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Need some help from the knowledgeable. Was planning on going from Tennessee to PA via I81. I'm seeing where the max tow length for Maryland is 55 ft. My truck and 5th wheel certainly exceeds that. Any thoughts? Chance it? Go around? Just not sure.
Looking through the 2014 Maryland Motor Carrier Handbook put out by the Maryland SHA, it states "Combination of non-commercial power unit and travel trailer - 65 feet.". Did they reduce it since then?
Need some help from the knowledgeable. Was planning on going from Tennessee to PA via I81. I'm seeing where the max tow length for Maryland is 55 ft. My truck and 5th wheel certainly exceeds that. Any thoughts? Chance it? Go around? Just not sure.
Thanks for your help.
I've never seen any restrictions posted on the roads up there and we lived in the VA suburbs of DC…been over in MD quite a lot over the 30 years and we've seen plenty of 5th wheels being towed on the road…so I"m guessing that's an incorrect number.
If you stick to the Interstates and US routes through MD you are good up to 65' as Alan has stated.
It is in Title 24, Section 24-104.1 of MD Code:
(m) Noncommercial power unit and travel trailer combination.-
(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, a combination of noncommercial vehicles consisting of a power unit and a travel trailer may not exceed 65 feet in length.
(2) The combination of vehicles exceeding 55 feet but authorized under this subsection may only be operated on:
(i) Any part of the interstate system or other State system highways that are designated by the Secretary in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation; or
(ii) A highway that is the shortest practical route between a designated highway and:
1. A point of origin or destination on a particular day; or
2. For a distance not to exceed 1 mile, facilities for food, fuel, repairs, or rest.
Need some help from the knowledgeable. Was planning on going from Tennessee to PA via I81. I'm seeing where the max tow length for Maryland is 55 ft. My truck and 5th wheel certainly exceeds that. Any thoughts? Chance it? Go around? Just not sure.
Thanks for your help.
It's 65 feet for your RV. You probably got that number from Good Sam or someplace similar that didn't include all the text.
Total length: 55 feet (65 feet for travel trailers and boat transporters); trailer length: 35 feet; motor home length: 40 feet (45 feet on interstates); width: 8 feet 6 inches (excluding retractable awnings, and safety equipment and energy conservation devices up to 3 inches); height: 13 feet 6 inches.
You can also go here and download the PDF Motor Carrier Handbook from the Maryland State website. Go to Page 75 and note the " Non-commercial Combination of Power Unit and Travel Trailer - 65 feet"
Thank you folks for all of the information. It was correct that I got the information from a Good Sam chart, as well as another tow guide. But it didn't include all the 'ifs, ands, and buts'. Or perhaps I just didn't see.