53' Trailer in Manhattan?

If you are delivering there, you're allowed there.

If you were to come from Brooklyn, most commonly on the Mannhatten Bridge, you would be pulled over on Canal St., as that was the route to go to the tunnels. If however you got off of the Cross Bronx, they wouldnt think that you are taking a shortcut, and you belong there.

 

If you already made the delivery, then there is nothing to do but get out of there before the rush.

NYC is one of those places that makes life very interesting with a 53 and a sleeper truck. Even my last delivery into Hunts Point was a interesting day with the usual issues to and from there downtown.

The one thing I never did with a semi is to use say the tunnels to access the city. It's either the GWB or Verazanno.

 

There's a hard 55' overall bumper to bumper length limit in all 5 boroughs. If your truck exceeds that limit and you're going to and from a pickup or delivery in a borough using the designated truck routes, you get a pass, despite being illegal. Unless you hit something.

 

So if I cross the GWB with a 53' trailer Im illegal? All those trucks going across are illegal?

Hard to believe.

 

Its one of those old laws that they over look.. or can be a douche as an excuse to screw with you. I've been all over NYC,.. Flatbush Ave is always fun with thick vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Here is another one,.. they got me 2 years ago in Md. 53ft trailers are not permitted anywhere in Md off the interstates. And what really blew my stack was they got me at a scale house for trucks. Why even have a scale house if I'm not supposed to be there?

Hurst

 

Lot more of that rubbish now that they don't have log books to fool with.

 

The GWB, Cross Bronx, BQE, Long Island Expressway, etc are all interstate highways and part of the national network. There are no state restriction. The 55 foot is only off the national network, and even then it is waived while making a delivery. The only borough where I have ever seen it enforced (I drove for a company in the Navy Yard and one in Edison, NJ that made deliveries to NYC) was Manhatten, and even then, while making deliveries there, I have never been hassled. The only time I was was when I tried to take a low trailer through the Holland tunnel with a long tractor. I was pulled over as soon as I crossed the Manhattan bridge and forced to turn around. All other times I was making a delivery, and no hassles.

 

Actually, there is an official 102" width restriction for STAA vehicles unless you're carrying HHG. And with HHG there's a 48' trailer length restriction. It gets complicated, but like I said - unless you screw up and hit something, everyone looks the other way. They have more important things to worry about.

Here is a link to the official NYC rules:

NYC DOT - Motorists & Parking - Size and Weight Restrictions

 

Well, as you know, trucks come in all shapes and sizes. So, the scale is there for those that are legal to be on that route.

I'm not sure about the MD regulation that restricts 53' trailers to the interstate highways. Can you point me to that?

I did learn that Baltimore only allows a certain amount of rear overhang beyond the rear axle of your trailer - 35% of the trailer length maybe? All sorts of strange stuff that only seems to be randomly enforced.