Double towing by province and state

Is double towing legal?

It depends entirely on where you are driving. Double towing, also called triple towing, means one tow vehicle pulling two trailers: a pickup with a fifth wheel and a boat behind it is the usual case. Each province and state decides for itself whether that third vehicle is allowed, and most attach conditions when it is.

We have read the law for 22 of the 64 places in this table. 14 allow it with conditions, 7 do not, and 1 allows it only on certain highways. The other 42 are marked "Not yet verified". We would rather leave a row blank than guess at it.

Law, not advice. Each row is what the section we cite says, in plain words. The rule that applies is the one where the wheels are, so a trip has to pass every province and state on the route, not just the one where the rig is registered.

Double towing in Canada, by province and territory

Lengths are given in metres, the unit the law uses, with feet after them. "Combination" means the whole rig from the front of the tow vehicle to the back of the last trailer; the Ontario section, for one, counts the load.

The three provinces people ask about most

Double towing in Ontario

Ontario's Highway Traffic Act bans drawing more than one vehicle with anything other than a commercial motor vehicle, and then defines a commercial motor vehicle by its body, not by what you use it for: a motor vehicle with a truck or delivery body. A pickup with its box qualifies, so a pickup can pull a fifth wheel and a boat. A car or SUV cannot pull two trailers.

Two limits apply: 23 m (75.5 ft) for the whole combination, and 18.5 m from the front of the first trailer to the back of the second. Ontario does not require a fifth wheel in front.

Double towing in Alberta

Alberta allows two trailers behind a private vehicle on four conditions, all in one section: the lead trailer rides on a pin and plate fifth wheel over the tow vehicle's rear axle, the lead trailer has at least two axles in tandem, the longer trailer is in front, and the second hitch is fastened to the lead trailer's frame. The whole rig may be at most 20 m (65.6 ft), which is shorter than its neighbours' 23 m. A bumper-pull travel trailer in front does not qualify.

Double towing in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan allows it if the lead trailer is a fifth wheel (the regulation says semi-trailer), a gooseneck, or has two or more axles in tandem, and is at least as heavy as the trailer behind it. There is also a weight cap: both trailers together may weigh at most twice the tow vehicle's GVWR on a fifth wheel, gooseneck or weight distributing hitch, and no more than its GVWR on a plain ball hitch. The combination may be at most 23 m (75.5 ft).

Double towing laws by state

Lengths are in feet, the unit the statutes use, with metres after them. Federal truck size rules cover commercial doubles on the national highway network; a private pickup with two trailers is governed by each state's own code. States we have not read yet are listed as "Not yet verified" rather than filled in from someone else's chart.

Not yet verified: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming. Some of these are widely reported to allow or ban double towing, but we have not read their statutes yet, so this page does not say either way.

Double towing with a 5th wheel

Where two trailers are allowed, the law often says what has to be in front. Alberta wants a pin and plate fifth wheel over the rear axle. Manitoba wants a fifth wheel coupler towing a gooseneck type trailer. Michigan allows a second trailer only behind a pickup pulling a fifth wheel built for recreational living, and caps the second trailer at the empty weight of the truck or the fifth wheel. Saskatchewan is the loosest of these: a fifth wheel, a gooseneck or any tandem-axle lead trailer.

None of these sections says why. Ontario, Texas, Iowa and the other places that only count trailers and measure length do not require a fifth wheel at all, so read the row for each place on your route.

Double towing a camper and a boat

The classic triple tow. Where it is legal, the rules that keep coming up are:

• Order: camper in front. Alberta requires the longer trailer first, Saskatchewan the heavier, Wisconsin the lighter towed vehicle last where the hitch allows.
• Length: measured from the tow vehicle's front bumper to the back of the boat, outboard and overhang included. 65 ft is roughly 19.8 m and a 20 m limit is roughly 65.6 ft, so a long fifth wheel and a boat can run out of room fast.
• Weight: Saskatchewan and Manitoba cap both trailers at twice the tow vehicle's GVWR or registered weight; Michigan and Minnesota require the truck's towing rating to cover everything behind it.
• Brakes: Montana requires breakaway brakes on the rear units of any combination over two units; Wisconsin requires brakes on one towed vehicle once the two together pass 3,000 lb.
• Driver: Michigan needs an R endorsement; Minnesota and Michigan set 18 as the minimum age.

