Bill Text: TX HB221 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to motor vehicle size and weight limitations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-07-27 - Left pending in committee [HB221 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB221-Introduced.html
| 85S10900 JRR-F | ||
| By: Pickett | H.B. No. 221 | |
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| relating to motor vehicle size and weight limitations. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 622, Transportation Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter K to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER K. AUTOMOBILE AND BOAT TRANSPORTERS | ||
| Sec. 622.151. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
| (1) "Automobile transporter" and "backhaul" have the | ||
| meanings assigned by 49 U.S.C. Section 31111. | ||
| (2) "Boat transporter" has the meaning assigned by 23 | ||
| C.F.R. Section 658.5. | ||
| (3) "Stinger-steered" means a truck-tractor and | ||
| semitrailer combination in which the fifth wheel is located on a | ||
| drop frame located behind and below the rearmost axle of the | ||
| truck-tractor. | ||
| Sec. 622.152. AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTER BACKHAULS. An | ||
| automobile transporter that complies with the weight and size | ||
| limitations for a truck-tractor and semitrailer combination under | ||
| this subtitle may transport cargo or general freight on a backhaul. | ||
| Sec. 622.153. MAXIMUM EXTENDED LENGTH OF LOAD. | ||
| Notwithstanding Section 621.206, an automobile transporter that is | ||
| stinger-steered may carry a load that extends not more than: | ||
| (1) four feet beyond its front; and | ||
| (2) six feet beyond its rear. | ||
| Sec. 622.154. RULES FOR BOAT TRANSPORTERS. If the United | ||
| States secretary of transportation or the secretary's designee | ||
| adopts regulations regarding the following, the board of the | ||
| department may adopt rules to implement the regulations: | ||
| (1) authority for an operator to haul cargo or general | ||
| freight with a boat transporter on a backhaul; or | ||
| (2) authority for an operator to exceed the overhang | ||
| limits with a stinger-steered boat transporter to the same extent | ||
| authorized by Section 622.153 for an automobile transporter. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 622.902, Transportation Code, is amended | ||
| to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 622.902. LENGTH EXCEPTIONS. The length limitations | ||
| provided by Sections 621.203, 621.204, and [ |
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| apply to: | ||
| (1) machinery used exclusively for drilling water | ||
| wells, including machinery that is itself a unit or that is a unit | ||
| mounted on a conventional vehicle or chassis; | ||
| (2) a vehicle owned or operated by a public, private, | ||
| or volunteer fire department; | ||
| (3) a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated | ||
| exclusively in the territory of a municipality or to a combination | ||
| of vehicles operated by a municipality in a suburb adjoining the | ||
| municipality in which the municipality has been using the equipment | ||
| or similar equipment in connection with an established service to | ||
| the suburb; | ||
| (4) a truck-tractor, truck-tractor combination, or | ||
| truck-trailer combination exclusively transporting machinery, | ||
| materials, and equipment used in the construction, operation, and | ||
| maintenance of facilities, including pipelines, that are used for | ||
| the discovery, production, and processing of natural gas or | ||
| petroleum; | ||
| (5) a drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter | ||
| combination or a drive-away saddlemount with fullmount vehicle | ||
| transporter combination, as defined by 23 C.F.R. Part 658 or its | ||
| successor, if: | ||
| (A) the overall length of the combination is not | ||
| longer than 97 feet; and | ||
| (B) the combination does not have more than three | ||
| saddlemounted vehicles if the combination does not include more | ||
| than one fullmount vehicle; | ||
| (6) the combination of a tow truck and another vehicle | ||
| or vehicle combination if: | ||
| (A) the other vehicle or vehicle combination | ||
| cannot be normally or safely driven or was abandoned on a highway; | ||
| and | ||
| (B) the tow truck is towing the other vehicle or | ||
| vehicle combination directly to the nearest authorized place of | ||
| repair, terminal, or destination of unloading; | ||
| (7) a vehicle or combination of vehicles used to | ||
| transport a harvest machine that is used in farm custom harvesting | ||
| operations on a farm if the overall length of the vehicle or | ||
