304.170. Regulations as to width, height and length of vehicles--tractor parades permitted.
Regulations as to width, height and length of vehicles--tractorparades permitted.
304.170. 1. No vehicle operated upon the highways of this stateshall have a width, including load, in excess of one hundred two inches,except clearance lights, rearview mirrors or other accessories required byfederal, state or city law or regulation. Provided however, a recreationalvehicle as defined in section 700.010, RSMo, may exceed the foregoing widthlimits if the appurtenances on such recreational vehicle extend no furtherthan the rearview mirrors. Such mirrors may only extend the distancenecessary to provide the required field of view before the appurtenanceswere attached.
2. No vehicle operated upon the interstate highway system or upon anyroute designated by the chief engineer of the state transportationdepartment shall have a height, including load, in excess of fourteen feet.On all other highways, no vehicle shall have a height, including load, inexcess of thirteen and one-half feet, except that any vehicle orcombination of vehicles transporting automobiles or other motor vehiclesmay have a height, including load, of not more than fourteen feet.
3. No single motor vehicle operated upon the highways of this stateshall have a length, including load, in excess of forty-five feet, exceptas otherwise provided in this section.
4. No bus, recreational motor vehicle or trackless trolley coachoperated upon the highways of this state shall have a length in excess offorty-five feet, except that such vehicles may exceed the forty-five feetlength when such excess length is caused by the projection of a frontsafety bumper or a rear safety bumper or both. Such safety bumper shallnot cause the length of the bus or recreational motor vehicle to exceed theforty-five feet length limit by more than one foot in the front and onefoot in the rear. The term "safety bumper" means any device which may befitted on an existing bumper or which replaces the bumper and is soconstructed, treated, or manufactured that it absorbs energy upon impact.
5. No combination of truck-tractor and semitrailer or truck-tractorequipped with dromedary and semitrailer operated upon the highways of thisstate shall have a length, including load, in excess of sixty feet; exceptthat in order to comply with the provisions of Title 23 of the UnitedStates Code (Public Law 97-424), no combination of truck-tractor andsemitrailer or truck-tractor equipped with dromedary and semitraileroperated upon the interstate highway system of this state shall have anoverall length, including load, in excess of the length of thetruck-tractor plus the semitrailer or truck-tractor equipped with dromedaryand semitrailer. The length of such semitrailer shall not exceedfifty-three feet.
6. In order to comply with the provisions of Title 23 of the UnitedStates Code (Public Law 97-424), no combination of truck-tractor,semitrailer and trailer operated upon the interstate highway system of thisstate shall have an overall length, including load, in excess of the lengthof the truck-tractor plus the semitrailer and trailer, neither of whichsemitrailer or trailer shall exceed twenty-eight feet in length, exceptthat any existing semitrailer or trailer up to twenty-eight and one-halffeet in length actually and lawfully operated on December 1, 1982, within asixty-five foot overall length limit in any state, may continue to beoperated upon the interstate highways of this state. On those primaryhighways not designated by the state highways and transportation commissionas provided in subsection 10 of this section, no combination oftruck-tractor, semitrailer and trailer shall have an overall length,including load, in excess of sixty-five feet; provided, however, the statehighways and transportation commission may designate additional routes forsuch sixty-five foot combinations.
7. Automobile transporters, boat transporters, truck-trailer boattransporter combinations, stinger-steered combination automobiletransporters and stinger-steered combination boat transporters having alength not in excess of seventy-five feet may be operated on the interstatehighways of this state and such other highways as may be designated by thehighways and transportation commission for the operation of such vehiclesplus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such interstate or designatedhighway. All length provisions regarding automobile or boat transporters,truck-trailer boat transporter combinations and stinger-steeredcombinations shall include a semitrailer length not to exceed fifty-threefeet and are exclusive of front and rear overhang, which shall be nogreater than a three-foot front overhang and no greater than a four-footrear overhang.
8. Driveaway saddlemount combinations having a length not in excessof ninety-seven feet may be operated on the interstate highways of thisstate and such other highways as may be designated by the highways andtransportation commission for the operation of such vehicles plus adistance not to exceed ten miles from such interstate or designatedhighway. Saddlemount combinations must comply with the safety requirementsof Section 393.71 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations and maycontain no more than three saddlemounted vehicles and one fullmount.
