Recovery/tow trucks weight regulations

In Florida, probably all states, the wreckers get blanket permits at $500 per year to cover allowable overweight and oversize. Must travel approved routes. I see them on I-75 pulling tractors and dry vans often.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...ng=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.550.html

 

unfortunately i just got towed in SC and i asked the driver the same question because i was weighing 78900.. He said there is a federal law that allows them to go into the scale with all this weight if its to take it to the nearest repair shop. He also said most of the time they automatically send them into the by pass lane unless they are towing something over 80K,

 

Depends on the State, and if it is from the first point of disablement or if it is a secondary tow. On first tows, most states exempt tow trucks from weight and length laws to the nearest point of safety, but not all do. In my home state of Pennsylvania we are not allowed to tow a combination and must scale legal on our axles, but no gross limit on wreckers (flatbeds have to scale legal weight and length). Then you have states like Virginia where a tow truck is fully exempt and does not even need to enter the scale house so long as they are properly licensed by the state of Virginia.

There is a new Federal exemption for heavy duty tow trucks operating on the national Network and Interstate highways responding to an accident call, police request, or disabled truck that exempts them from axle and gross weight as well as length laws to the nearest point of safety, however the individual state still decides if the tow truck can tow a combination or if it has to be split.

As for the comment about the heavy haul truck being towed from the front axle, we have never had a problem with that, there is a tow specification for the steer axle, for example Henderickson SteerTek axles can be towed with the proper fork attachment so long as they are loaded legal when on the ground and the combination weight is not greater than 80,000. Other steer axles allow fork towing at unlimited gross weight as long as the axle itself does not have more than it's design capacity on it when on the ground.

 

Lot of wheels there. I see them processors get hauled around here on 6-7 axles. Would be a ##### to haul it up a BC bush road with that combo lol.

 

Yup. Every state is different. I remember one state was having issues with their definition of a divisible load, where if a garbage truck (for example) broke down and made it into a parking lot (no longer an emergency is not on the road) the trash might have to be removed before being towed to keep the weights legal. Even if they couldn't start the engine to get the hydraulics working to open it up...

I remember one company talking about arranging for a trash truck with a really smelly load to break down in the parking lot of the state capitol. Could take weeks to get out all worked out, in the summer heat too....

Some states have blanket exemptions. Some allow tows up to certain distances, like a hundred miles. Some differentiate between loads that can be broken down or not.

 

I drive a gravel train here in Michigan and personally seen one of our rigs get towed loaded at 154k. Often we are over the legal gross if leaving a job site and have seen those towed as well. Empty is a cheap tow...loaded is another story.

 

So if your loaded right at 80k and all axles are legal and you get towed...does the wrecker pick up more than 12,000 or 13,000 pounds or so? All the other axles stay on the road. I would think the wrecker might pick up more than the front axle weight just cause of leverage maybe. Anybody know?

 

There is a mathmatical formula that will calculate how much weight transfers to the tow truck. Basically the amount of weight transfered to the tow truck depends on what the axle that is lifted weighs and how far the underlift is extended from the tail of the tow truck. You also take into account the wheelbase of the wrecker.

Short answer, the average tow truck will transfer a little more than what it is lifting, but not all of it comes from truck in tow, some of it comes off of the wreckers steer axle and some of the lifted axle transfers back to the other axles of the truck in tow that are still on the ground.

 

I believe if you look deep enough you'll find the rules written for the same item you describe. It's designed to be used as an emergency vehicle where they also have their own special rules. I don't think a weight problem would exist because you're only taking the load off the steers if you hook it up that way. IMO the only place you might need a permit would be for length. All the states are different when it comes to permits.

When I was in the Navy I had a truck that hauled heavy specialized construction equipment and needed a permit to cross the states I be going through. We don't have to pay for the permit but we still had to have one. To illustrate what the truck was it was a simple Ryder tractor with a 3 axle single drop flatbed. Each state was different and it was a nightmare to have them all and correct. AZ made us remove all the gear that could be remove. So the blade was gone. Anyway, that;'s just to show you all states have different requirements and could ask for more or less.

 

Gashauler, we have some exemptions for first moves, but tows from a shop or safe haven such as a parking lot have to fully comply with axle weights in most jurisdictions. Some states do not consider the tow truck to be operating in combination with the vehicle in tow and are only concerned with the tow truck axle weights, some require full compliance with weight and length, others issue blanket exemption permits. It varies so widely by state, even someone like myself whi has been in towing and auto transport for 23 years now has a hard time keeping up.