Are there restrictions on the controls to raise or lower self-steering axles?
Yes. Self-steering axles may be raised out of the way when the vehicle is empty or lightly loaded as long as the remaining axles are within legal weight limits. These axles can also be raised when the vehicle is reversing, in off-road applications and in certain situations where additional drive traction is required. Manual controls to raise and lower self-steering axles must be trailer mounted and not accessible to the driver in the cab of the tractor. The trailer may be equipped with a self-contained device to automatically raise the self-steering axle(s) when the vehicle is reversing. Tractor-trailers, where the semi-trailer is designed to haul raw forest products, are exempt from the above restriction and may have controls in the tractor cab to raise and lower the self-steering axles in off-road operations only. These controls may not be used on a public highway. Certain SPIF tractor-trailers may be equipped with controls that allow weight to be transferred to the tractor drive axl
