Towing Issues: Truck towing another truck, rear axles, freeway exit

Question
Can a two ton truck legally tow anohter two ton truck thats disabled?

Answer
Hi Dan, There is not enough information in your question but is a good question to ask. Many people have been fined for being overweight or require special licenses. Also many city/county police don't know what is legal. I have been in this position many times and requested a DOT officer or state police to clarify the situation for them.

I don't what to be vague but are you asking if for example a f550 wrecker towing another disabled f550 and be legal? If so, is the disable loaded or empty? Is it being towed to the nearest repair shop or freeway exit. Is the wrecker registered as a tow tuck for hire, Do you have weight except registration for tow trucks in your state? Will the wrecker exceed any of the safe weight ratings imposed by the manufacture?

If this is not a towing company question and for personal use, I'll assume that you will not be flat towing or pulling the disabled with a rope or chain which is illegal and unsafe! If this is a tech question I'll give some examples that non commercial private one ton owners run into and we can go from there.

Lets say you are a private owner with a one ton dually and hauling your loaded gooseneck trailer with a total gross trailer weight of 8,000 pounds. Now find your registration card from the tax collector or department of motor vehicles. If your truck's gvcw is 11,000 pounds then break out the check book. Gross vehicle combined weight rating is all the combined gross weight of the truck and trailer. Just for estimates lets say the dually weighs 8,000 pounds and the loaded trailer (trailer and cargo)weighing 8,0000 pounds. Your total GVCWR is 16,000 pounds which is more than 11,000 on the registration card. To be legal you have to increase the GVCWR on your registration but there is another problem, the trucks front and rear axles, tires, suspension, and brakes can only handle so much weight!Besides breaking parts increasing the GVCWR over the manufactures imposed weight ratings poses a serious risk. By increasing the GVCWR and if an at fault accident occurs, the investing officer, prosecuting attorney and judge could view this as being negligent.

As for towing companies, Motor carrier/DOT views rollbacks and wreckers as different trucks. Motor carrier/DOT considers a rollback as a flatbed truck just like a box truck because it can haul more than vehicles. If a towing company registers a rollback as a tow truck for hire, in most states, is exempt of weight regulations but this a very limited! If the truck is overweight it can only tow to the nearest exit or closest repair facility. This also applies to wreckers registered as tow trucks for hire. Special license plates are usually issued to weight exempt tow trucks.

Some people use rollbacks and wreckers for personal or hobby use. They are not for hire and have the same rules as private owners. If Joe public has a one ton rollback with his vehicle loaded on the bed and exceeds the registration limit then he is in violation. Many states have rules and regulations for privately owned tow trucks. Some states require private ownership of tow trucks almost the same requirement as true towing companies: tow license, commercial insurance, zoning requirements, and certification just to tag the truck. The reason behind this was some people moonlighting as towing companies and taking advantage of people.

I could go on and on and barely touched the surface but need to stop somewhere. Hope this isn't too much information for what you thought would be an easy question. Just give me more details about both vehicles and how far the tow will be and we can go from there.