Before you hitch a second trailer

Guidance, not law. These are the checks a legal rig still has to pass. They come from how the weight ratings on your door sticker work, not from any statute.

Being allowed to pull two trailers does not raise your truck's ratings. Add both trailers to the GCWR check, and count the first trailer's pin or tongue weight against payload. The second trailer's tongue sits on the first trailer, not on the truck, so it loads the first trailer's axles and hitch, which have their own ratings on the trailer plate. Run the numbers in Can I tow this? with both trailers' weights, and check each trailer against the brake rule where you tow.

Sources

Every section below was opened and read on the date shown. Where a reproduction was read because the official page refused a static request, the entry says so.

• Vehicle Equipment Regulation, Alta. Reg. 122/2009, s. 97(3) to (5): Two trailers are allowed only if the lead trailer is on a pin and plate fifth wheel over the tow vehicle's rear axle fastened to its frame (or a unibody truck's main channels), has 2 or more axles in tandem, is the longer trailer, and carries the second hitch on its frame. The whole combination is limited to 20 metres. Section 97 does not apply to commercial combinations. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 19.02(3)(a) and (3.1): A third vehicle needs a permit. The one exception in the section is a motor vehicle, a towing dolly and a licensed car with one axle on the dolly (s. 19.02(3.1)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Vehicle Weights and Dimensions on Classes of Highways Regulation, Man. Reg. 155/2018, s. 16 and s. 13(1)(i): Two trailers are allowed behind a fifth wheel coupler towing a gooseneck type trailer, with both trailers together at most twice the tow vehicle's registered gross vehicle weight. A combination with more than one articulation point may be at most 23 metres long (s. 13(1)(i)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Regulation, N.B. Reg. 2001-67, s. 6(2) to (4): No combination may have more than two units, except commercial A, B and C train doubles (s. 6(4)). Any combination may be at most 23 metres (s. 6(3)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Motor Vehicle Act, R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 293, s. 190(1): A second trailer needs the Registrar's written permission. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 161 and s. 1(1) (commercial motor vehicle): Only a commercial motor vehicle may draw two trailers in Ontario. Section 1(1) defines a commercial motor vehicle, unless a regulation defines it otherwise, as a motor vehicle having attached to it a truck or delivery body, so the test is the body, not the use: a pickup with its box qualifies, a car or SUV does not. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 109(7) and (8): Any combination may be at most 23 metres long including load (s. 109(7)); with more than one trailer, the box length, from the front of the first trailer to the rear of the last, may be at most 18.5 metres (s. 109(8)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Highway Traffic Act, R.S.P.E.I. 1988, c. H-5, s. 218 and s. 219(1): Any combination of vehicles may be at most 27.5 metres (s. 219(1)) and a drawbar at most 3.66 metres (s. 218). We found no section on the number of trailers in this Act or in the Roads Act Vehicle Weights and Dimensions Regulations. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Vehicle Load and Size Limits Regulation, CQLR c C-24.2, r. 31.1, ss. 14, 15 and 28: A towing vehicle and a single trailer may be 23 metres (ss. 14 and 15). A combination not covered by ss. 14 to 27 is limited to 19 metres (s. 28). The regulation sizes combinations; it does not say whether a private vehicle may draw two trailers, and we found no such rule in the Highway Safety Code. Checked 2026-10-24.
• The Vehicle Equipment Regulations, 1987 (Sask.), RRS c V-2.1 Reg 10, s. 168: Two trailers are allowed if the lead trailer is a semi-trailer, a gooseneck or tandem-axle and is at least as heavy as the second (s. 168(2)); three or more need the administrator's approval (s. 168(3)); the trailers together may weigh at most twice the tow vehicle's GVWR with a gooseneck, fifth wheel or weight distributing hitch, or its GVWR with a ball hitch (s. 168(1)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• The Vehicle Weight and Dimension Regulations, 2010 (Sask.), RRS c H-3.01 Reg 8, s. 9(1)(c)(ii): Without a permit, any combination of vehicles on a provincial highway or road may be at most 23 metres long. Checked 2026-10-24.
• California Vehicle Code § 21715: Passenger vehicles, and any other vehicle under 4,000 lb unladen, may tow only one vehicle. Text read on California.Public.Law's reproduction, which links the official leginfo.legislature.ca.gov section; the official page refused a static request. Checked 2026-10-24.