| combination is not longer than: | ||
| (A) 75 feet if the vehicle is traveling on a | ||
| highway that is part of the national system of interstate and | ||
| defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system; or | ||
| (B) 81-1/2 feet if the vehicle is not traveling | ||
| on a highway that is part of the national system of interstate and | ||
| defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system; [ |
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| (8) a truck-tractor operated in combination with a | ||
| semitrailer and trailer or semitrailer and semitrailer if: | ||
| (A) the combination is used to transport a | ||
| harvest machine that is used in farm custom harvesting operations | ||
| on a farm; | ||
| (B) the overall length of the combination, | ||
| excluding the length of the truck-tractor, is not longer than | ||
| 81-1/2 feet; and | ||
| (C) the combination is traveling on a highway | ||
| that: | ||
| (i) is not part of the national system of | ||
| interstate and defense highways or the federal aid primary highway | ||
| system; and | ||
| (ii) is located in a county with a | ||
| population of less than 300,000; or | ||
| (9) a towaway trailer transporter combination, as | ||
| defined by 49 U.S.C. Section 31111, if the overall length of the | ||
| combination is not longer than 82 feet. | ||
| SECTION 3. Section 622.952, Transportation Code, is amended | ||
| to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 622.952. EMERGENCY [ |
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| The weight limitations of Section 621.101 do not apply to an | ||
| emergency [ |
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| (b) The weight of an emergency [ |
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| may not exceed the greater of: | ||
| (1) [ |
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| weight capacity or axle design rating; or | ||
| (2) including all enforcement tolerances, a: | ||
| (A) gross weight of 86,000 pounds; | ||
| (B) single steering axle weight of 24,000 pounds; | ||
| (C) single drive axle weight of 33,500 pounds; | ||
| (D) tandem axle weight of 62,000 pounds; or | ||
| (E) tandem rear drive steer axle weight of 52,000 | ||
| pounds. | ||
| (c) In this section, "emergency vehicle" means a vehicle | ||
| designed to be used under emergency conditions: | ||
| (1) to transport personnel and equipment; and | ||
| (2) to support the suppression of fires and mitigation | ||
| of other hazardous situations. | ||
| SECTION 4. Section 622.955(c), Transportation Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| (c) The weight increase under Subsection (b) may not be | ||
| greater than 550 [ |
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| SECTION 5. Sections 623.071(a), (c), and (c-1), | ||
| Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
| (a) The department may issue a permit to allow the operation | ||
| on [ |
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| provided by law for the movement of equipment [ |
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| (c) The department may issue an annual permit to allow the | ||
| operation on a state highway of equipment that exceeds weight and | ||
| size limits provided by law for the movement of: | ||
| (1) an implement of husbandry by a dealer; | ||
| (2) water well drilling machinery and equipment or | ||
| harvesting equipment being moved as part of an agricultural | ||
| operation; or | ||
| (3) [ |
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| that: | ||
| (A) cannot reasonably be dismantled; and | ||
| (B) does not exceed: | ||
| (i) 12 feet in width; | ||
| (ii) 14 feet in height; | ||
| (iii) 110 feet in length; or | ||
| (iv) 120,000 pounds gross weight. | ||
| (c-1) The department may issue an annual permit that allows | ||
| a person to operate over a state highway or road a vehicle or | ||
| combination of vehicles transporting a load that cannot reasonably | ||
| be dismantled that exceeds the length and height limits provided by | ||
| law, except that: | ||
| (1) the maximum length allowed may not exceed 110 | ||
| feet; and | ||
| (2) the maximum height allowed may not exceed 14 feet. | ||
| SECTION 6. The change in law made by this Act applies only | ||
| to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. | ||
| An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is | ||
| governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, | ||
| and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For | ||
| purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the | ||
| effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred | ||
| before that date. | ||
| SECTION 7. This Act takes effect December 1, 2017. | ||
