Bill Text: TX SB1524 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Relating to the movement of certain vehicles, including vehicles transporting an intermodal shipping container; authorizing a fee; creating an offense.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 17-7)

Status: (Passed) 2017-05-23 - Effective on 1/1/18 [SB1524 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-SB1524-Enrolled.html

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S.B. No. 1524

AN ACT
relating to the movement of certain vehicles, including vehicles
transporting an intermodal shipping container; authorizing a fee;
creating an offense.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 550.062, Transportation Code, is amended
by adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
(b-1) If the motor vehicle accident involved a combination
of vehicles operating under a permit issued under Section 623.402,
the report required by Subsection (a) must include the weight and
the number of axles of the vehicle combination.
SECTION 2. Section 621.303, Transportation Code, is amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 621.303. MUNICIPAL REGULATION OF LOADS AND EQUIPMENT.
(a) The governing body of any municipality may regulate the
movement and operation on a public road, other than a state highway
in the territory of the municipality, of:
(1) an overweight, oversize, or overlength commodity
that cannot reasonably be dismantled; and
(2) superheavy or oversize equipment for the
transportation of an overweight, oversize, or overlength commodity
that cannot be reasonably dismantled.
(b) The governing body of a municipality may not, because of
weight, regulate the movement and operation on a state highway or
county or municipal road of a combination of vehicles operating
under a permit issued under Section 623.402.
SECTION 3. Chapter 623, Transportation Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter U to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER U. INTERMODAL SHIPPING CONTAINERS
Sec. 623.401. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "intermodal
shipping container" means an enclosed, standardized, reusable
container that:
(1) is used to pack, ship, move, or transport cargo;
(2) is designed to be carried on a semitrailer and
loaded onto or unloaded from:
(A) a ship or vessel for international
transportation; or
(B) a rail system for international
transportation; and
(3) when combined with vehicles transporting the
container, has a gross weight or axle weight that exceeds the limits
allowed by law to be transported over a state highway or county or
municipal road.
Sec. 623.402. ISSUANCE OF PERMIT. (a) The department may
issue an annual permit authorizing the movement of a sealed
intermodal shipping container moving in international
transportation by a truck-tractor and semitrailer combination that
has six total axles and is equipped with a roll stability support
safety system and truck blind spot systems only if:
(1) the gross weight of the combination does not
exceed 93,000 pounds;
(2) the distance between the front axle of the
truck-tractor and the last axle of the semitrailer, measured
longitudinally, is approximately 647 inches;
(3) the truck-tractor is configured as follows:
(A) one single axle that does not exceed 13,000
pounds;
(B) one two-axle group that does not exceed
37,000 pounds, in which no axle in the group exceeds 18,500 pounds;
and
(C) the distance between the individual axles on
the two-axle group of the truck-tractor, measured longitudinally,
is not less than 51 inches and not more than 52 inches; and
(4) the semitrailer is configured as follows:
(A) one three-axle group that does not exceed
49,195 pounds, in which no axle in the group exceeds 16,400 pounds;
and
(B) the distance between the individual axles in
the three-axle group of the semitrailer, measured longitudinally,
is 60 inches.
(b) The department may issue an annual permit authorizing
the movement of a sealed intermodal shipping container moving in
international transportation by a truck-tractor and semitrailer
combination that has seven total axles and is equipped with a roll
stability support safety system and truck blind spot systems only
if:
(1) the gross weight of the combination does not
exceed 100,000 pounds;
(2) the distance between the front axle of the
truck-tractor and the last axle of the semitrailer, measured
longitudinally, is approximately 612 inches;
(3) the truck-tractor is configured as follows:
(A) one single axle that does not exceed 15,000
pounds;
(B) one three-axle group that does not exceed
44,500 pounds, in which no axle in the group exceeds 14,900 pounds;
and
(C) the distance between the individual axles on
the three-axle group of the truck-tractor, measured
longitudinally, is not less than 51 inches and not more than 52
inches; and
(4) the semitrailer is configured as follows:
(A) one three-axle group that does not exceed
46,200 pounds, in which no axle in the group exceeds 15,400 pounds;
and
(B) the distance between the individual axles in
the three-axle group of the semitrailer, measured longitudinally,
is 60 inches.
