15.5 yo with drivers permit, towing a trailer allowed?

[slyMon]

Cannot find and specific information restricting this.

Are there any legal restrictions in CA for a 15.5 year old with a class C learners permit to drive a Chevrolet 1500 pulling a boat trailer (boat trailer: less than 25' long, less than 5,000# - surge disk brakes on trailer) other than the usual requirements (adult over 25, licensed driver, permitted hours, etc...)?

If there are can he drive it when he gets his full (under 18, 1st year restricted) license?

Thanks!

[Ron-Solo]

Cannot find and specific information restricting this.

Are there any legal restrictions in CA for a 15.5 year old with a class C learners permit to drive a Chevrolet 1500 pulling a boat trailer (boat trailer: less than 25' long, less than 5,000# - surge disk brakes on trailer) other than the usual requirements (adult over 25, licensed driver, permitted hours, etc...)?

Not Sure, I'd check with DMV. Even if it is, it is not a good idea. Towing a trailer requires a solid foundation of basic driving skills combined with experience. Any driving decision made is intensified by towing a trailer. Just not a good idea in my opinion. The permit is referred to as an "instruction permit" for a good reason.

If there are can he drive it when he gets his full (under 18, 1st year restricted) license?

Yes

Thanks!

Let them learn to walk before they run. Most new drivers don't have experience to fall back on when things go bad.

[Uhhlexxxis]

Just sounds to me like he wants his kid to be able to take the boat out with his friends and have a little fun. Absolutely have the fun, but inexperienced drivers tend to cause the most preventable collisions. Like Ron-Solo stated, give it a little more time.

[Jonathan Doe]

Towing a trailer is not an easy task, especially for new drivers. Even if he is permitted, I would not let him do it with just a permit.

[slyMon]

further info....

thanks all for the response.

He will not be driving or towing without me and are correct, I want him to get the experience of what it is to tow (turning radius, stopping, longer following distance....). House to the ramp is less than 3 miles, 4 lane road, 1 light, almost no traffic. I want him to be able to back-up and move the truck and trailer in an emergency.

I was driving around the lot for a year at that age only going up and down the ramp and the parking lot, and wanted to make sure it was not against the law as the ramp and lot are state property. He will not be operating on the highway or in traffic. (at least for a few years).

He also has wild ideas of our 37' motorhome and him driving (not going to happen)...

still open to any legal restrictions.

(Still less stressed than when I was working drivers training with an 18 year olds (who had only driven a civic) and driving ambulance code 3 for the first time in LA.)

[CSACANNONEER]

If a 15 1/2 year old has grown up driving a lot of ag equipment, tractors, etc., He may have more driving and towing experience than many of the morons who pull their toy boxes, boats or other toys a couple times a year. If he doesn't have years of driving experience, I wouldn't consider it until he has a few years behind the wheel.

[SedaDog1]

If a 15 1/2 year old has grown up driving a lot of ag equipment, tractors, etc., He may have more driving and towing experience than many of the morons who pull their toy boxes, boats or other toys a couple times a year. If he doesn't have years of driving experience, I wouldn't consider it until he has a few years behind the wheel.

Exactly! At that age I had been pulling trailers with trractors on the ranch for 5-6 years already.

[meangreen46]

Exactly! At that age I had been pulling trailers with trractors on the ranch for 5-6 years already.

Driving vehicles on a farm/ranch is a little different than coming down a steep grade with multiple vehicles on both sides of you and having to decide what to do when the trailer starts swaying back and forth. On a ranch, the most you'll do is take out crops or your personal property. On the freeway going to the lake, you could cause a pileup and kill people (obvious extreme example). I would wait until he's way beyond 18 and has proven the ability to really handle the extra load. Just my .02 cents.


BTW - From a legal standpoint before 18.....whatever he does is your responsibility. God forbid the above happens....guess who they're coming after. Again....just my opinion.

[welchy]

If a 15 1/2 year old has grown up driving a lot of ag equipment, tractors, etc., He may have more driving and towing experience than many of the morons who pull their toy boxes, boats or other toys a couple times a year. If he doesn't have years of driving experience, I wouldn't consider it until he has a few years behind the wheel.

+1
He needs to get some experience befor towing ANYTHING.

[E Pluribus Unum]

Boats are pretty easy. Small 25 footer will track very easily, the only thing to worry about really is the wheels sticking out.

I was pulling 30 foot horse trailers at 16.

[meangreen46]

Boats are pretty easy. Small 25 footer will track very easily, the only thing to worry about really is the wheels sticking out.

I was pulling 30 foot horse trailers at 16.

Now that's a serious trailer!

[Harley Quinn]

The books that have the rules tell you what you can do with your permit driving...

Follow them, oh wait a minute you would then have to read the rules/codes for your new position in life

[TKM]

Driving is dangerous, towing anything is dangerous, doing either without training or experience is even more dangerous.

[masameet]

slyMon, don't forget that your boy cannot have passengers under 20 years of age in the pickup while he's towing the boat.

[Harley Quinn]

I think the one putting the boy in the towing driverseat is somewhat negligent to be honest...

If out somewhere not many vehicles and learning experience might be alright but not on freeway driving in very busy cities...Let him grow up without a terrible experience that happens a lot while towing items and not being ready..

Sort of like life itself, all part of being responsible, and it is obvious some just are not...

Regards