Mass. Enforcing Trailer Permits

Massachusetts may surprise some truckers with a $100 fine as the state continues to require permits for 53-foot trailers.

“The [state] Highway Department gets a lot of phone calls from carriers who go into the state and don’t know they were supposed to have the permit because only two states require them — Massachusetts and Maine,” said James Murphy, a senior public policy analyst for American Trucking Associations.

The state started requiring permits in 1993 when it became the last to allow 53-foot trailers. When carriers renewed the free, one-year permit, they had to provide the number of miles the trailer had traveled and its accident record.

“We collected that data for five years and then did an analysis and found that 53-footers were just as safe as 48-foot trailers,” said Hari Vohra, an assistant traffic engineer with the state Highway Department.

Vohra said his agency and the Massachusetts Motor Transportation Association asked lawmakers to get rid of the permits, but the legislation is still pending. He said the Highway Department issued two-year permits in 1998, thinking that by the time they ran out, the requirement would be a thing of the past.

However, carriers using 53-footers still must carry a permit or face a $100 penalty.

The permits were necessary on the Massachusetts Turnpike until six months ago. However, the turnpike authority, which does not need legislative approval to make regulatory changes, did away with the requirement.

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