§ 14-262 — Width and length of vehicles. Exceptions. Permits.

Connecticut § 14-262

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 14: Motor Vehicles. Use of the Highway By Vehicles. Gasoline
• Ch. 248: Vehicle Highway Use

Text

(a) The following vehicles shall not be operated upon any highway or bridge without a special written permit from the Commissioner of Transportation, as provided in section 14-270, specifying the conditions under which they may be so operated: (1) A vehicle, combination of vehicle and trailer or commercial vehicle combination, including each such vehicle's load, which is wider than one hundred two inches or its approximate metric equivalent of two and six-tenths meters or one hundred two and thirty-six-hundredths inches, including its load, but not including the following safety devices: Reasonably sized rear view mirrors, turn signals, steps and handholds for entry and egress, spray and splash suppressant devices, load-induced tire bulge and any other state-approved safety device which the Commissioner of Transportation determines is necessary for the safe and efficient operation of such a vehicle or combination, provided no such state-approved safety device protrudes more than three inches from each side of the vehicle or provided no such device has by its design or use the capability to carry cargo. Such permit shall not be required in the case of (A) farm equipment, (B) a vehicle or combination of vehicle and trailer loaded with hay or straw, (C) a school bus equipped with a folding stop sign or exterior mirror, as approved by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, which results in a combined width of bus and sign or bus and mirror in excess of that established by this subsection, (D) a trailer designed and used exclusively for transporting boats when the gross weight of such boats does not exceed four thousand pounds, (E) a recreation vehicle with appurtenances, including safety devices and retracted shade awnings, no greater than six inches on each side for a maximum allowance of twelve inches, or (F) a vehicle with an attached snow plow, provided the snow plow may not exceed one hundred forty-four inches in width; and (2) A combination of truck and trailer which is longer than sixty-five feet except (A) a combination of truck and trailer or tractor and semitrailer loaded with utility poles, both trailer and semitrailer having a maximum length of forty-eight feet, utility poles having a maximum length of fifty feet and the overall length not to exceed eighty feet, (B) a trailer designed and used exclusively for transporting boats when the gross weight of such boats does not exceed four thousand pounds, (C) a tractor-trailer unit, (D) a commercial vehicle combination, (E) combinations of vehicles considered as specialized equipment in 23 CFR 658.13(e), as amended, having a maximum overall length of sixty-five feet on traditional automobile transporters, with the fifth wheel located on the tractor frame over the rear axle or axles, including low boys, or a maximum overall length of seventy-five feet on stinger-steered automobile transporters, excluding front and rear cargo overhangs, provided the front cargo overhang shall not exceed three feet and the rear overhang shall not exceed four feet. Extendable ramps used to achieve such three-foot front overhang and four-foot rear overhang shall be excluded from the measurement of overall length and shall be retracted when they are not supporting vehicles, or (F) a tractor equipped with a dromedary box operated in combination with a semitrailer which tractor and semitrailer do not exceed seventy-five feet in overall length. (b) A special written permit may not be issued by the Commissioner of Transportation for a combination of vehicles consisting of a vehicle drawing a combination of three or more trailers or semitrailers, except any such combination engaged in the transportation of an indivisible load. (c) The maximum length, including load, of a single unit vehicle shall be forty-five feet and the maximum length, including load, of the semitrailer portion of a tractor-trailer unit shall be forty-eight feet. A trailer greater than forty-eight feet and less than or equal to fifty-three feet in length, that has a distance of no more than forty-three feet between the kingpin and the center of the rearmost axle with wheels in contact with the road surface, may be operated on (1) unless posted otherwise, United States and Connecticut routes numbered from 1 to 399, inclusive, 450, 476, 508, 693 and 695 and the national system of interstate and defense highways, and (2) state and local roads for up to one mile from the routes and system specified in subdivision (1) of this subsection for access to terminals, facilities for food, fuel, repair and rest, and points of loading and unloading. The Commissioner of Transportation shall permit additional routes upon application of carriers or shippers provided the proposed additional routes meet the permit criteria of the Department of Transportation. Such length limitation shall be exclusive of safety and energy conservation devices, such as refrigeration units, air compressors or air shields and other devices, which the Secretary of the federal Department of Transportation may interpret as necessary for the safe and efficient operation of such vehicles, provided no such device has by its design or use the capability to carry cargo. (d) Violation of any provision of this section shall be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 2500; 1959, P.A. 542, S. 1; February, 1965, P.A. 429; 1967, P.A. 42; 1969, P.A. 354, S. 1; 768, S. 144; P.A. 74-153; P.A. 75-577, S. 99, 126; P.A. 76-342; P.A. 81-366, S. 2; P.A. 82-354; P.A. 84-372, S. 4, 9; P.A. 