BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1175
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 6, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 1175 (Walters) - As Amended: June 25, 2014
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:13-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill extends provisions permitting the use of extra-long
tractor trailers in connection with the motorsports industry on
certain roadways providing access to raceways in the state.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Updates the requirement for Caltrans to conduct field tests of
56-foot tractor trailers for motorsports on all segments of
the national highway network and transition routes connecting
to motorsports racecourses.
2)Requires Caltrans to update transition routes for the 56-foot
trailers to reflect road projects completed since the 1990s,
update transition routes every five years thereafter, and
develop new transition routes.
3)Requires Caltrans to report to the Legislature by January 1,
2017 on the results of the field tests and related roadway
improvements identified and accomplished.
4)Strikes the January 1, 2016 sunset date on provisions allowing
the motorsports trailers on state highways and a transition
routes and instead requires Caltrans to issue permits allowing
trailers to use specific routes, unless the field tests
determine no additional projects are needed on that route or
until any identified projects are completed. Permits would no
longer be required after either condition is satisfied.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time special fund costs to Caltrans of $450,000 to
SB 1175
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complete the remaining field tests for 14 motorsports venues
and prepare the legislative report. Recurring costs of
$300,000 every five years thereafter to develop new routes and
re-examine existing routes.
2)Caltrans administrative costs to continue permitting
motorsports trailers will be covered by permit fees.
COMMENTS
Background and Purpose . On a truck-semitrailer combination, the
distance from the kingpin-the main pin used to connect a
semitrailer to a truck tractor to the rear axle
(KP-RA)-determines the turning radius of the vehicle. An
increase in the KP-RA distance results in the truck-semitrailer
combination using more space to complete a turn, thus making it
more likely to go into an adjacent lane when rounding a curve on
a road. Current law therefore limits KP-RA length to 40 feet
when the semitrailer has two rear axles, and provided the truck
tractor is pulling only the semitrailer. The semitrailer's
total length is further limited to 53 feet.
Until 2013, over-length semitrailers (those with a 46-foot KP-RA
distance but an overall length of no more than 56 feet) used in
connection with the motorsports industry could travel on
specified roads with a Caltrans or a local road authority-issued
special trip permit. SB 1174 (Walters)/Statutes of 2012, deleted
the permitting authority and instead explicitly allowed use of
these vehicles on specified federal and state routes until
January 1, 2016.
SB 1174 further required Caltrans to conduct field tests of
these motorsport truck tractor-semitrailer combinations, and 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 for transition routes to the Sonoma and Pomona Raceways
in March. The report indicated that the vehicles remained in
their lanes on the straight sections of roads, but sometimes
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 the CHP,
recommended the Legislature only reauthorize the length
exemption for motorsport truck-semitrailers, following
completion of the following:
SB 1175
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Field test all transition routes from freeways to all 16
California race tracks to determine if the 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 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 out of events in California.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081