California Combined Length Limit - 65’

[Jerry Winchester]

Folks,

I just got this from the Royale Coach guys who got if from FMCA.

__________________________________________________ _______________

The California Highway Patrol has begun ticketing motorhome and tow-car combinations that exceed sixty-five feet in length. Several Prevost owners have already paid the fine. If you plan to travel in California towing a car or trailer, you should educate yourself on this issue. Rick Kent has researched the situation and written a letter to FMCA asking for help in getting the law changed. You can read his letter, and FMCA’s response, on the Prevost website at www.PrevostProuds.com More information is also available on the FMCA website by clicking here: FMCA Legislative Updates.

FMCA has begun a program to seek relief from the State of California. As part of that program, they need copies of any tickets that have already been issued for combined lengths exceeding sixty-five feet, regardless of when that ticket was issued. If you have received a ticket, please send a copy of it to Max Durbin, chair of the FMCA Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee.

Send the copy to: Max Durbin

235 Caravan Circle

N. Fort Myers, FL 33903

-Or-



Fax the copy to: His home - 239-994-6733

or to FMCA - Attn: Max Durbin - 513-474-2332

-Or -



Email the copy in PDF format to: mjdurbin@juno.com

[Ray Davis]

Interesting. If you read the report on the Prevost Proud site, there is a link off to an FMCA article. Not only CA, but 32 states have a 65 foot limit, according to http://www.fmca.com/motorhomerights/updates/2006/0906_ca_length.asp

[Jerry Winchester]

So I guess there is at least one advantage to owning a "baby Prevost" as Jon calls them.

Maybe I need to get all my California travel done before I acquire a 45'er?

Wonder who the other states are?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Our old 40 foot coach could tow almost any vehicle and be legal. I set the Dodge quad cab pickup for towing because I was legal, and when I was alone that is what I towed. I am at 68 feet in the 45 foot coach with the Dodge behind it.

When we decided to sell the Jeep GC we found that we needed something equally short otherwise we were illegal. I think a Subuaru Outback and a 45 foot coach is illegal for example, but a 45 coach with an H2 Hummer is legal. Who would've thunk it?

[Ray Davis]

I found this on the Roadmaster site. Obviously not official, but it lists limits for all states.

http://www.roadmaster-tow-bars.com/laws.html


Wow, there's even a few 60ft states in there!!



Ray

[MangoMike]

Kevin with his 30' trailer certainly wins this award.

Mike

[garyde]

I am not quite understanding this..... You can own a 5th wheel, trailer behind the 5th wheel, a Boat or another trailer , both to be pulled by a Pick-up. Whats that all about.
Is this just for RVs, because I see many people pulling odd combinations of trailers, etc.
What about all of the long Painted Car trailers I see at the RV shows, ?
If you had a commercial license, would that make a difference since commercial trucks are Longer I assume.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I think alot of these odd configurations we see going down the road are doing it illegally, and havent been sighted yet, and yes heavy trucks have to conform to these laws also. Max. length on a single trlr. is 53ft. and doubles are limited to 28ft per trlr. max. There is this thing called the federal bridge law that deals with the length issues and it is so complicated and lacking in any sence I wont even begin to explain it, even if I could, correctly.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The issue of compliance with various state laws is confusing and everchanging. CA in the recent past was not allowing 45' coaches. They were illegal. That has changed, but to comply you have limited roads for travel, and if I am not mistaken a non commercial class B is required for CA registered coaches of 45' length. (CA guys correct me if I am wrong)

The length and width requirements for various states vary, but it has been our observation that unless the violation is flagrant, or the coach driver is driving like a jerk, the police do not single them out for a violation. I think NJ still does not allow 45 foot coaches or 8.5 foot widths. Ironically every day of the week NJ is blanketed with 45' seated coaches heading to and from NYC and Philly.

During the time when CDLs were coming into being I remember NY state police were targeting heavy coaches over 26,000 lbs and if the driver did not have a class B he was ticketed and the coach was parked until a licensed driver could move it. They backed off on that quickly, but examples of that type of selective enforcement still continue. The best way to deal with the various laws is to try to not draw attention to yourself or to be completely legal.

[matsprt]

Jon,

Yes, in CA if your coach/bus/MH is MORE than 40' you need a class B license and medical card (medical card renewed every 2 years). 40' and under you are OK with a "regular" class C license.

Remember it's easy to get this all mixed up, if they are on FEDERAL INTERSTATES you can run 45' 102 wide buses and each state must allow you reasonable access to services along the interstate. This is from the commercial truck segment. However each state can limit the access to roads that are "away" from the interstates.

As was noted TRAILERS are limited to 53' with no limit on the tractor. So I can run 53' trailers and conventional Pete's and be 70' overall and legal. Other combinations differ, like a 45' bus with a trailer falls under the 65' max limit.

The name of the game here is confusion. Lots of laws, many not understood by those empowered to enforce (example - the bridge law mentioned earlier, many in the CHP can not even answer questions about it). It's all about the money folks, they need it and you got it.

