BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1175 Page 1 Date of Hearing: June 23, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair SB 1175 (Walters) - As Amended: May 12, 2014 SENATE VOTE : 36-0 SUBJECT : Vehicles: length exemption: motorsports SUMMARY : Extends the sunset, from 2016 to 2018, on laws that allow extra-long semitrailers (up to 56 feet) used in connection with the motorsports industry to operate on certain roadways in California, updates field testing and other reporting requirements, and mandates specified highway improvements. Specifically, this bill : 1)Updates the requirement that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) conduct field tests of 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations used in connection with motorsports on transition routes in California connecting sanctioned motorsport racecourses to the national highway network (with the exception of the Pomona Raceway and the Sonoma Raceway, for which field tests are already completed). 2)Requires Caltrans to make the needed roadway improvements on transition routes as identified in the field tests for the Pomona and Sonoma Raceways on or before January 1, 2018. 3)Makes findings and declarations that Caltrans established existing transition routes to racecourses used for sanctioned motorsports events based on records from the 1990's. 4)Requires Caltrans to update transition routes to sanctioned motorsports events to reflect road projects completed since the 1990s and to update the transition routes every five years thereafter. 5)Requires Caltrans to develop new transition routes for the truck tractor semitrailer combinations for motorsport trucks with a trailer length of 56 feet. 6)Updates field test reporting requirements by requiring Caltrans to submit a report to the Legislature, no later than SB 1175 Page 2 January 1, 2017, that include the results of field testing movements of 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations on transition routes to and from sanctioned racecourses, an overview of roadway improvements that should be made on the transition routes to allow for safe passage of the 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations, and, in consultation with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), a recommendation as to whether the 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations should be reauthorized. 7)Makes the reporting requirement inoperative on January 1, 2019. 8)Extends the exemption for 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations to operate on designated routes until January 1, 2018. 9)Makes related technical, non-substantive changes. EXISTING LAW : 1)Permits extra-long semitrailers of up to 56 feet, if the semitrailer is used primarily in connection with motorsports on certain California roadways until January 1, 2016. 2)Required Caltrans, in consultation with California Highway Patrol (CHP), to conduct a field test of the 56 foot motorsport vehicle combinations to evaluate their performance on various segments of the National Network and transition routes and submit the results of the field test along with a recommendation on whether or not the 56 foot motorsport vehicle combinations should be reauthorized to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2014. 3)Provides, in accordance with federal law, that on the National Network and Terminal Access Routes, a semitrailer being towed by a motor truck or truck tractor may not exceed 53 feet long provided the distance from the KPRA (kingpin to rear axle) does not exceed 40 feet for semitrailers with 2 or more axles or 38 feet for semitrailers with one axle. 4)Authorizes Caltrans and local authorities to permit the operation of combination of vehicles consisting of a truck tractor semitrailer combination with a KPRA of up to 46 feet on trailers used exclusively or primarily in connection with SB 1175 Page 3 motorsports. 5)Specifies the Legislature's intent that by increasing the maximum permissible KPRA up to 46 feet for motorsport trucks does not demonstrate the Legislature's intent to set a precedent for future increases in truck size and length limitations. 6)Authorizes Caltrans and local jurisdictions, in consultation with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), to establish shorter KPRA distances than those authorized under existing law if it is determined that public safety considerations preclude the use of longer vehicles on portions of the state highway system under their jurisdiction. 7)Authorizes a local authority to condition the issuance of a special permits to establish reasonable controls on the allowable hours of operation of over length vehicles. 8)Defines motorsports as any event, and all activities leading up to that event, that is sanctioned under member organizations of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States. 9)Prohibits the Legislature from enacting legislation containing specific individual transportation projects. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill would result in one-time Caltrans costs of approximately $300,000 over two years to conduct field tests on the remaining 14 transition routes to sanctioned race tracks. Further, one-time Caltrans costs of up to $150,000 in 2016-17 to prepare a report to the Legislature that includes results of field tests on the remaining transition routes and an overview of necessary improvements identified and made as well as costs of approximately $300,000 in 2015-16 to update transition routes to reflect projects completed since the original routes were identified, and to develop new transition routes that could accommodate the vehicle-trailer combinations specified in this bill. These costs would be repeated every five years if the statute is re-authorized beyond the specified 2018 sunset date. Finally, unknown future cost pressures, likely in the millions, to make road improvements identified in the field testing of the remaining 14 transition routes. SB 1175 Page 4 COMMENTS : Most large vehicles on the highway are truck tractor-trailer combinations. Typically, a truck tractor pulls a semitrailer. A semitrailer is a trailer that is constructed so that some part of its weight and load rests upon or is carried by another vehicle, usually a truck tractor. A kingpin is the main pin used to connect a semitrailer to a truck tractor. The distance from the kingpin to the rear axle (KP-RA), determines the turning radius of the truck-semitrailer combination. An increase in the KP-RA distance results in the truck-semitrailer combination using more space to complete a turn. Thus, a semitrailer with a longer KP-RA distance is more likely to go into an adjacent lane when rounding a curve on a road. To account for this, existing law limits KP-RA length to 40 feet when the semitrailer has two rear axles, and provided the truck tractor is pulling only the semitrailer. Further existing law limits the semitrailer's total length to 53 feet. Until 2013, existing law allowed over-length semitrailers (those with a 46-foot KP-RA distance but an overall length of no more than 53 feet) used in motorsports to travel on specified roads with a Caltrans or a local road authority issued the vehicle a special trip permit. SB 1174 (Walters), Chapter 292, Statutes of 2012, deleted the authority of Caltrans or a local government to issue those permits. Instead, SB 1174 explicitly allowed, on specified federal and