Is it okay to hitch a car to a pick up truck and tow it across the country?

Question

We are moving to Texas and driving from Maryland. We would like to tow the car and drive the pick up instead of driving both. Is that against the law/ could we get a ticket?

thanks

Answer 1

That would depend on how you plan to connect the car to the truck.

Best method (accepted as legal in most states) is to use a car dolly that keeps the towed vehicle's front wheels off of the road (you might be able to rent one from Budget or U-Haul, or buy one from an RV Dealer.)

Tow bars are cheaper, but not legal for use in some states.  Before using one I would check the laws for every state you plan on passing through.

For the most convenience and safety ... you might want to use an auto shipping service.  They transport your car by semi truck, you pay a fee for the service, and you don't have the hassle of towing the car.  For a long haul like you are planning ... it might be easier to just have the car shipped!

Answer 2

You can rent a trailer the car will sit on from U-Haul, and most of their competitors.  This is legal in EVERY state.

If you intended to hook up a chain, that would be ILLEGAL in every state.

The dolly or tow bar mentioned in other answers are between these options and may or may not be legal on your route.

Answer 3

Check with your state highway police or troopers.They will know what applies in you state.I see them in my state(tx.) towing all the time.Allthe way to mexico. Just make sure you have your stop and tail lights hooked up on your tow.

Answer 4

You can rent a towing device at U-Haul that is made for that and drop it off at a U-Haul in Texas.

Answer 5

Rent a car trailer or dolly. That way there's no worries.  

Answer 6

I am pretty sure that you have to have some sort of trailor or something, each state has diff laws, but where I am from you can't tow a car like that.

Answer 7

If you do it with some kind of legal toe bar you will be OK. People with  motor homes do it all the time.