Section 66-7-404 - Height and length of vehicles and loads. - New Mexico Statutes

66-7-404. Height and length of vehicles and loads.

A.     A vehicle shall not exceed a height of fourteen feet.

B.     A vehicle shall not exceed a length of forty feet extreme overall dimension and no motor home shall exceed a length of forty-five feet extreme overall dimension, exclusive of front and rear bumpers, except when operated in combination with another vehicle as provided in this section.  A bus may exceed a length of forty-five feet when operating on national network highways.  A combination of vehicles, unless otherwise exempted in this section, shall not exceed an overall length of sixty-five feet, exclusive of front and rear bumpers. 

C.     A combination of vehicles coupled together shall not consist of more than two units, except:

(1)     a truck tractor and semitrailer shall be permitted to pull one trailer;

(2)     a vehicle shall be permitted to pull two units, provided that the middle unit is equipped with brakes and has a weight equal to or greater than the last unit and the total combined gross weight of the towed units does not exceed the manufacturer's stated gross weight of the towing units;

(3)     a double or triple saddle-mount or fifth wheel mount of vehicles in transit by driveaway-towaway methods shall be permitted;

(4)     vehicles and trailers operated by or under contract for municipal refuse systems;

(5)     farm trailers, implements of husbandry and fertilizer trailers operated by or under contract to a farmer or rancher in farming or ranching operations; and

(6)     as provided in Subsections D through G of this section.

D.     Exclusive of safety and energy conservation devices, refrigeration units and other devices such as coupling devices, vehicles operating a truck tractor semitrailer or truck tractor semitrailer-trailer combinations on the interstate highway system and those qualifying federal aid primary system highways designated by the secretary of the United States department of transportation, pursuant to the federal Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, Public Law 97-424, Section 411, and on those highways designated by the department by rule or regulation with the concurrence of the New Mexico department of transportation may exceed an overall length limitation of sixty-five feet, provided that the length of the semitrailer in a truck tractor semitrailer combination does not exceed fifty-seven feet six inches and the length of the semitrailer or trailer in a truck tractor semitrailer-trailer combination does not exceed twenty-eight feet six inches.  The department of public safety shall adopt rules and regulations granting reasonable access to terminals, facilities for food, fuel, repairs and rest and points of loading and unloading for household goods carriers to vehicles operating in combination pursuant to this subsection.  As used in this subsection, "truck tractor" means a non-cargo carrying power unit designed to operate in combination with a semitrailer or trailer, except that a truck tractor and semitrailer engaged in the transportation of automobiles may transport motor vehicles on part of the truck tractor.

E.     The following combination vehicles are specialized equipment and may exceed an overall length of sixty-five feet pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Section 658.13:

(1)     automobile transporters;

(2)     boat transporters;

(3)     beverage semitrailers; and

(4)     munitions carriers using dromedary equipment.

F.     A saddle-mount vehicle is specialized equipment and may not exceed an overall length of ninety-seven feet pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Section 658.13.

G.     Notwithstanding any other subsection of this section, a trailer or semitrailer combination of such dimensions as those that were in actual and lawful use in this state on December 1, 1982 may be lawfully operated on the highways of this state.