Highway Patrol to Hold Forum on Trailering Oversize Boats

Photo by Jerry Dilsaver

On April 21, at UNCW, the N.C. Highway Patrol will conduct a public forum on the laws regulating towing boats on N.C. highways.

In what has been heralded as a first for the Highway Patrol, the N.C. Highway Patrol will conduct a public forum on Monday, April 21st discussing the rules and regulations of transporting oversize recreational and commercial boats on North Carolina highways.

The forum will be conducted at 6:00 p.m. at the Warwick Center, located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 South College Rd. Wilmington, N.C. and the public is invited to attend the event.

Federal Department of Transportation representatives will be present for answering questions and explaining the federal regulations for towing oversize loads.

Several State Representatives, Department of Transportation officials and Department of Motor Vehicle officials have said they planned to attend.  The speakers at the forum will be explaining the existing laws and explaining the changes they hope to achieve in the N.C. towing regulations during the short session of the legislature that will convene in May. 

Legislative and Highway Patrol sources agree the laws will not be dropped wholesale but believe there are possibilities for amending the laws that will allow for consistent regulations and enforcement.  Participants are urged to remember that the regulations must follow federal guidelines. 

The purpose of the forum will be to educate fishermen towing boats as to what the laws are, plus what licenses, permits and markings are required for towing overwidth boats and boats weighing more than 10,000 pounds.