Unattached trailer parking for moving (ABF)

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Please excuse yet another moving post: Has anyone ever used ABF U-pack to move to/from Somerville? Not the pod or "relocube" option, but the you-pack we-drive trailer space? When we called 311, they told us parking the trailer would be okay. But when we went in person to get the spaces reserved, they told us that: parking a moving container (or pod) is okay, parking an entire trailer truck is okay, but parking the trailer and driving the cab away (which ABF does) is not okay. They wouldn't park overnight, just during the day with the spaces reserved. Has anyone successfully done this trailer move with or without being ticketed? The parking office says it could be $40/hr fine until we move the unattached trailer. Does anyone understand why a pod is okay, but an almost equally-sized unattached trailer is not ok? If they can't drive the cab away, ABF will charge us $80/hr after the first hour for their driver to sit in his cab and watch us move. Hmm...

Comments

[tober.livejournal.com]

I do not believe that what the parking office told you was correct, unless perhaps it's actually not legal to park a moving container in a reserved spot either (but they tend to turn a blind eye on that for whatever reason). I think there are some restrictions on occupying a spot with something that isn't a motor vehicle - but a moving container is clearly not a vehicle either (the trailer is closer to being a motor vehicle, as it is at least registered to travel over the road on its own wheels). It doesn't sound like a size restriction either, as supposedly you can park the tractor-trailer combination but not the trailer. Would they allow an intermodal shipping container (which is a lot like a very sturdy trailer without wheels, they're designed to ride on top of a special flatbed trailer, railroad car, or inside the hold of a ship)? I now feel the need to research the actual regulations on this.

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

It is their policy - it is also in the list of parking violations here with no explanation of why it is unsafe: http://www.somervillema.gov/Section.cfm?org=TRAFFIC&page=1047
"Unattached Trailer/Semi Trailer: $40"

[arinamay.livejournal.com]

I was intrigued too - looks like Somerville parking regs say

"No person shall park or stand a trailer or semi-trailer as defined in G.L. ch. 90 sec.1, or a so called dolly device which is used to move a tandem semi-trailer, on any public way, unless such trailer or semi-trailer or dolly device is properly attached to a motor vehicle which can lawfully move said trailer, semi-trailer, or dolly device."

From Section 7-27 Operation of Heavy Commercial Vehicles, http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/TrafficRegAug09.pdf

The G.L. ch 90 sec 1 defines a semi-trailer as

"a trailer so designed and used in combination with a tractor that some part of the weight of such trailer and that of its load rests upon and is carried by, the tractor."

From here: http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/90-1.htm

So it sounds like they do make a distinction between a trailer that's hooked to a cab and one that is not hooked to a cab. I don't really understand way (somehow maybe a safety concern?) but it looks like they do make that distinction.