Triple towing occurs when two trailers are pulled behind a vehicle. Triple towing is legal in some states, but not all. Before planning a trip pulling two trailers, it’s important to take a look at the laws of each state on your route. Not all states that allow triple towing are contiguous, which can make planning a long-distance road trip with two trailers a challenge.
First, let’s take a look at a couple of examples of triple towing:
- A family wants to take a long-distance road trip to a national park, camping along the way. Behind their regular vehicle, they wish to tow a camper and a trailer with an ATV and their bicycles on it.
- A retired couple plans to spend part of the year in Florida. They have an RV that they park each night as they travel, and live out of during their winter months. They want to tow their regular vehicle behind the RV, as well as a trailer carrying their aluminum fishing boat.
Some states allow triple towing because they have many long, relatively flat roads and require great travel distances. Alaska is a good example, with seasonal changes making towing small planes and boats, snowmobiles, and ATVs quite common. Other states that allow triple towing include North and South Dakota, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. For a full list, see here.
However, even states that allow triple towing may have additional stipulations for length and the kinds of trailers you can combine. For more information, visit Woodall’s Rules of the Road for the US and Canada, and contact the Department of Transportation in each state you wish to triple tow through.
Why is triple towing illegal in some states? The federal entity, the U.S. Department of Transportation, has left it up to each state to decide the legality of triple towing, regardless of whether it occurs on a state’s local highways or interstates. Recreational triple towing is different from commercial towing, which tends to use a uniform braking system for trailers. By contrast, recreational towing for personal use will almost invariably combine different brake systems from tow vehicle to trailer, with a third trailer potentially not even having brakes.
Drivers who are new to triple towing should consider their route carefully. Backing up, parking, and turning are challenging, if not sometimes impossible, with triple towing. Likewise, it will be more difficult to come to a quick stop.
Terry’s Auto Body & Trailer Sales has been proudly serving Iowa’s Riceville and McIntire areas for the past 30 years. We sell trailers, haulers, and trailer parts, including cargo, flatdeck, and snowmobile trailers. We also service trailers with brake repair, axle replacement, wiring and electrical repair, and tire and wheel replacement. Visit our site or call (641) 985-2536 to learn more!
