Chapter 12: Towing a Trailer

Towing a trailer significantly changes a vehicle’s handling, and understanding the principles of proper loading and driving is crucial for safety. Many drivers are unprepared for the challenges of increased stopping distances, wider turns, and the potential for dangerous trailer sway. Mastering these rules is essential not only for the driver license exam but for preventing serious crashes involving property damage, injury, or death.

Towing a non-commercial trailer, whether for moving, camping, or recreation, requires specific knowledge and skills beyond normal driving. A driver is responsible for ensuring the trailer is properly equipped, correctly loaded, and safely operated. Utah law specifies equipment requirements and driving rules to account for the added risks associated with towing.

Equipment and Loading

Before moving a trailer, a thorough pre-trip inspection of the equipment and load is a critical safety step. A failure in any part of the towing system can have catastrophic consequences.

Required Equipment

• Hitch and Ball: The hitch assembly on the tow vehicle and the coupler on the trailer must be rated for the gross weight of the trailer and its cargo. The hitch ball size must match the trailer’s coupler size exactly.
• Safety Chains: Two separate safety chains are required to connect the trailer to the tow vehicle. The chains must be crossed under the trailer tongue in an “X” pattern. This prevents the tongue from dropping to the pavement if the hitch fails. The chains should have enough slack to allow for turns but not so much that they drag on the ground.
• Lights: The trailer must have functioning taillights, brake lights, and turn signals that are synchronized with the tow vehicle’s lights. This requires a proper wiring harness connection between the vehicle and the trailer.
• Brakes: In Utah, a trailer must be equipped with its own braking system if its gross weight is 3,000 lbs or more, or if its weight exceeds 40% of the tow vehicle’s weight.