North Dakota Administrative Code
Title 37 - Department of Transportation
Article 37-06 - Multiple Vehicle Combinations
Chapter 37-06-01 - Definitions - Equipment and Operation
Section 37-06-01-02 - Equipment

1. Every trailer must be equipped with a drawbar and a means of attaching the drawbar to the towing and towed vehicles. Such drawbar must be structurally adequate for the weight being drawn, be properly and securely mounted, provide for adequate articulation at the connection without excessive slack at that location, and can be provided with a locking device that prevents accidental separation of the vehicles.

2. Every trailer, including a semitrailer utilizing a converter dolly, must have safety chains or cables installed. Such chains or cables shall be connected prior to any over-the-road movement.

3. The lower half of a fifth wheel mounted on a truck-tractor or converter dolly must be secured to the frame of that vehicle with properly designed brackets, mounting plates or angles, and properly tightened bolts of adequate size and grade, or devices that provide equivalent security. The installation shall not cause cracking, warping, or deformation of the frame. The installation must include a device for positively preventing the lower half of the fifth wheel from shifting on the frame to which it is attached.

4. The upper half of a fifth wheel must be fastened to the semitrailer with at least the same security required for the installation of the lower half on a truck-tractor or converter dolly.

5. Each fifth wheel assembly must have a locking mechanism.