The Big Tow From NC to Portland OR

AKBASSKING

Active Member
Apr 13, 2008
4,649
SE Alaska Summer/Columbia River winter
Boat Info
1988 Yacht Fisher
Engines
Twin 375hp Cat 3208 T/A
Well, I thought I would start a thread on this adventure. I plan to leave bright and early Friday morning and head to Missouri on the first leg of this trip. There is snow in the forecast for tonight, but looks good for Friday. Then in May, come back to Missouri and tow her the rest of the way.

I can only travel from sunup to sundown and never on Sunday. For the past 3 days I have been working on my "over width" permits. I will traveling from NC I-40, I-77 to VA to WV where I will pickup I-64 West. From there it is KY, IN, IL and the big MO. For the most part the permit process has been ok. Each state has it own rules and regulations. Some states just want length, width weight and number of axes. A few also wanted the spacing between all axes. As of yesterday I had all my permits, except one.

Missouri is proving to be the biggest pain in the a$$. They require a $750,000 liability policy naming them as the "certificate holder!" I contacted my insurance company and they have never had such a request. They are working on it and I informed them that it will only be for one day of coverage. The OS/OW permit office is really rude about it, refuses to waive it or discuss it. I told them all I am doing is towing oversize bass boat 126 miles to mid-Missouri to the Admiral's family farm. 126 miles!!!! OK they didn’t buy the oversize bass boat. I guess they have a lot of problems with Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock. GEICO is having to do a special underwriter on it and they told me they should have it done today. I considered saying screw it and just go without the permit. Maybe some of you in the big MO can chime in here.:huh:

I will take pictures along the way to document the trip.
 
Tom, I'm a retired truck driver after 33yrs of trucking everything.
I never got a over width permit for anything that I hauled.
I hauled boats / pay-loader / bull dozers / excavators you name it I've hauled it.
Your chances of getting stopped towing a boat is 0.
Just put your over width signs on and go for it. :smt038

PS I drove over 1.300.000 miles accident free. :thumbsup:
 
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I think I'd probably take the risk as well. Even if you got pulled the officer would need to know the width restrictions, etc in order for you to get charged with anything.
 
I'd just got for it as others have stated. How long will it really take to travel 126 miles? You'll be through before anyone even notices you.
 
I am not sure where you pickup I-40 but want to mention that I-40 is closed about 50 miles west of Asheville because of a rock slide last year.

Dave
 
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I am not sure where you pickup I-40 but want to mention that I-40 is closed about 50 miles west of Asheville because of a rock slide last year.

Dave

Thanks Dave. That is the main reason I am going I-77N. Although I did find out that taking I-40 through Nashville is actually longer than taking I-77 to I-64W.
 
Tom,
I see over wide boats being towed on our Missouri highways all the time. Most without over wide signs, so I assume they didn't go through the permit process. When I worked in construction, we towed over wide equipment all the time. I don't remember the permit process as being overly cumbersome, but that was a long time ago. Good luck. Where in Mo. are you towing to?
 
Tom,
I see over wide boats being towed on our Missouri highways all the time. Most without over wide signs, so I assume they didn't go through the permit process. When I worked in construction, we towed over wide equipment all the time. I don't remember the permit process as being overly cumbersome, but that was a long time ago. Good luck. Where in Mo. are you towing to?

Tebbits, North of Jeff City
 
AK, good luck on your trip. I have a good bit of experience towing owerwide boats long distances. I'll offer few thoughts. Bring two or more spares, especially if the axles are wider than normal. I saw your trailer in another thread, but I don't remember the axle width. If it is much wider than 8 feet (like mine at 10'6"), the tires will run outside the normal paths and are more likely to pick up nails, etc.

Look up DOT's for the states you are in and avoid construction zones.

Most states will not allow you to run legally at night.

Other than that, all normal towing rules apply.

Good luck!
 
AK, good luck on your trip. I have a good bit of experience towing owerwide boats long distances. I'll offer few thoughts. Bring two or more spares, especially if the axles are wider than normal. I saw your trailer in another thread, but I don't remember the axle width. If it is much wider than 8 feet (like mine at 10'6"), the tires will run outside the normal paths and are more likely to pick up nails, etc.

Look up DOT's for the states you are in and avoid construction zones.

Most states will not allow you to run legally at night.

Other than that, all normal towing rules apply.

Good luck!

Thanks Keokie. No night running and I am finding no running on Sunday, at least in the east.

My boat is a little wider than the trailer, but I do keep an eye on where it is running.
 
Update:

Spent most of the day on the phone with my insurance company. Because my policy is in Alaska, it had to be underwritten in CA. They increased it to bodily 1Mil/1Mil and property to 100K. All this for 3 hours of towing in Missouri.

