2021 Michigan Compiled Laws
Chapter 257 - Motor Vehicles
Act 300 of 1949 - Michigan Vehicle Code (257.1 - 257.923)
300-1949-VI - Chapter VI Obedience to and Effect of Traffic Laws (257.601...257.750)
300-1949-VI-SIZE-WEIGHT-AND-LOAD - Size, Weight and Load (257.716...257.750)
Section 257.721 - Passenger Vehicle or Pickup Truck Towing Vehicle or Trailer; Drawbar or Other Connection; Coupling Devices and Safety Chains; Pickup Truck With Fifth Wheel Assembly; Conditions for Towing Additional Trailer or Semitrailer; Speed Limit Requirements; Violation as Civil Infraction.
Sec. 721.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), a passenger vehicle or a pickup truck shall not be driven upon a highway drawing or having attached to the passenger vehicle or pickup truck more than 1 vehicle or trailer.
(2) The drawbar or other connection between 2 vehicles, 1 of which is towing or drawing the other on a highway, shall not exceed 15 feet in length from 1 vehicle to the other. If the connection consists of a chain, rope, or cable, there shall be displayed upon the connection a red flag or other signal or cloth not less than 12 inches both in length and width.
(3) A vehicle or trailer towed or drawn by a vehicle shall be attached to the vehicle with forms of coupling devices in a manner so that when the combination is operated in a linear alignment on a level, smooth, paved surface, the movement of the towed or drawn vehicle or trailer does not deviate more than 3 inches to either side of the path of the towing vehicle that tows or draws it. The vehicle or trailer shall also be connected to the towing vehicle by suitable safety chains or devices, 1 on each side of the coupling and at the extreme outer edge of the vehicle or trailer. Each chain or device and connection used shall be of sufficient strength to haul the vehicle or trailer when loaded. In the case of an implement of husbandry with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, the safety chains or devices required under this subsection shall conform to the federal motor carrier safety regulations requirements contained in 49 CFR 393.70(d)(5).
(4) A pickup truck with a fifth wheel assembly shall not tow a semitrailer unless the fifth wheel assembly conforms to the standards prescribed in the motor carrier safety act of 1963, 1963 PA 181, MCL 480.11 to 480.25.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a pickup truck with a towing rating equal to, or greater than, the weight being towed, equipped with a fifth wheel assembly that conforms with the standards prescribed in the motor carrier safety act of 1963, 1963 PA 181, MCL 480.11 to 480.25, towing attached with a semitrailer designed for recreational living purposes may tow an additional trailer or semitrailer under the following conditions:
(a) The additional trailer or semitrailer shall be attached as provided in subsection (3). The safety chains described in subsection (3) shall be securely attached at the extreme outer edge of the attached trailer or semitrailer with a locking mechanism. The towing vehicle hitch shall be of substantial material and shall be attached in a proper and skillful manner to the frame of the towing vehicle.
(b) The total length of the pickup truck, semitrailer designed for recreational living purposes, and additional trailer or semitrailer, and load, shall not exceed 75 feet on any highways in this state.
(c) The gross weight of the additional trailer or semitrailer towed or drawn shall not exceed the empty weight of the pickup truck or the empty weight of the semitrailer.
(6) For the purposes of this section, a pickup truck towing a semitrailer and additional trailer shall be considered a passenger vehicle and shall comply with the speed limit requirements of section 627(5).
(7) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.
History: 1949, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 510, Eff. Aug. 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 75, Imd. Eff. May 17, 1990 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 248, Imd. Eff. Dec. 27, 1995 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 24, Imd. Eff. May 13, 1999 ;-- Am. 2000, Act 154, Imd. Eff. June 14, 2000 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 80, Imd. Eff. Apr. 11, 2012
