BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: ab 64
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: donnelly
VERSION: 7/1/13
Analysis by: Carrie Cornwell FISCAL: YES
Hearing date: July 9, 2013
SUBJECT:
Fifth-wheel travel trailers
DESCRIPTION:
This bill permits a fifth-wheel travel trailer to be up to 48
feet in length.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law defines a "fifth-wheel travel trailer" as a vehicle
designed for recreational purposes to carry persons or property
on its own structure and to be drawn by a motor vehicle by means
of a kingpin connecting device. A kingpin is the main pin used
to connect a semitrailer or fifth-wheel trailer to a truck,
which in the case of a fifth-wheel travel trailer is usually a
pickup.
The distance from the kingpin to the rear axle, referred to as
KP-RA length , determines the width of the turning radius of a
truck-trailer combination. Generally, any increase in the
wheelbase of any vehicle in a combination of vehicles will
result in the vehicle combination using more of a road to
complete a turn.
State law limits the length of any vehicle to 40 feet, with
specified exceptions, including semitrailers being towed by a
truck. Semitrailers may be of any length, provided that the
KP-RA length does not exceed 40 feet. Because fifth-wheel
travel trailers are defined as vehicles and not as semitrailers,
state law limits them to no more the 40 feet in length.
This bill makes an exception to the vehicle length limits for
fifth-wheel travel trailers, allowing them to be up to 48 feet
in length provided the KP-RA distance is no more than 40 feet.
The bill requires that a fifth-wheel manufacturer include the
overall length of the fifth-wheel travel trailer in the delivery
AB 64 (DONNELLY) Page 2
documents it provides to a dealer. If the manufacturer fails to
do so, the dealer may reject acceptance of the trailer.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . Persons who buy fifth-wheel travel trailers of
greater than 40 feet in length cannot register them with the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and therefore, not use
them legally in California. DMV directs these customers to
contact the dealers from whom they bought the fifth-wheel
travel trailers. In turn, the Recreational Vehicle Industry
Association, which represents fifth-wheel manufacturers,
sought this bill to make those longer travel trailers legal.
2.Semitrailers vs. fifth-wheel travel trailers . Because a
fifth-wheel is simply a semitrailer that serves a recreational
purpose, it is unclear why current law treats them differently
than other semitrailers. In fact, the California Highway
Patrol reports that for enforcement purposes, it does not cite
fifth-wheel travel trailers of greater than 40 feet for length
limit violations, unless they exceed the 40-foot KP-RA length.
This bill clearly conforms state law with that practice and
will also enable DMV to register these trailers.
3.Technical amendments .
On page 3, line 7, delete "centerline of the"
On page 3, line 10, after "length" insert "and kingpin
to rear axle distance"
Assembly Votes:
Assembly Votes are not relevant.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday, July 3,
2013.)
SUPPORT: Recreational Vehicle Industry Association
(sponsor)
OPPOSED: None received.
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