A 3-minute lesson from the Utah course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Oversized vehicles and loads can strike bridges, wires, and other drivers. Utah limits how wide, tall, and long a vehicle may be and how far a load may stick out. Anything bigger needs a special permit, and no local authority can change these limits.
8½ feet
Maximum total outside width of a vehicle, including its load
A truck tractor coupled to a semi-trailer counts as two vehicles. Other combinations, such as a motor home pulling a boat, may not exceed 65 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 14 feet high.
Every vehicle registered for 16,001 pounds or more must show its registered weight on both the left and right sides, in letters at least two inches high.
Load limits: 3 feet to the front, 6 feet to the rearA load may stick out no more than 6 inches past the right fenders
Know the rule
A load extending 4 feet or more beyond the bed or body needs two flags or lights on the rear of the load: flags by day (at least 12 inches square), lights at night (visible at least 500 feet).
In a larger vehicle, know your dimensions. With clearance under six inches, slow down. Some bridges and tunnels can't fit a car and a truck at once; if in doubt, let the other vehicle go first. Watch for fire escapes, low tree limbs, and canopies.
You're hauling 8-foot boards in a pickup and 5 feet of them hang past the tailgate. That's within the 6-foot rear limit, but because the load extends 4 feet or more, you need two flags on it by day or two lights at night.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What must be displayed on both sides of a vehicle registered for 16,001 pounds or more?
The registered gross laden weight
The owner's name
The vehicle's empty weight
A DOT number
Answer: The registered gross laden weight
Vehicles registered for 16,001 lbs. or more must display the registered gross laden weight on both sides.
