Photo: Robert So, Pexels
To tow a trailer safely as a new US driver, check four things first: that your license and permit rules allow it, the hitch and safety chains, the trailer lights and the trailer brakes. Then change how you drive. Load the trailer heavier at the front, keep to about 55 mph or less, leave far more room to stop, and swing wider on turns. Towing rules are set by each state, so the weight limits and brake rules below are the ones in specific handbooks. Check your own state’s handbook before you hitch up.
Can a permit or provisional license holder tow a trailer?
The California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oregon and Alabama driver handbooks don’t list a separate towing rule for permit holders. That doesn’t mean towing on a permit is allowed everywhere. Your permit’s normal conditions, such as having a licensed supervisor beside you, still apply to every trip, and some state rules on permits and teen licenses go beyond the handbook. Before you tow on a learner permit or a provisional license, ask your state DMV or check its graduated licensing page. Our graduated licensing comparison covers the other permit and provisional restrictions.
Even where it’s legal, Kentucky’s advice is that if you’re unsure how to hook up, load or drive with a trailer, you should get advice from a trailer professional first.
Is your regular license enough? Weight limits
Heavy combinations need a higher or commercial license class. Two examples:
| State | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | Class E (the standard license) covers a single vehicle under 10,001 pounds. Class D covers a vehicle used in commerce towing a vehicle of no more than 10,000 pounds GVWR, as long as the combined rating stays under 26,001 pounds. |
| Alabama | A commercial Class A license is needed for combinations with a gross combination weight rating over 26,000 pounds where the towed unit is rated over 10,000 pounds. |
California’s handbook points Class C holders to dmv.ca.gov for the vehicles and trailers Class C covers. Whatever your state, find the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your vehicle and trailer. Louisiana says to look in your owner’s manual, and that it should also appear on your title and registration. If you rent a trailer, ask for its empty weight and how much it can carry.
Also check your vehicle’s towing capacity in the owner’s manual. Louisiana warns that overloading can damage your brakes and suspension and make it hard to stop.
Hitch, safety chains, lights and brakes: the pre-trip check
Hitch
The ball and coupler must be the same size, or the trailer can separate (Louisiana). The coupler should be latched tight on the ball.
Safety chains
- Attach them securely to the tow vehicle (Louisiana).
- Cross them under the trailer tongue, so the tongue drops onto the chains, not the road, if the trailer comes loose.
- Leave enough slack for sharp turns, but don’t let them drag.
Lights
Louisiana requires trailers to have taillights, brake lights, side marker lights, turn signals and side and rear reflectors. Check that the plugs on the car and trailer match, that the wiring doesn’t drag, and that every light works before you leave.
Trailer brakes
Brake rules depend on trailer weight and differ by state. In Louisiana, trailers of 3,000 pounds or more must have brakes the driver can apply from the cab, and they must apply automatically if the trailer breaks away. Other states set their own thresholds, so check your state’s handbook or vehicle code for the figure that applies to your trailer.
Tires and load
- Trailer tires should all be the same type, size and construction. Don’t mix bias and radial (Louisiana).
- Your car’s tires may need higher pressure for towing. Check the owner’s manual.
- Load heavier at the front: Kentucky says 60% of the cargo weight should go at the front and 40% at the back. Kentucky calls a back-heavy trailer a leading cause of trailer crashes because it makes the trailer sway.
- Keep heavy items on the trailer floor and tie everything down. Kentucky says a load is only secure when nothing can slide, shift, fall or blow off.
Kentucky’s checklist: load heavier in front, hitch tight, chains attached, lights working, tire pressures OK. Repeat the walkaround at every fuel stop.
Driving with a trailer
Speed and lanes
- Kentucky recommends a maximum of 55 mph for most car-and-trailer combinations, and never above the posted limit.
- California sets a 55 mph speed limit for vehicles towing trailers. You must use the far-right lane, or a lane marked for slower vehicles. On roads with four or more lanes in your direction and none marked, you may use only the two right-hand lanes.
- Oregon says use the right lane on multi-lane roads, and pull off at the first safe turnout if traffic is stacking up behind you.
Stopping and following distance
A car pulling a trailer needs more distance to stop (Kentucky, Louisiana, Oregon). Leave extra space ahead, and even more in rain, snow or fog. See following distance and space cushion.
Turns and passing
- The trailer doesn’t follow directly behind your car on a turn, so it needs extra room (Kentucky). Watch it in your mirrors.
- You need much more distance to pass, and you shouldn’t pass on hills or curves (Kentucky). Louisiana also says to leave extra passing room for bicyclists.
Hills
Kentucky says slow down before you start down a grade, not halfway down. Louisiana says use engine braking (a lower gear) as the main way to control speed on long downgrades, not constant braking. More in mountain and hill driving.
If the trailer starts to sway
- Ease off the gas and slow down gradually.
- Steer straight. Don’t fight the sway with big steering moves.
- Don’t hit the brakes, and never speed up.
- Stop as soon as you can get fully off the road, then check the load is heavier at the front.
That is Kentucky’s advice.
Backing up a trailer
Kentucky’s method: go slowly with one hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Move your hand left to send the trailer left, and right to send it right. If the trailer starts to jackknife, stop, pull forward to straighten out, and start again. Basic reversing skills are in backing up on the road test.
Rules that catch people out
- No passengers in trailers. Oregon bans riding in most trailers (fifth-wheel trailers have strict exceptions), and Louisiana bans riding in a house trailer being moved on the highway.
- One trailer only: Oregon allows only one boat, utility trailer or other vehicle behind a passenger vehicle.
- Tow bars: in Louisiana, the connection when towing another vehicle must not exceed 15 feet.
- Breakdowns: if you hear an odd noise or suspect trouble, stop somewhere safe off the road and check (Kentucky). See vehicle emergencies.
For how licensing works in each state, start with learning to drive in the USA. Oregon notes that vehicles towing trailers take longer to speed up, which matters when merging; see freeway driving for new drivers.
Sources
- Kentucky State Police, “Kentucky Driver Manual” (updated July 2026), Section Eleven: Safe Trailering, and Secure Your Load (kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov)
- Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, “Class D & E Driver’s Guide” (DPSMV 2052, R08/25), Classes of License, Chapter 10-A Trailer Safety and equipment rules (public.powerdms.com)
- California DMV, “California Driver’s Handbook, Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road” and “Section 8: Safe Driving” (dmv.ca.gov)
- Oregon DMV, “Oregon Driver Manual: Driving a Large Vehicle or Towing” (oregon.gov)
- Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, “Alabama Driver Manual”, license classes (alea.gov)