(c) For purposes of Subsections (a) and (b), the gross
weight, group weights, and axle weights listed in those subsections
include all enforcement tolerances.
Sec. 623.403. COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY DESIGNATION. (a) An
applicant for a permit under this subchapter must designate each
county and municipality in which the permit will be used.
(b) A permit issued under this subchapter is not valid in a
county or municipality that is not designated in the permit
application.
Sec. 623.404. PERMIT FEE. (a) An application for a permit
under Section 623.402(a) or (b) must be accompanied by a permit fee
of $6,000, of which:
(1) 50 percent shall be deposited to the credit of the
state highway fund;
(2) 30 percent shall be equally divided among and
distributed to each county designated in the permit application;
(3) 16 percent shall be equally divided among and
distributed to each municipality designated in the permit
application; and
(4) 4 percent shall be deposited to the credit of the
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles fund.
(b) At least once each fiscal year, the comptroller shall
send the amount due each county under Subsection (a) to the county
treasurer or office performing the function of that office for
deposit to the credit of the county road and bridge fund.
(c) At least once each fiscal year, the comptroller shall
send the amount due each municipality under Subsection (a) to the
office performing the function of treasurer for the municipality.
A municipality may use funds received under this subsection only to
fund commercial motor vehicle enforcement programs or road or
bridge maintenance or infrastructure projects.
(d) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the amount of a fee
under Subsection (a) to accompany a permit application that is
received on or after January 1, 2028, must be determined by the
department after consultation with The University of Texas Center
for Transportation Research and the Texas A&M Transportation
Institute.
Sec. 623.405. ROUTE RESTRICTIONS. (a) A permit issued
under this subchapter does not authorize the operation of a
truck-tractor and semitrailer combination on:
(1) the national system of interstate and defense
highways; or
(2) load-restricted roads or bridges, including a road
or bridge for which a maximum weight and load limit has been
established and posted by the Texas Department of Transportation
under Section 621.102 or the commissioners court of a county under
Section 621.301.
(b) Subject to Section 623.406, a permit issued under this
subchapter authorizes the operation of a truck-tractor and
semitrailer combination only on highways and roads approved by the
Texas Department of Transportation.
Sec. 623.406. PERMIT CONDITIONS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Port authority" means a port authority or
navigation district created or operating under Section 52, Article
III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution.
(2) "Port of entry" has the meaning assigned by
Section 621.001.
(b) The transportation of a sealed intermodal shipping
container under a permit issued under this subchapter:
(1) must begin or end at a port authority or port of
entry that is located in a county contiguous to the Gulf of Mexico
or a bay or inlet opening into the gulf; and
(2) may not exceed 30 miles from the port authority or
port of entry and must be on a highway or road described by Section
623.405(b).
(c) In addition to the requirements of Subsection (b), the
intermodal shipping container must be continuously sealed from the
point of origin to the point of destination with a seal that is
required by:
(1) the United States Customs and Border Protection;
(2) the United States Food and Drug Administration; or
(3) federal law or regulation.
(d) A permit issued under this subchapter does not authorize
the transportation of a material designated as of January 1, 2017,
as a hazardous material by the United States secretary of
transportation under 49 U.S.C. Section 5103(a).
(e) A permit issued under this subchapter does not authorize
the transportation of a sealed intermodal shipping container in a
county that borders New Mexico and the United Mexican States.
Sec. 623.407. PERMIT STICKER. (a) When the department
issues a permit under this subchapter, the department shall issue a
sticker to be placed on the front windshield of the truck-tractor.
The department shall design the form of the sticker to aid in the
enforcement of weight limits.
