BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1960 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 1960 (Lackey) - As Amended March 18, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Transportation |Vote:|15 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill excludes an agricultural vehicle, as defined, from the Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program conducted by the CHP. FISCAL EFFECT: Any costs to the CHP will be minor and absorbable. COMMENTS: AB 1960 Page 2 1)Background. The BIT program was implemented to ensure the safe operation of commercial vehicles by a motor carrier through the inspection of those vehicles at motor carrier terminals. AB 529 (Lowenthal), Chapter 500, Statutes of 2013, revised the BIT program to establish a performance-based model for motor carrier terminal inspections, moving away from inspections occurring once every 25 months to a model where regularly compliant motor carriers may be inspected only once every six years. Non-compliant carriers are targeted for additional inspections to ensure compliance. In switching to this performance-based system, more classifications of commercial motor vehicles were brought into the jurisdiction of BIT inspections, both increasing the number of vehicles inspected for safety by CHP and spreading program operating costs over a greater number of vehicles. Implementation of the revised BIT program began January 1, 2016, and annual fees start at $130 per terminal for the smallest fleet sizes. 2)Purpose. This bill exempts certain agriculture-related vehicles from being inspected under the BIT program. According to the author, BIT inspections of vehicle and vehicle combinations, including commonly-used pickup trucks and trailers used by farmers and ranchers in their commercial enterprises and as their personal vehicles, are time-consuming and a minor violation could lead to further enforcement, which may restrict an individual from operating a vehicle critical to his or her farming or ranching functions. The author argues, "Although the BIT program may be appropriate for California's for-hire semi-truck fleet, regulating small family farmers and ranchers using pickups to haul tractors, equipment or a handful of cows is simply unnecessary." While agricultural vehicles as defined by this bill would be exempt from BIT inspections, they would still be required to comply with numerous other commercial vehicle regulations, AB 1960 Page 3 including motor carrier permit requirements, commercial driver's license requirements, traveling through roadway inspection areas or scales, maintaining logbooks and tracking hours of service of operators, and paying weight fees. Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081