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Is Your Truck Fleet In Violation
of USDOT Regulations
Fines Up to
$500 per Violation
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Author: Valerie Beall |
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McLean, VA - May 15,
2008 Your truck fleet may be In violation of U.S.
Department of Transportation Regulations and subject
to fines up to $500 per violation. Although you may
think you are in compliance with all USDOT commercial
carrier safety regulations, you might not be if you
use a metal frame system to display vinyl banner advertising
on the sides of 102” wide vehicles.
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HIGHWAY TRUCK ACCIDENT
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The U.S. Department of Transportation
(USDOT) federal regulation 23 CFR 658.15 establishes the maximum
width of motor vehicles not to exceed 102.36” inches, excluding
mirrors and certain safety devices. Each state is mandated to
be “as stringent as” federal law and may elect to adopt more
stringent requirements. In an effort to maximize the cargo space
(payload area), many truck and trailer manufacturers build box
trucks and trailers 102" inches wide. This leaves only .36”
inches to add hazmat signage and other truck add-ons, such as
frame systems permanently or temporarily affixed to truck sides
for the purposes of displaying advertising media. Trucks over
102.36” inches are illegal and subject to citation and fines.
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Consider the following.
In a research study conducted by TRUCK ADS® on 102”
inch wide trucks with metal frames attached to both
sides, it was found that overall truck width (measured
from outside edge to outside edge) ranged between 102.90”
inches to 105.0” inches; clearly exceeding federal maximum
width limitations of 102.36” inches by up to 2.54”.
The frame and vinyl banner additions caused every truck
measured (and truck owner) to be in violation of USDOT
width regulations.
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Commercial Motor Vehicle
Width Limits
(Graphic courtesy of
USDOT)
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TRUCK ADS® researchers were unable
to find a commercially produced metal banner frame installed
on both sides of a 102" inch wide truck that met the
USDOT width regulations. The
results of this study, inspired TRUCK ADS® CEO, Rod Harris,
to design a frame system that meets the USDOT width regulations
on 102” inch wide trucks and secondly, design a system that
is fail safe. TRUCK ADS® proprietary, patented “Invisible
Frame System” when attached to both sides of a 102” inch wide
truck projects only 0.34375 inches, resulting in an overall
width total of 102.34375 inches; slightly less than the maximum
width of 102.36 inches allowed by USDOT. Secondly, the TRUCK
ADS® Frame System has been proven to be the safest and strongest
system available today.
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Each state is responsible
for enforcing width regulations on commercial vehicles
and setting violation fees, which can be up to $500
per violation. If your truck is stopped for a moving
violation or involved in an accident, State Highway
Patrol officers are authorized to check compliance with
all state and federal regulations (including width).
Knowingly or unknowingly, violating federal law is illegal;
can present a public safety hazard and places the truck
owner, frame manufacturer and banner installation company
at financial risk, in the event of an accident.
Don’t let this happen to
you. Check the width of the trucks you are using to
display advertising media, replace frame systems that
exceed the federal width limitations of 102.36” inches
and check with your State Department of Transportation
regarding highway transportation safety regulations.
Drive smart. Drive safe.
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QnA