Missouri wouldn't accept it. They said the property damage had to show at least 750K. I got a conference call going between the OS/OW department, GEICO and me. They said it has to be 750K. GEICO does not offer this limit. The max is 100K. Missouri stated "This is why we don't see GEICO policies here. He will have to get a new insurance policy from Missouri! I said thank you and talked to GEICO off line.:smt013

They told me they have never run into this issue before. Then they told me even if I got a ticket, it would not go against my policy.

Guess what, yep I am running Missouri without a permit. Hope the zero chance of getting pulled over is true. Might have to call my CSR friends in Missouri to come bail me out!!!!

The drama continues......
 
I am running Missouri without a permit. Hope the zero chance of getting pulled over is true.
Heres the trick to running without permits.
Look and act like you know what you're doing.
Run with the red flags on the back of the trailer and a warning light on the truck.
You'll be fine with NO problems. :thumbsup:
reh-73814_w.jpg
761445007121.jpg
 
Tom, I'm a retired truck driver after 33yrs of trucking everything.
I never got a over width permit for anything that I hauled.
I hauled boats / pay-loader / bull dozers / excavators you name it I've hauled it.
Your chances of getting stopped towing a boat is 0.
Just put your over width signs on and go for it. :smt038

PS I drove over 1.300.000 miles accident free. :thumbsup:

:smt038:smt038:smt038
 
When I bought my 300SD in Sept '09, I pulled it from Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri all the way to Alabama. I had the permits but didn't need them. Didn't get stopped, was passed by many police with no issues. I also didn't stop for any of the weigh stations, just drove right past with no issues because NOWHERE in any of the official paperwork on any of the permits did it say that I needed to stop at weigh stations.
One important thing, you cannot drive the interstate across the Mississippi River then thru St Louis. You have to take the northern loop around St Louis to rejoin the interstate just west of town. Illinois requires a flashing yellow light.
 
This is about the worst advice I have ever from this board. That is like saying, I never have wrecks, so I don't insurance. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

First of all, ALL loads over 8'6" are OVERSIZED in the US. States very in what needs an escort and what needs a height marker pole. They're a couple of states cracking down on the liability insurance thing because SOME PEOPLE that think they are above the law and don't need any permits or the required liabilty insurance. I know some of you are saying, " well, I have Insurance!" Good for you.

Permits prices range in price from state to state. Fl is only $10.00. MS is $48.00. MS also requires the $500,000.00 Insurance certificate policy with them being named on the policy. NO EXCEPTIONS. (ask me how I know) Easy stuff. Call a COMMERCIAL insurance company and buy a policy for a short period. Cost next to nothing.
Now the good part. IF you get get caught, Not Stopping at each of the scales, yes every one of them, an/or get stopped with the proper permits, You are subject to a $1000.00 fine and the load doesn't move untill the proper permits are obtained. Now, is it really worth it?
 
I had the "overwide" permits for MO, IL, TN and AL and nowhere does it say in any of the paperwork that one has to stop at weigh stations. The total rig weight was nowhere near the wt limits for the length and axle arrangements. Is it found elsewhere in DOT laws that this new towing arrangement now needs to stop at the weigh stations? I'm not trying to be funny or promote rampant lawlessness, and I had all the correct permits, just didn't see anywhere say I needed to pull into weigh stations, so I didn't subject myself to the hassle.
 
First you do not need to stop at the scales. Those are for commercial FOR HIRE drivers, not private passengers hauling their own freight or boat in this situation. I tow our 300 DA all the time, no need to stop at scales.

Second, do they KNOW you are not for hire hauling your own boat? The limits suggest that they think you are for hire as well? The $750,000 is typical of a commercial truck insurance requirement?
 
Have the yellow light, flags and signage. Have all my permits except Missouri. IL requires me to use the loops around St. Louis, so thanks for the info docofthebay.

With the exception of KY, the permits cost around $20. $12 for NC. KY was $60.00. Most of the states you apply online and it is simple and easy. MO is just being the pain in the a$$. I only have to go 126 miles in Missouri. The lady at OW/OL told I will be required to buy an insurance policy in MO. Yeah right....

At this point I will have to chance it as I have done everything I can reasonably do. Once I hit the MO stateline it is 2 1/2 hours to the farm.
 
Have a SAFE trip :smt001.
And watch out for the other crazy bast*rds out there !!!. :smt021
 
Thanks! Its snowing here in NC right now.......

I thought this was the south where it was suppose to be warm during the winter:lol::smt043

This global warming fuzzy warm feeling ain't working for me.......
 

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