state routes and until January 1, 2016, semitrailers of up to 56 feet in length, if the distance from the KP-RA is not more than 46 feet and the semitrailer is used primarily in connection with motorsports. SB 1174 further required Caltrans to conduct field tests of these motorsport truck tractor-semitrailer combinations, and then by January 1, 2014, report to the Legislature on results of the tests and make recommendations, as to whether legislation should reauthorize the 56-foot trailer length. Caltrans issued this report on March 27 of this year. The Caltrans report presented the results of field tests that involved driving a truck-semitrailer combination with a 56-foot semitrailer length and a 46 foot KP-RA on roads leading to the Sonoma and Pomona raceways, referred to as transition routes as they serve as the transition from the interstate freeway to the racetrack. The report indicated that the vehicles remained in their lanes on the straight sections of roads, but sometimes SB 1175 Page 5 traveled into other lanes on freeway on/off ramps or when making turns. Because of the danger of a vehicle crossing into an adjacent lane, Caltrans, after consulting with CHP, recommended in the report that the Legislature only reauthorize the length exemption for motorsport truck-semitrailers, following completion of the following tasks: Field test all transition routes from freeways to race tracks . Noting that California has 16 sanctioned race tracks with authorized routes allowing access for motorsport trucks from the interstate, Caltrans recommends that sufficient time and resources be provided to test all of these to ascertain if these longer trailers can travel safely on the transition routes before authorizing these vehicles on them without the need for a permit. Make the needed roadway improvements identified in the field tests . Based on the field tests Caltrans has already conducted, the needed improvements on transition routes appear to be limited to restriping of roads to widen lanes or combine double turn lanes into single, wider lanes to accommodate the greater turning radii of the motorsport vehicles. Develop new transition routes . Caltrans notes that it established the existing transition routes based on records from the 1990s, so there is a need to update these to reflect road projects since then and should do so every five years. Proponents of this bill argue that motorsport racing events are a significant economic generators in the state, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs in the racing and manufacturing industries, and causing millions of dollars to be spent in the state's economy. The author notes that for years these nationwide organizations have used 56-foot racing trailers to transport their cars and equipment around the country. These trailers best serve the needs of racing teams and eliminate the need for them to add more vehicles and pollution to the state's highways and roads. The author asserts that every other state that hosts racing events provides these longer motorsports trailers an exemption, a permitting process, or a withholding of enforcement so they can operate within the state's jurisdiction. The author states that failure to extend the sunset date on the motorsport exemption could result in racing organizations and teams pulling SB 1175 Page 6 out of events in California to avoid the risk of these costly regulations. This would have a negative impact on the current economic recovery and would also result in revenue reductions to the General Fund. Allowing the continued operation of these semitrailers through 2018 would keep California in line with the rest of the country and encourage racing teams and organizations to continue bringing their business to California. An example of locations where similar exemptions have applied for over length trucks is on State Route (SR) 101, which has historically contained a number of tight curves that were difficult for long truck-trailer combinations to maneuver without crossing the centerline of the highway into oncoming traffic. While the curve correction projects were being completed, the Legislature continuously authorized over length cattle trailers to utilize the route, with certain restrictions, including the requirement that CHP, in consultation with Caltrans, conduct a comprehensive study of the effect of the exemption and make a recommendation to the Governor and the Legislature on whether the exemption should remain operative (SB 773, Wiggins, Chapter 440, Statutes of 2007). The studies prepared by CHP for the cattle truck exemption on SR 101, while it did note that allowing trucks to crossover into oncoming lanes was inherently unsafe, did not identify any accidents that occurred as a result of the exemption. Suggested amendments : Since the studies conducted on transition routes to two major raceways, showed that these longer trucks present a safety hazard (crossing over into oncoming traffic); efforts to protect public safety are needed. To ensure this, the author has agreed to amend the bill to require the 56-foot truck tractor semitrailer combinations, when traveling on transition routes to and from a sanctioned motorsports events, to obtain a special trip permit from Caltrans until field tests are finalized and any projects identified in the field studies are completed, making the route able safely accommodate the passage of these longer trucks. If a field study for a given transition route does not identify projects needed to allow the vehicles to travel safely, then Caltrans' issued special trip permits will not be needed on those particular transition routes. For the transition routes to the Pomona and Sonoma Raceways, field tests have already been conducted and do not need to be redone. However, since the field tests identified needed SB 1175 Page 7 roadway improvements, special trip permits issued by Caltrans for travel on these transition routes will be required until such time as the project identified in the field tests are completed. The bill, as amended in the Senate, requires that the work identified in the field studies for the Pomona and Sonoma Raceways be completed by Caltrans on or before January 1, 2018. While making these roadways safely accessible for these longer trailers is important, it would be presumptuous to presuppose that this work be prioritized over other safety projects that may be contemplated by Caltrans. Further, existing law prohibits the Legislature from enacting legislation containing specific individual projects. Therefore, the author has agreed to remove this provision from the bill. Previous legislation : SB 1174 (Walters, Chapter 292, Statutes of 2012) deleted the authority of Caltrans or a local government to issue those permits. Instead, SB 1174 explicitly allows, on specified federal and state routes and until January 1, 2016, semitrailers of up to 56 feet in length, if the distance from the KP-RA is not more than 46 feet and the semitrailer is used primarily in connection with motorsports. 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 provided the semi-trailer does not exceed a total of 48 feet. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support National Hot Rod Association (sponsor) Don Schumacher Racing Professional Racers Owners Association Sonoma Raceway Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by : Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319- 2093 SB 1175 Page 8