• California Vehicle Code § 35401(a): A combination of vehicles may be at most 65 feet including attachments, outside the truck tractor exceptions in (b) to (d). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-504(4): Up to four units and 70 feet overall. Text read on Colorado.Public.Law's reproduction of the statute. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Florida Statutes § 316.515(3): A non-commercial combination may have only two units, at most 65 feet long. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Idaho Code § 49-1010(3)(c) and (6): Three units are allowed; a motor vehicle and one or more trailers may be at most 75 feet (s. 49-1010(3)(c)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Iowa Code § 321.457(2)(d): Three vehicles are allowed behind a tow vehicle that is not a truck tractor, at most 70 feet including bumpers. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Michigan Compiled Laws § 257.721(1), (5) and (6): A passenger vehicle or pickup may tow only one vehicle, except a pickup whose towing rating is at least the weight towed, with a fifth wheel assembly, pulling a semitrailer designed for recreational living. It may tow one more trailer if the second is chained with locking safety chains at the outer edge of the first, the three units and load are at most 75 feet, and the second trailer's gross weight is no more than the empty weight of the pickup or of the fifth wheel. Such a combination keeps passenger vehicle speed limits. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Michigan Compiled Laws § 257.312i: Before towing a second trailer behind a fifth wheel, the driver must hold an R vehicle indorsement, which needs a written examination and is not issued to anyone 17 or younger. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Minnesota Statutes § 169.81, subd. 3c: A recreational vehicle combination may run without a permit if it has no more than three vehicles, the full-size pickup or recreational truck-tractor's towing rating is at least the total weight towed, it is at most 70 feet, the driver is 18 or older, the trailer carries only watercraft, motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, golf carts, equestrian gear and similar, connections meet s. 169.82, and it stays out of the seven-county metro area 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Montana Code Annotated § 61-10-104(2)(c) and (4): Combinations not listed elsewhere may be 75 feet; with more than two units the rear units need breakaway brakes. A passenger vehicle or truck of less than 2,000 lb manufacturer's rated capacity may tow only one trailer, and that combination is limited to 65 feet (s. 61-10-104(4)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• North Carolina General Statutes § 20-116(e): Two units at most, 60 feet, apart from the exceptions the subsection lists (truck tractor combinations, refuse trailers, saddlemounts). Checked 2026-10-24.
• North Dakota Century Code § 39-12-04(3)(c): Three or four units are allowed up to 75 feet, subject to the director's safety rules. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Oregon Revised Statutes § 818.110 and § 818.120: Driving a combination of more than two vehicles on a highway is the offense of exceeding the maximum number of vehicles in combination. The exemptions in s. 818.120 cover places such as private roads and public road work. Checked 2026-10-24.
• South Carolina Code § 56-5-4070(A) and (C): Two or three unit combinations may run on the Interstate system, qualifying federal-aid highways and highways designated by SCDOT; elsewhere a combination may have only two units. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Texas Transportation Code § 621.205: Three vehicles are allowed up to 65 feet. A passenger car or other vehicle under 2,500 lb unloaded may be coupled with only one other vehicle or towing device (s. 621.205(b)). Checked 2026-10-24.
• Revised Code of Washington § 46.44.036: No more than two vehicles in a combination, except as RCW 46.44.037 provides. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Wisconsin Statutes § 348.08(1)(i): Without a permit, a 3-vehicle combination may run if the second vehicle is a recreational vehicle and the third is a recreational vehicle or a trailer carrying a vehicle for recreational use or no load, the lighter towed vehicle is last unless that is not structurally possible, the whole is at most 65 feet, and one towed vehicle has brakes when the towed vehicles weigh over 3,000 lb together. It may not run in heavy snow, freezing rain, icy roads, high winds or limited visibility, or on a highway closed or partly closed for conditions. Checked 2026-10-24.
• Ohio Revised Code § 5577.05(C)(6): Any combination not otherwise listed may be at most 65 feet. Neither this section nor ORC 4513.32 (towing) states how many trailers a private vehicle may pull, apart from farm produce trailers. Checked 2026-10-24.