9. No truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination vehiclesoperated upon the interstate and designated primary highway system of thisstate shall have a semitrailer length in excess of twenty-eight feet ortwenty-eight and one-half feet if the semitrailer was in actual and lawfuloperation in any state on December 1, 1982, operating in a truck-tractorsemitrailer-semitrailer combination. The B-train assembly is excluded fromthe measurement of semitrailer length when used between the first andsecond semitrailer of a truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination,except that when there is no semitrailer mounted to the B-train assembly,it shall be included in the length measurement of the semitrailer.
10. The highways and transportation commission is authorized todesignate routes on the state highway system other than the interstatesystem over which those combinations of vehicles of the lengths specifiedin subsections 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this section may be operated.Combinations of vehicles operated under the provisions of subsections 5, 6,7, 8 and 9 of this section may be operated at a distance not to exceed tenmiles from the interstate system and such routes as designated under theprovisions of this subsection.
11. Except as provided in subsections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of thissection, no other combination of vehicles operated upon the primary orinterstate highways of this state plus a distance of ten miles from aprimary or interstate highway shall have an overall length, unladen or withload, in excess of sixty-five feet or in excess of fifty-five feet on anyother highway, except the state highways and transportation commission maydesignate additional routes for use by sixty-five foot combinations,seventy-five foot stinger-steered combinations or seventy-five footsaddlemount combinations. Any vehicle or combination of vehiclestransporting automobiles, boats or other motor vehicles may carry a loadwhich extends no more than three feet beyond the front and four feet beyondthe rear of the transporting vehicle or combination of vehicles.
12. (1) Except as hereinafter provided, these restrictions shall notapply to agricultural implements operating occasionally on the highways forshort distances including tractor parades for fund-raising activities orspecial events, provided the tractors are driven by licensed drivers duringdaylight hours only and with the approval of the superintendent of theMissouri state highway patrol; or to self-propelled hay-hauling equipmentor to implements of husbandry, or to the movement of farm products asdefined in section 400.9-102, RSMo, or to vehicles temporarily transportingagricultural implements or implements of husbandry or road-makingmachinery, or road materials or towing for repair purposes vehicles thathave become disabled upon the highways; or to implement dealers deliveringor moving farm machinery for repairs on any state highway other than theinterstate system.
(2) Implements of husbandry and vehicles transporting such machineryor equipment and the movement of farm products as defined in section400.9-102, RSMo, may be operated occasionally for short distances on statehighways when operated between the hours of sunrise and sunset by a driverlicensed as an operator or chauffeur.
13. As used in this chapter the term "implements of husbandry" meansall self-propelled machinery operated at speeds of less than thirty milesper hour, specifically designed for, or especially adapted to be capableof, incidental over-the-road and primary offroad usage and used exclusivelyfor the application of commercial plant food materials or agriculturalchemicals, and not specifically designed or intended for transportation ofsuch chemicals and materials.
14. Sludge disposal units may be operated on all state highways otherthan the interstate system. Such units shall not exceed one hundredthirty-eight inches in width and may be equipped with over-width tires.Such units shall observe all axle weight limits. The chief engineer of thestate transportation department shall issue special permits for themovement of such disposal units and may by such permits restrict themovements to specified routes, days and hours.
(RSMo 1939 § 8405, A.L. 1943 p. 663, A. 1949 S.B. 1113, A.L. 1953 p. 568, A.L. 1957 p. 624, A.L. 1965 p. 488, A.L. 1967 p. 412, A.L. 1971 S.B. 317, A.L. 1972 H.B. 1112, A.L. 1974 S.B. 552, A.L. 1979 S.B. 44, A.L. 1980 S.B. 508, A.L. 1983 H.B. 539, A.L. 1985 S.B. 416, A.L. 1986 S.B. 784, A.L. 1988 S.B. 686, A.L. 1992 H.B. 1794, A.L. 1999 S.B. 17 merged with S.B. 19, A.L. 2000 H.B. 1142 merged with H.B. 1948, A.L. 2004 S.B. 1233, et al., A.L. 2007 S.B. 82, A.L. 2009 H.B. 93 & 216 merged with H.B. 683)Prior revision: 1929 § 7787
Effective 5-29-09 (H.B. 93 & 216)
7-01-09 (H.B. 683)