Pole and utility vehicles/trailers – New Jersey

Vehicle and load length

Generally, the maximum overall length of any vehicle, including load or contents must not exceed 40 feet. However, when transporting poles, pilings, structural units or other articles which cannot be dismembered, dismantled or divided, the overall length of a vehicle, including load, must not exceed 50 feet.

Generally, the overall length of the combination of vehicles, including load or contents or any part or portion thereof, must not exceed 62 feet. However, the overall length of a motor-drawn vehicle must not exceed 63 feet when transporting poles, pilings, structural units or other articles that cannot be dismembered, dismantled or divided.

Lighting and reflection requirements

Every pole trailer must be equipped as follows:

On the rear:

• Two tail lamps, one at each side;
• Two stop lamps, one at each side;
• Two turn signals, one at each side;
• Two reflectors, one at each side, placed to indicate extreme width of the pole trailer;
• Three identification lamps mounted on the vertical center line of the pole trailer or in lieu thereof mounted on the vertical center line of the rear of the cab of the truck tractor drawing the pole trailer and higher than the load being transported.

On each side:

• One amber side-marker lamp at or near the front of the load;
• One amber reflector at or near the front of the load;

On the rearmost support for the load:

• One combination marker lamp showing amber to the front and red to the rear and side, mounted to indicate maximum width of the pole trailer; and
• One red reflector.

Utility vehicles

The above lighting and reflector rules do not apply to a single axle, skeleton frame trailer, not exceeding 2,500 pounds net weight and not exceeding 80 inches in over-all width which is designed to transport poles and is owned by a public utility as defined in R.S. 48:2-13.

However, these public utility vehicles must have:

On the rear:

• Two tail lamps, one at each side;
• Stop lamps, one at each side;
• Two turn signals, one at each side; and
• Two reflectors, one at each side on each side.

At or near the front of the load:

• One amber side-marker lamp.