(b) The sticker must:
(1) indicate the expiration date of the permit; and
(2) be removed from the truck-tractor when:
(A) the permit for operation of the truck-tractor
expires;
(B) a lease of the truck-tractor expires; or
(C) the truck-tractor is sold.
Sec. 623.408. PERMIT AND WEIGHT RECORD DOCUMENTS. (a) A
permit issued under this subchapter must be carried in the
truck-tractor for which the permit is issued.
(b) A copy of the weight record in the form prescribed by the
department must contain the information required by Section
621.410(c) and must be:
(1) carried in the truck-tractor if the truck-tractor
is:
(A) on a public highway or road; and
(B) transporting an intermodal shipping
container that contains cargo; and
(2) presented, on request, to an officer authorized to
enforce this subtitle, regardless of whether a weight record is
required under Section 621.410.
Sec. 623.409. OFFENSE. (a) A person commits an offense if
the person fails to:
(1) display the sticker described by Section
623.407(a) in the manner required by that section;
(2) carry a permit issued under this subchapter as
required by Section 623.408(a); or
(3) carry or present a weight record as required by
Section 623.408(b).
(b) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
Sec. 623.410. STUDY. Beginning in 2022, not later than
September 1 of each even-numbered year, the Texas Department of
Transportation shall conduct a study concerning vehicles operating
under a permit issued under this subchapter and publish the results
of the study. In conducting the study, the Texas Department of
Transportation shall collect and examine the following
information:
(1) the weight and configuration of vehicles operating
under a permit issued under this subchapter that are involved in a
motor vehicle accident;
(2) the types of vehicles operating under a permit
issued under this subchapter;
(3) traffic volumes and variations of vehicles
operating under a permit issued under this subchapter;
(4) weigh-in-motion data for highways and roads
located in and around the area described by Section 623.405(b);
(5) impacts to state and local bridges, including
long-term bridge performance, for bridges located in and around the
area described by Section 623.405(b); and
(6) impacts to state and local roads, including
changes in pavement design standards, construction specification
details, maintenance frequency and types, and properties of
pavement and underlying soils resulting from or necessitated by
vehicles operating under a permit issued under this subchapter.
Sec. 623.411. RULES. (a) The department shall adopt rules
necessary to implement this subchapter, including rules governing
the application for a permit under this subchapter.
(b) The Department of Public Safety shall adopt rules
requiring additional safety and driver training for permits issued
under this subchapter.
SECTION 4. Section 623.003(b), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(b) The Texas Department of Transportation shall provide
the department with all routing information necessary to complete a
permit issued under Section 623.071, 623.121, 623.142, [or]
623.192, or 623.402.
SECTION 5. Section 623.018(d), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(d) If a vehicle is being operated in compliance with [has]
a permit issued under Section 623.011 or 623.402, a commissioners
court may not:
(1) issue a permit under this section or charge an
additional fee for or otherwise regulate or restrict the operation
of the vehicle because of weight; or
(2) require the owner or operator to:
(A) execute or comply with a road use agreement
or indemnity agreement;
(B) [, to] make a filing or application; or
(C) [, or to] provide a bond or letter of credit,
other than the bond or letter of credit prescribed by Section
623.012 for a vehicle issued a permit under Section 623.011.
SECTION 6. Section 623.019(f), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(f) A justice or municipal court [of the peace] has
jurisdiction of an [any] offense under this section. [A municipal
court has jurisdiction of an offense under this section in which the
fine does not exceed $500.]
SECTION 7. Subchapter D, Chapter 623, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 623.070 to read as follows:
Sec. 623.070. NONAPPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This
subchapter does not apply to the transportation of an intermodal
shipping container as defined by Section 623.401, regardless of
whether the container is sealed or unsealed.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect January 1, 2018.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1524 passed the Senate on
April 10, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 26, Nays 5; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 16, 2017, by the
following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 5.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1524 passed the House, with
amendments, on May 11, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 83,
Nays 51, two present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor