Amended in Assembly June 25, 2014

Amended in Senate May 12, 2014

Amended in Senate April 29, 2014

Senate Bill No. 1175

Introduced by Senator Walters

February 20, 2014

An act to amend Section 35401.5 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1175, as amended, Walters. Vehicles: length limitations: motorsports.

Existing law generally prohibits a vehicle from exceeding a length of 40 feet, and a combination of vehicles from exceeding a total length of 65 feet, with various specific exceptions. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, exempts from these provisions a combination of vehicles consisting of a truck tractor semitrailer combination with a kingpin to rearmost axle measurement limit of not more than 46 feet, a trailer length of not more than 56 feet, and used exclusively or primarily in connection with motorsports, as defined.

This bill would extend the operation of that exemption begin delete to January 1, 2018 end delete begin insert indefinitely. In order to comply with the terms of that exemption, the bill would require a permit issued by the Department of Transportation for the operation of that combination of vehicles on a specific route end insert . The bill would require the Department of Transportation to conduct field tests of the truck tractor semitrailer combination for motorsport trucks with a trailer length of 56 feet to evaluate their performance on all segments of interstate highways and transition routes connecting to sanctioned motorsport begin delete racecourses, except for the Pomona Raceway and the Sonoma Raceway. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2018, the department to make the needed roadway improvements identified in the field tests and for the Pomona Raceway and the Sonoma Raceway to accommodate the truck tractor semitrailer combination for motorsport trucks with a trailer length of 56 feet. end delete begin insert racecourses. The bill would provide that a permit to operate the above-described combination of vehicles on a specific route would be required until either field tests by the Department of Transportation determine that no additional projects need to be performed on that particular route, or, if projects are required to be performed on the route, until those projects are completed. end insert The bill would require the department to update the transition routes to reflect road projects completed since the 1990s and to update the transition routes every 5 years thereafter. The bill would require the department to develop new transition routes for the truck tractor semitrailer combination for motorsport trucks with a trailer length of 56 feet. The bill would require, no later than January 1, 2017, the department to submit a report to the Legislature that includes the results of the field tests, an overview of the related roadway improvements identified and made, and, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, a recommendation as to whether the 56 foot trailer length should be reauthorized. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 35401.5 of the Vehicle Code is amended
to read:

35401.5.  

(a) A combination of vehicles consisting of a truck
tractor and semitrailer, or of a truck tractor, semitrailer, and trailer,
is not subject to the limitations of Sections 35400 and 35401, when
operating on the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of
Interstate and Defense Highways or when using those portions of
federal-aid primary system highways that have been qualified by
the United States Secretary of Transportation for that use, or when
using routes appropriately identified by the Department of
Transportation or local authorities as provided in subdivision (c)
or (d), if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The length of the semitrailer in exclusive combination with
a truck tractor does not exceed 48 feet. A semitrailer not more than
53 feet in length shall satisfy this requirement when configured
with two or more rear axles, the rearmost of which is located 40
feet or less from the kingpin or when configured with a single axle
which is located 38 feet or less from the kingpin. For purposes of
this paragraph, a motortruck used in combination with a semitrailer,
when that combination of vehicles is engaged solely in the
transportation of motor vehicles, camper units, or boats, is
considered to be a truck tractor.

(2) Neither the length of the semitrailer nor the length of the
trailer when simultaneously in combination with a truck tractor
exceeds 28 feet 6 inches.

(b) Subdivisions (b), (d), and (e) of Section 35402 do not apply
to combinations of vehicles operated subject to the exemptions
provided by this section.

(c) Combinations of vehicles operated pursuant to subdivision
(a) may also use highways not specified in subdivision (a) that
provide reasonable access to terminals and facilities for purposes
limited to fuel, food, lodging, and repair when that access is
consistent with the safe operation of the combinations of vehicles
and when the facility is within one road mile of identified points
of ingress and egress to or from highways specified in subdivision
(a) for use by those combinations of vehicles.

(d) The Department of Transportation or local authorities may
establish a process whereby access to terminals or services may
be applied for upon a route not previously established as an access
route. The denial of a request for access to terminals and services
shall be only on the basis of safety and an engineering analysis of
the proposed access route. If a written request for access has been
properly submitted and has not been acted upon within 90 days of
receipt by the department or the appropriate local agency, the
access shall be deemed automatically approved. Thereafter, the
route shall be deemed open for access by all other vehicles of the
same type regardless of ownership. In lieu of processing an access
application, the Department of Transportation or local authorities
with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions may
provide signing, mapping, or a listing of highways as necessary
to indicate the use of specific routes as terminal access routes. For
purposes of this subdivision, “terminal” means either of the
following:

(1) A facility where freight originates, terminates, or is handled
in the transportation process.

(2) A facility where a motor carrier maintains operating
facilities.

(e) Nothing in subdivision (c) or (d) authorizes state or local
agencies to require permits of terminal operators or to charge
terminal operators fees for the purpose of attaining access for
vehicles described in this section.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (d), the limitations of access
specified in that subdivision do not apply to licensed carriers of
household goods when directly en route to or from a point of
loading or unloading of household goods, if travel on highways
other than those specified in subdivision (a) is necessary and
incidental to the shipment of the household goods.

(g) (1) Notwithstanding Sections 35400 and 35401, a
combination of vehicles consisting solely of a truck tractor
semitrailer combination with a kingpin to rearmost axle
measurement limit of not more than 46 feet, a trailer length of not
more than 56 feet, and used exclusively or primarily in connection
with motorsports, may operate on the routes identified in
subdivision (a) as well as on any other routes authorized for that
purpose by the Department of Transportation in consultation with
the Department of the California Highway Patrol begin insert , when issued a
permit as set forth in paragraph (3) end insert . As used in this subdivision,
“motorsports” means an event, and all activities leading up to that
event, including, but not limited to, administration, testing, practice,
promotion, and merchandising, that is sanctioned under the
auspices of the member organizations of the Automobile
Competition Committee for the United States.

(2) (A) The Department of Transportation shall conduct field
tests of the truck tractor semitrailer combination authorized under
paragraph (1) for motorsport trucks with a trailer length of 56 feet
to evaluate their performance on all segments of the National
Network and transition routes connecting to sanctioned motorsport
begin delete racecourses, except for the Pomona Raceway and the Sonoma
Raceway end delete begin insert racecourses end insert .

begin delete

(B) On or before January 1, 2018, the Department of
Transportation shall make the needed roadway improvements
identified in the field tests and for the Pomona Raceway and the
Sonoma Raceway, to accommodate the truck tractor semitrailer
combination authorized under paragraph (1).

end delete begin delete

(C)

end delete

begin insert (B) end insert  (i) The Legislature finds and declares that the Department
of Transportation established the existing transition routes
described in subparagraph (A) based on records from the 1990s.

(ii) The Department of Transportation shall update the transition
routes to reflect road projects completed since the 1990s and shall
update the transition routes every five years thereafter.

(iii) The Department of Transportation shall develop new
transition routes for the truck tractor semitrailer combination
authorized under paragraph (1) for motorsport trucks with a trailer
length of 56 feet.

begin delete

(D)

end delete

begin insert (C) end insert  The Department of Transportation shall, no later than
January 1, 2017, submit a report to the Legislature, in compliance
with Section 9795 of the Government Code, that includes the
results of the field tests, an overview of the related roadway
improvements identified and made, and, in consultation with the
Department of the California Highway Patrol, a recommendation
as to whether the 56 foot trailer length should be reauthorized.

begin delete

(E)

end delete

begin insert (D) end insert  Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code,
the requirement for submitting a report under this paragraph is
inoperative on January 1, 2019.

begin delete

(3) The authority conferred by this subdivision remains operative
only until January 1, 2018.

end delete begin insert

(3) (A) Permits for a combination of vehicles consisting solely
of a truck tractor semitrailer combination with a kingpin to
rearmost axle measurement limit of not more than 46 feet, a trailer
length of not more than 56 feet, for use exclusively or primarily
in connection with motorsports, to operate on the routes identified
in subdivision (a) as well as on any other routes authorized for
that purpose, as provided in paragraph (1), shall be issued by the
Department of Transportation, pursuant to Article 6 (commencing
with Section 35780) of Chapter 5. Permits shall be required to be
issued for travel on a specific route until either field tests by the
Department of Transportation determine that no additional projects
need to be performed on that route, or, if projects are required to
be performed on the route, until those projects are completed.

end insert begin insert

(B) Upon a determination based on field tests that no projects
need to be performed on a specific route, or upon completion of
projects for that route, permits for the operation of vehicles as
described in subparagraph (A) shall no longer be required.

end insert

(h) The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:

(1) In authorizing the use of 53-foot semitrailers, it is the intent
of the Legislature to conform with Section 31111(b)(1)(C) of Title
49 of the United States Code by permitting the continued use of
semitrailers of the dimensions as those that were in actual and legal
use on December 1, 1982, and does not intend this action to be a
precedent for future increases in the parameters of any of those
vehicles that would adversely affect the turning maneuverability
of vehicle combinations.

(2) In authorizing the department to issue special transportation
permits for motorsports, it is the intent of the Legislature to
conform with Section 31111(b)(1)(F) of Title 49 of the United
States Code. It is also the intent of the Legislature that this action
not be a precedent for future increases in the distance from the
kingpin to the rearmost axle of semitrailers and trailers that would
adversely affect the turning maneuverability of vehicle
combinations.