['Longer Combination Vehicles']
['Longer Combination Vehicles']
03/12/2025
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Combination: Truck tractor and 2 trailing units—LCV
LENGTH OF CARGO–CARRYING UNITS: 104 feet
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT: 127,400 pounds
OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS:
WEIGHT: Any combination of vehicles may not exceed a maximum gross weight of 127,400 pounds. The maximum gross weight of the tractor and first semitrailer shall not exceed 71,000 pounds. The maximum gross weight of each unit of dolly and semitrailer shall not exceed 56,400 pounds. The maximum gross weight for the tractor and first semitrailer is governed by the formula 35,000 pounds plus 1,000 pounds per foot between the center of the foremost axle and the center of the rear most axle of the semitrailer. The maximum gross weight on any one axle is 22,400 pounds, and on any tandem axle it is 36,000 pounds. Axles less than 46 inches between centers are considered to be one axle.
DRIVER: The driver must have a commercial driver’s license with the appropriate endorsement and must be registered with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA). Registration shall include all specified driving records, safety records, physical examinations, and minimum of 5 years of driving experience with tractor trailers.
VEHICLE:
(1) Brake Regulation. The brakes on any vehicle, dolly converter, or combination of vehicles used in tandem–trailer operations as a minimum shall comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in 49 CFR 393. In addition, any vehicle, dolly converter or combination of vehicles used in tandem–trailer operations shall meet the requirements of the provisions of the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Law. Tandem– trailer combinations certified on or after June 1, 1968, shall be equipped with suitable devices to accelerate application and release of the brakes of the towed vehicle.
(2) Axles. A tractor used to haul a tandem trailer combination with a gross weight of more than 110,000 pounds shall be equipped with tandem rear axles, each of which shall be engaged to bear its full share of the load on the roadway surface.
(3) Tandem Assembly. When the gross weight of the trailers vary by more than 20 percent, they shall be coupled with the heaviest trailer attached to the tractor. Coupling devices and towing devices shall comply with the Federal regulations as stated in 49 CFR 393. When the distance between the rear of the one semitrailer and the front of the following semitrailer is 10 feet or more, the dolly shall be equipped with a device, or the trailers shall be connected along the sides with suitable material, which will indicate to other Turnpike users that the trailers are connected and are in effect one unit. The MTA shall approve the devices or connections to be used on the semitrailers that would indicate it is one unit. Coupling devices shall be so designed, constructed, and installed, and the vehicles in a tandem trailer combination shall be so designed and constructed to ensure that when traveling on a level, smooth paved surface they will follow in the path of the towing vehicle without shifting or swerving over 3 inches to each side of the path of the towing vehicle when it is moving in a straight line. A tandem trailer unit may pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction only if the speed differential will allow the tandem trailer unit to complete the maneuver and return to the normal driving lane within a distance of 1 mile.
Each truck tractor shall be equipped with at least one spare fuse or other overload protective device, if the devices are not of a reset type, for each kind and size used. The vehicle is to carry at least one set of tire chains for at least one driving wheel on each side between October 15 and May 1 of each year. Each truck tractor shall carry a fire extinguisher which shall have an aggregate rating of 20 BC.
PERMIT: A permittee must demonstrate to the MTA that it has insurance coverage of the type and amounts required by Turnpike regulation. Both the tractor manufacturer and the permittee shall certify to the MTA, prior to the approval of a tractor, that it is capable of hauling the maximum permissible gross load to be transported by the permittee at a speed not less than 20 miles per hour on all portions of the turnpike system. The MTA may revoke or temporarily suspend any permit at will and the instructions of the MTA or Massachusetts State Police shall be complied with immediately.
ACCESS: Makeup and breakup areas. Tandem trailer units shall not leave the Turnpike right–of–way and shall be assembled and disassembled only in designated areas.
ROUTES:
| From | To | |
| I–90 Mass Turnpike | New York State Turnpike | Exit 18 Boston |
LEGAL CITATIONS:
The MTA, Massachusetts Rules and Regulations 730, and CMR 4.00.
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['Longer Combination Vehicles']
['Longer Combination Vehicles']
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Copyright 2025 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.