85-126, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-15; P.A. 93-307, S. 9, 34; P.A. 94-188, S. 10; P.A. 97-304, S. 27, 31; P.A. 99-181, S. 17, 18, 21, 40; P.A. 02-123, S. 10; P.A. 03-115, S. 80; P.A. 04-143, S. 8; P.A. 06-133, S. 1; P.A. 11-256, S. 10; P.A. 12-132, S. 49.) History: 1959 act extended permissible length from 45 to 50 feet, deleted exception in first sentence for combination of passenger motor vehicle and trailer for camping or living purposes and substituted “piling or structural units” for “structural steel or iron”; 1965 act added provision re trailers exceeding 40 feet and increased permissible length from 50 to 55 feet; 1967 act placed 80-foot length limit on vehicle or vehicle and trailer loaded with poles, lumber, piling or structural units; 1969 acts made all limits applicable to combination of vehicle and trailer and replaced highway commissioner with commissioner of transportation; P.A. 74-153 added exceptions re farm equipment and school buses; P.A. 75-577 stated that violation of provisions is an infraction; P.A. 76-342 exempted from permit requirement automobile trailers designed and used for transporting new or used vehicles; P.A. 81-366 clarified those types of vehicles which are prohibited on state highways without special permits and increased the maximum length of a vehicle not requiring a special permit to 60 feet provided that the trailer is no longer than 45 feet; P.A. 82-354 added Subsec. (b) providing for a special permit for vehicles towing trailers between 45 and 48 feet in length; P.A. 84-372 made provisions of section consistent with federal law governing width and length of vehicles and rearranged provisions for clarity; P.A. 85-126 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by changing the width of a vehicle from 8 feet 6 inches to 102 inches or its metric equivalent not including various safety devices, amended Subsec. (a)(2) by prohibiting vehicle combinations engaged in transporting automobiles from allowing such automobiles to overhang more than 3 feet from the front of the vehicle or more than 4 feet from the rear of the vehicle, and amended Subsec. (b) by deleting exclusions in computing the maximum length of a semitrailer for various safety devices; P.A. 91-15 added a new Subsec. (b) prohibiting the department from issuing a permit for vehicles drawing a combination of three or more trailers or semitrailers and relettered the remaining Subsecs.; P.A. 93-307 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by making the Subdiv. inapplicable to a single vehicle, deleting Subparas. (A), (D) and (E) in their entirety, relettering the remaining Subparas. (B) and (C) accordingly and adding a new Subpara. (C) re commercial vehicles defined as specialized equipment, amended Subsec. (c) to provide that the maximum length of a single unit vehicle shall be 45 feet and the maximum length of the semitrailer portion of a tractor-trailer unit shall be 48 feet, adding provision permitting trailers greater than 48 feet and less than or equal to 53 feet to be operated on state and local roads for various reasons as long as the “distance from the kingpin to the center of the rearmost axle” does not exceed 41 feet and providing that the commissioner of transportation “shall permit additional routes” upon the application of carriers or shippers provided the additional routes meet the permit criteria of the department of transportation, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 94-188 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(C) to read “commercial vehicle combination”, adding Subpara. (D) and changing the citation to the Code of Federal Regulations from “Part 658” to “658.13(d)”; P.A. 97-304 added Subsec. (a)(2)(E) re tractors equipped with a dromedary box operated in combination with a semitrailer, effective July 8, 1997; P.A. 99-181 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by making the provisions of subdivision applicable to a combination of a “truck and trailer” in lieu of a “vehicle and trailer” and added a new Subpara. (A) re a combination of truck and trailer or trailer and semitrailer loaded with utility poles, relettering existing Subparas. accordingly, amended Subsec. (c) by changing the maximum allowed distance from the kingpin to the center of the rearmost axle from 41 to 43 feet and amended Subsec. (d) by changing penalty for violation from an infraction to a fine of $500, effective June 23, 1999; P.A. 02-123 amended Subsec. (c) to allow the operation of a trailer greater than 48 feet and less than or equal to 53 feet long that has a distance of no more than 43 feet between the kingpin and the center of the rearmost axle on US and CT routes 1 to 399, inclusive, 450, 476, 508, 693 and 695 and on state and local roads for up to one mile from the specified routes and system and to make technical and conforming changes; P.A. 03-115 amended Subsec. (c) to add “with wheels in contact with the road surface”, effective June 18, 2003; P.A. 04-143 amended Subsec. (a)(2) to prohibit combination trucks and trailers longer than 65 feet, rather than 60 feet, from operation on any highway or bridge without a special written permit and to make a technical change; P.A. 06-133 added Subsec. (a)(1)(E) re recreation vehicles with appurtenances, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 11-256 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(E) to insert description of vehicle combinations requiring special written permit from Commissioner of Transportation and amended Subsec. (c) to include “load” in maximum length determination of single unit vehicle and semitrailer portion of tractor-trailer unit; P.A. 12-132 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by adding Subpara. (F) re vehicle with attached snow plow, effective June 15, 2012.