BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1101 Page 1 Date of Hearing: January 13, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair AB 1101 (Chesbro) - As Amended: January 6, 2014 SUBJECT : Vehicles: length exemption SUMMARY : Extends the vehicle length exemption for specified livestock carriers on portions of State Route 101 (SR 101) in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino Counties from 2015 to 2020; amends other, related provisions accordingly. EXISTING LAW : 1)Provides, until January 1, 2015, that a vehicle length exemption for cattle hauling trucks using SR 101 in Del Norte, Humboldt, and Mendocino Counties is in effect provided the travel is incidental to the shipment of livestock. The exemption does not apply to travel on the day prior to or the day of any federally recognized holiday and applies only to trucks meeting all of the following criteria: a) The length of the truck tractor and semitrailer shall not exceed 70 feet; b) The distance from kingpin to the rearmost axle (KP-RA) does not exceed 43 feet; and, c) The total length of the semitrailer does not exceed 48 feet. 1)Specifies that, if prior to January 1, 2012, the Director of the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) determines that the only adjustment to SR 101 to accommodate trucks sizes, as specified in the exemption, is the removal of any tree with a diameter of 42 inches or greater, measured outside the bark, at 12 inches above the ground on the side adjacent to the highest ground level, the Director shall notify the Secretary of State. 2)Specifies that, prior to January 1, 2015, if the Director of Caltrans determines that safety improvements to the specified portion of SR 101 have resulted in reclassification of the entire segment as a terminal access route, the Director shall AB 1101 Page 2 notify the Secretary of State of that determination. FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown COMMENTS : The original sunset date of this exemption has been extended multiple times in order to accommodate the transport of livestock through this specific region. SR 101 is the primary north-south route serving the north coast of California and has historically contained a number of tight curves that were difficult for long truck-trailer combinations to maneuver without crossing over the centerline of the highway. In addition to extending the sunset date, previous legislation also required the California Highway Patrol (CHP), in consultation with Caltrans, to report to the Legislature on the public safety impacts of the exemption. KP-RA length requirements for semitrailers that operate on the state highway system have been extensively studied and evaluated over time. A kingpin is the main pin used to connect a semitrailer to a truck tractor. KP-RA distance 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, thus potentially encroaching into adjacent lanes, damaging curbs or road fixtures, or compromising the safety of other motorists. In order to accurately assess the impact of a semi-trailer with a specific KP-RA on the state highway system, Caltrans utilizes an off-tracking computer model program. The off-tracking computer model program provides the maximum swept width (msw) for a vehicle through a turn. An "msw" is defined as the maximum lateral dimension between the path described by the front axle wheel located on the outside of the curve and the non-circular path on the rearmost axle wheel located on the inside of a curve. The turning characteristics of vehicle combinations are quantifiable and can be used as a measure of compatibility between vehicle size and roadway geometry. In 1989 Caltrans conducted a study entitled "Truck Kingpin-To-Rear Axle Length State Highway System Evaluation" as required by SB 2232 (McCorquodale), Chapter 1378, Statutes of 1986. In the study, Caltrans warned that out of the 15,166 total miles of state highway: AB 1101 Page 3 1) 22% (3,364 miles) could not accommodate trucks with 40 foot KP-RA lengths. 2) 21% (3,185 miles) could not accommodate trucks with 38 foot KP-RA lengths. 3) 18.6% (2,831) miles could not accommodate trucks with 30 foot KP-RA lengths. The results of the Caltrans study identified three segments of SR 101 in Mendocino and Humboldt counties as being inadequate to accommodate a truck tractor and semitrailer combination with a 40-foot KP-RA length. Since these restrictions have been identified, Caltrans has been working on improving the road conditions of these segments, totaling approximately 33.4 miles, to allow longer truck tractor-semitrailer combinations to safely operate within this region. To date, projects on two of the three segments have been completed including the Big Lagoon Widening Project (completed February 2008) and the Confusion Hill Realignment Project (completed October 2009). The remaining section needing repair is a segment of SR 101 passing through Richardson Grove State Park. This 1.1-mile improvement project has been previously postponed due to a number of environmental lawsuits. However, Caltrans has either prevailed or taken the appropriate actions in response to these lawsuits and is gearing up to submit the final environmental review. Once work begins, which is projected to start sometime during summer 2014, the Richardson Grove project is anticipated to be completed within two years. Once this project is completed, the need for the exemption provided to licensed carriers of livestock will no longer be required. Lastly, in the most recent report issued by CHP to the Legislature related to this exemption (issued January 2011), CHP found that there have been no collisions or incidents related to the truck length exemption within this region. Author's amendment : The author intends to amend this bill to allow the sunset to expire upon completion of the Richardson Grove project. Over the past 15 years, multiple bills have been passed by the Legislature to extend and study this KP-RA exemption. Over this period, CHP has not reported on any major accidents or incidents related to this exemption. Accordingly, with the final project expected to be completed within the next AB 1101 Page 4 two years, this amendment will provide the assurance that the exemption will remain in statute until no longer needed for this region. Due to legislative deadlines, the author intends to take these amendments in the Appropriations Committee, assuming the bill successfully passes out of this committee. Previous legislation: AB 349 (Chesbro), Chapter 172, Statutes of 2011, extended the sunset date of the vehicle length exemption for livestock carriers until January 1, 2015 in the counties of Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino. SB 773 (Wiggins), Chapter 440, Statutes of 2007, expanded the exemption to length limitations, until January 1, 2012, for livestock carriers to semi-trailers up to 43 feet provided the semi-trailer does not exceed a total of 48 feet. SB 1224 (Chesbro), Chapter 449, Statutes of 2006, extended the sunset date until 2012, and required CHP to continue the comprehensive study of the effect of the exemption on public safety and to make recommendations on future exemptions by January 1, 2011. SB 127 (Chesbro), Chapter 188, Statutes of 2003, extended the sunset date until January 1, 2007, and required CHP to conduct a third study on the safety impacts, which was issued on March 20, 2006. AB 220 (Strom-Martin), Chapter 413, Statutes of 2001, continued the exemption until January 1, 2004 and instructed the CHP to conduct a second study on the possible safety impacts, which was never issued. AB 1474 (Cardoza), Chapter 911, Statutes of 1999, added one more year to the exemption, and gave CHP until July 1, 2001 to complete the study and report to the Legislature. AB 2426 (Strom-Martin), Chapter 711, Statutes of 1998, created a two-year exemption, until January 1, 2000, to permit livestock carriers to travel on portions of SR 101 and required the CHP to conduct a study on the possible safety impacts of the exemption. AB 1101 Page 5 REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support California Cattlemen's Association (Co-sponsor) County of Humboldt (Co-sponsor) Rural County Representative of California Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093