Not to worry for me I have a CDL....thank God.:D

[MangoMike]

Taking Jon's point about not being noticed.

http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/othervehicles/images/Bus.jpg

The Camo Prevo

[Ray Davis]

For those interested, this is a link to the CA handbook describing the Class B non-commercial license, and what the requirements are to get said license.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648.pdf

[Kevin Erion]

Yes, when I tow my 30' enclosed trailer in and out of CA I go 57 miles per hour and hope to fly under the radar. Not very easy, there are a few provisions in the Ferderal Interstate laws that allow for some very long vechiles, but they have to be commercial. I have a CDL but that won't help, I think it might hurt, I should know the law! I am just concerned when they tell me to park the bus and trailer and make it legal, that day will SUCK! And I even give CA all the overpriced Registration fees in hopes that will help.
Untill then, _____ em!
Kevin

[Jon Wehrenberg]

About two years ago we were in Camp Prevost in Jacksonville and a fellow towing a trailer behind his 45' coach revealed he just paid one of the Dakotas a princely sum because he was overlength. Despite the size of the fine, he was overjoyed that they only charged the fine, and allowed him to drive out of the state.

[Kevin Erion]

Yes Jon, the price we are willing to pay for having are toys.
Kevin

[Coloradobus]

Jon, Kevin,

Since 2 out of 3 vehicles we have set up to tow exceed California length limit when attached to the coach, we usually drive detached from Quartzsite west. This eliminates the stress of flying under the radar, gives one of us a chance to follow the coach to see how it is rolling along from the outside, and we can both go 70 with the other cars! Doing 70 mph from Blythe to Indio allows us to get ot ORA quicker, YEA!!!:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We had the lock on a tow bar fail years back when we were about 2 or three hours from home. The arm would not lock so it would contract and extend. As a result I unhitched and my wife drove the car, following me.

That ain't going to happen again. She didn't want to drive, I had nobody to wait on me hand and foot, it was horrible.

That is why we try to be legal length.

[matsprt]

Yes, when I tow my 30' enclosed trailer in and out of CA I go 57 miles per hour and hope to fly under the radar. Not very easy, there are a few provisions in the Ferderal Interstate laws that allow for some very long vechiles, but they have to be commercial. I have a CDL but that won't help, I think it might hurt, I should know the law! I am just concerned when they tell me to park the bus and trailer and make it legal, that day will SUCK! And I even give CA all the overpriced Registration fees in hopes that will help.
Untill then, _____ em!
Kevin

I doubt that the CHP will notice us if over a "little" on the length. However Kevin, you should make sure your Alabama Chicken Haul'n lights are turned off and sneak out in the dead of night.:D :eek:

[Joe Cannarozzi]

If you can get down the road without being harassed with this I think that the length thing is a non-issue.

http://www.kingsleycoach.com/index_055.htm

This thing is 45ft not counting the cab so add maybe another 10 or 12ft for that, the trlr looks like 30 or so, that makes 85 or 90ft!

[garyde]

The only reason the CHP picks on folks with tow vehicles and trailers is they can't see the 40 to 50% un-insured and un-licensed drivers in the state.
If they just spent a minimum amount of effort in taking vehicles away from these people, the roads would be much safer.
Here's the thing, my preference would be to be sharing the road with someone who has 1/2 million or more invested in his Bus and trailer rather than an individual driving a $500.00 Taurus who has no license, no insurance and would simply run away from an accident.
Oh, additionally the Bus owner probably pays a heck of a lot more in taxes which supports the highway system.

[jonnie]

Gary,

Amen to that! Glad to hear everything is ok at your house

[Orren Zook]

Any thoughts or new revelations on CHP length enforcement at this time - I'm thinking of taking a 28' trailer attached to my 40' bus into Perris next week to pick up some items. Would it be best done during the wee hours of the morning?
Thanks in advance for your input.

[garyde]

Unless you can get the Shift Schedule for the CHP from the Arizona Border to Indio, you are definately taking a risk. There are too many people and stories of Pull -overs to discount . The last statement I read from the CHP when asked if they were targeting RV's with towables indicated they were not. Tell that to the people who had to un-hook and drive their towable to the Arizona border, or the Bus owner who had to find someone with a commercial driver license to drive his Bus because he did not have a B class license.

[Ray Davis]

My understanding is that the real problem area is the I-10 around Blythe. There are other ways, perhaps longer, but you can get around that. I-40 to the I-15, or from the south come in via I-8?

Ray

[Orren Zook]

My understanding is that the real problem area is the I-10 around Blythe. There are other ways, perhaps longer, but you can get around that. I-40 to the I-15, or from the south come in via I-8?

I was thinking of I-40 to I-15 to I-215 rather than dropping clear down to I-10. would there be any traffic issues at different times of the day or should I be watching KTLA on the satellite to get an idea?

[flyu2there]

Guys,

Definitely the I-10 Corridor is the worst but don't discount any of the roads into California.

My suggestion, if you must, is to travel at night when everyones depth perception is off, including the constables. Something about night a the cop with his tape measure, his flashlight..........you skew the odds. That's provided all of you lights are working properly or the odds skew just a rapidly in the opposite direction.

