BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1174|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 1174
Author: Walters (R), et al.
Amended: 6/27/12
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/24/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Rubio,
Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Pavley, Simitian
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 30-2, 5/21/12
AYES: Alquist, Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Calderon,
Cannella, De Le�n, DeSaulnier, Dutton, Emmerson, Fuller,
Gaines, Hancock, Hernandez, Huff, La Malfa, Leno, Lieu,
Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Price, Rubio,
Steinberg, Strickland, Vargas, Walters, Wright, Yee
NOES: Corbett, Evans
NO VOTE RECORDED: Correa, Harman, Kehoe, Pavley, Runner,
Simitian, Wolk, Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 8/21/12 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Vehicles: length limitations: motorsports
SOURCE : National Hot Rod Association
Professional Racer Owners Association
Western Motorsports
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DIGEST : This bill permits, until January 1, 2016,
extra-long semitrailers of up to 56 feet, if the
semitrailer is used primarily in connection with
motorsports.
Assembly Amendments authorize the Department of
Transportation (Caltrans), in consultation with the
California Highway Patrol (CHP), to designate specific
routes where the 56 foot motorsport vehicle combinations
can travel, require Caltrans 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, require that Caltrans, in consultation
with CHP, 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, and add a January
1, 2016 sunset.
ANALYSIS : Most large trucks 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 tractor truck. The distance from the
kingpin to the rear axle, referred to as KP-RA length,
determines the width of the turning radius of the
tractor-trailer combination. Generally, any increase in
the wheelbase of any vehicle in a combination of vehicles
will result in more roadway used to complete a turn.
On specified federal and state routes, existing law allows
semitrailers of up to 53 feet with a maximum KP-RA distance
for a semitrailer with two-axels of not more than 40 feet,
provided the truck tractor is pulling only the semitrailer.
Existing state law also authorizes the Department of
Transportation or a local authority, for highways under
their respective jurisdictions, to issue special permits
authorizing vehicle combinations consisting of a truck
tractor-semitrailer with a KP-RA distance of no more than
46 feet for vehicles used primarily in connection with
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motorsports. These semitrailers also may be up to 53 feet
in length, as existing federal law limits semitrailers in
California to a length of no more than 53 feet.
Existing law defines motorsports to mean an event, and all
activities leading up to that event, that an organization
of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United
States has sanctioned.
This bill:
1.Authorizes the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) and local authorities to permit a combination
of vehicles consisting of a truck tractor-semitrailer
with a length of not more than 56 feet as long as the
vehicle combination is used primarily in connection with
motorsports.
2.Authorizes Caltrans, in consultation with the CHP, to
designate specific routes where the 56 foot motorsport
vehicle combinations can travel.
3.Requires Caltrans 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.
4.Requires that Caltrans, in consultation with CHP, 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.
5.Sunsets the 56 foot motorsport vehicle combination
exemption on January 1, 2016.
6.Makes related, clarifying changes.
Background
California Highway Patrol (CHP) enforcement history .
Before 2005, law enforcement and CHP did not consistently
enforce the 53-foot limit on semitrailers related to
motorsports. After further review commenced under a new
commissioner, CHP officers began ticketing and impounding
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vehicles with semitrailers exceeding the 53 foot length
limit and have done so since 2005.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/22/12)
National Hot Rod Association (co-source)
Professional Racer Owners Organization (co-source)
Western Motorsports (co-source)
Alan Johnson Racing
Cruz Pedregon Racing
Don Schumacher Racing
T.W. Racing Inc.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office states that
even though motorsport trailers meet both weight and
kingpin to rear axle requirements, their overall length of
56 feet is 3 feet longer than state law allows. When law
enforcement measures and impounds these 56-foot trailers,
it costs racing teams tens of thousands of dollars and
gives them a disincentive to participate at events held in
California.
The author's office asserts that all other states offer
these motorsports trailers either an exemption or a
permitting process, or they simply withhold enforcement so
the trailers can operate within their jurisdictions.
Proponents contend that California is the only state that
intentionally fines and impounds these trailers for being
longer than the 53 feet and state that failure to change
the law could result in racing organizations and teams
pulling out of events in California to avoid the risk of
these costly regulations. This will have a negative impact
on any potential economic recovery and would also result in
General Fund revenue reductions.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 08/21/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
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Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson,
Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Furutani, Beth
Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Grove,
Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hill, Huber,
Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell,
Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan,
Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wagner, Wieckowski,
Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Fuentes, Roger Hern�ndez, Valadao
JJA:dn 8/22/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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