERALL lenght requires it. I called HH and if I can keep it under that I'm ok.

I could call them again and get a completely different answer tho

 

It is a state by state issue. There is no over all length limit, only a trailer length limit, on the National Network, which is why somebody with an extended hood and a 160 inch bunk can pull a 53 foot trailer. Get off the NN and it's a whole different story. Just did a load of 53 foot poles, from Laredo to Grand Forks. HH said I was good with 53, but 53 foot and 1 inch would have required some permits. They didn't say which states, but I told them my routing was TX, OK, KS, MO, IA, SD and ND.

 

Got ya, with a COE and a 300" frame I could hang 7' off the front and 5' off the back. Don't know if I'd push it that much tho. I know the 56-57' beams would be easy with 5 and 4

 

I haul 60' rails alot and have no issue in Pa with 3' off the front and 4' off the back, this is where having a 53' flat comes in handy.

 

Unless this is a dedicated run. what about all the other normal freight you would be hauling and now with a cabover. Not that cabover are not cool looking but they are very uncomfortable to spend a lot of time in.
And myself I need little more room in the sleeper and a 48' step works great.

 

Riding that steer axle gets old. Was thrilled to death when the Feds dropped the over all length limit and only limited the trailer length. Ran out and swapped my Two Story Cathouse for an Anteater.

 

Why don't state's regs ever specify front overhang if it's the front of the trailer or the front of the tractor, like a car hauler has front overhang and straight trucks with racks will have front overhang too. There is a vagary there. Are we supposed to be mind readers?

 

So there is no overall length limit at all? not to hijack, but you can run a conventional ext hood 379 with a 160" sleeper and stretched frame to haul 60' rails?

 

On the National Network, controlled by the Feds, there is only a limit on the length of the trailer, not the combination. As to what is on that trailer and overhanging it, that is still controlled by the individual states and they are not uniform. The Feds do not address the freight, only the trailer and overall combination. You have to contact each individual state, for their rules concerning overhang and what they require.

 

This is why you have to contact each state and get a clarification for that state. Guessing can get expensive.