Also do not forget the California Cell Phone law that finally goes into effect on July 1. First offence for talking with a handset while motovating, 79.00, second offence 190....

[lewpopp]

The cell phone law has been in effect for years in NY and you can redly see when driving around that it makes no difference to the young kids.

[flyu2there]

Actually, my near misses have been with Soccer Mom's in the Yukon XL's.....

[Ray Davis]

Definitely the I-10 Corridor is the worst but don't discount any of the roads into California.

So, my info is definitely third hand, so take it with a large grain of salt. I have been told that there is a small stretch of I-10 in the Blythe area that is NOT federally funded road, and because of that the CHP tends to excercise it's powers to fill local coffers with money, looking for oversize vehicles.

I haven't heard that to be an issue down I40, I15 etc. I have not had a problem ever being stopped, however, I am not over-length when driving, so it probably isn't saying much.

I think any time you are oversize, you run the risk. I don't believe there are any checkpoints on the I40-I15 route. There is a fruit checkpoint as you a few miles inland in CA when coming down I15 from Vegas. So, that might more an area of concern.

Best of luck on your decision.

Ray

[flyu2there]

I have seen the Imperial County Sheriff with a bus stopped on I-8, who knows what for, but the cop was stepping off the coach/trailer combo before he became invisible in the rear view.

California is tough, you have the fruit police right inside of the border, then if you are on I-8 you get the dope dogs at the Homeland Security Checkpoint (Border Patrol looking for aliens my A$%), and anywhere along the route there are CHP's and others looking for the out of state busses that are way too long.

I still advise to either be under the limit, do the trip at night or be prepared...it's your call.

John

[hhoppe]

If you don't want to chance getting caught, you can apply for an over length permit from the CHP for a fee. They will route you and give you travel hours to run. They will permit to a maximum of 80 feet on the freeways. All they want is the money. Good luck.

[truk4u]

Harry, are you still humpin that turkey?:eek:

[Kevin Erion]

You can not buy a permit for an RV, only commercial vehicles qualify for special permits, no matter how much cash you want to give Arnold!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Apparently they still collect the cash, but using a different flow path. Hello, ossifer.

[Kevin Erion]

Jon, you are not new to the way California pays for all the Cal Trans workers watching as the 1 guy works

[Jon Wehrenberg]

When I lived in NY State it made me retch when I had to drive on the highways maintained by the state. Any project, no matter how small usually entailed four or five big trucks, and most of the time one or two guys working, and the rest sitting in the truck reading the paper.

It's no wonder some states are in financial trouble.

[hhoppe]

Put your tail lights at the 65 ft. length and paint every thing behind them black and run at night. The CHP never remove their cool shades. Oh my god I'm getting as bad as Jim C. Forgive me.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Put your tail lights at the 65 ft. length and paint every thing behind them black and run at night. The CHP never remove their cool shades. Oh my god I'm getting as bad as Jim C. Forgive me.

Harry, you've been there a long time. :p

[tdelorme]

All this talk about being to long reminded me of years ago we traveled all over the country racing Hobie Cat sailboats. We had a 40' Foretravel and pulled a VW bus with the Hobie hooked on the back of the VW. The mast of the Hobie stuck out another four feet and the total length was right about 75'. We pulled that rig from California to the Keys and lots of places in between and were only stopped once. We were running Interstate 10 and around Gulfport. MS I had a highway patrolman follow me for a few miles before he finally hit his lights. I pulled over, got out of the coach and met him as he was walking up the side of the rig. This guy didn't know what to think. He asked me how long it was and I said gosh officer, I just don't know, but that I had traveled all over the country and never been stopped. Thankfully, he was one of the good guys and I really think he stopped me just to get a close up look. He ended up saying there has to be something illegal about this rig, but if I would get the hell out of Mississippi he would let me go. Thats what I did, and on the way home a week later I headed north out of Mobile up to Interstate 20 so as to not give the guy another shot at me. Probable end up in the slammer if You tried that today.

[garyde]

At Paso Robles, Naciemento Lake is a popular summer lake to boat and water ski, etc. I have seen more than a few people towing boats behind their fith wheel trailers . It's legal, but seeing two towables behind a truck is interesting.

[Ray Davis]

I have seen more than a few people towing boats behind their fith wheel trailers . It's legal,

That's legal on a regular class C license? I certainly wouldn't have thought so. I thought it required a CDL to be able to tow two things.

Ray

[Joe Cannarozzi]

It's legal but I was under the impression that the first toad vehical had to be a fifth-wheel hitch. A friend of mine does it.

Ted if you were pulling that VW on a towbar off a ball hitch and then had another hooked to the back of it you were probably out of whack.

[tdelorme]

Could be, Joe, that enforcement back then was not what it is today. The setup we ran pulled fine and if we were illegal hitch wise, I think I would have paid the price at some point.

[jello_jeep]

In California, towing two things even if they are not commercial, would require a class A license.. Same as a semi..