Senate Bill No. 649

Introduced by Senator Roth

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 35551 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 649, as introduced, Roth. Vehicles: weight limits.

Existing law generally prohibits the total gross weight in pounds imposed on the highway by a group of 2 or more consecutive axles of a vehicle from exceeding a specified weight, depending on the distance in feet between the extremes of a group of 2 or more consecutive axles, and the number of axles.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

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

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 35551 of the Vehicle Code is amended
to read:

35551.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section or
Section 35551.5, the total gross weight in pounds imposed on the
highway by begin delete any end delete begin insert a end insert group of two or more consecutive axles shall
not exceed that given for the respective distance in the following
table:

 

Distance in feet between the extremes of any group of 2 or more consecutive
axles	2 axles	3 axles	4 axles	5 axles	6 axles
4	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000
5	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000
6	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000
7	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000
8	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000	34,000
9	39,000	42,500	42,500	42,500	42,500
10	40,000	43,500	43,500	43,500	43,500
11	40,000	44,000	44,000	44,000	44,000
12	40,000	45,000	50,000	50,000	50,000
13	40,000	45,500	50,500	50,500	50,500
14	40,000	46,500	51,500	51,500	51,500
15	40,000	47,000	52,000	52,000	52,000
16	40,000	48,000	52,500	52,500	52,500
17	40,000	48,500	53,500	53,500	53,500
18	40,000	49,500	54,000	54,000	54,000
19	40,000	50,000	54,500	54,500	54,500
20	40,000	51,000	55,500	55,500	55,500
21	40,000	51,500	56,000	56,000	56,000
22	40,000	52,500	56,500	56,500	56,500
23	40,000	53,000	57,500	57,500	57,500
24	40,000	54,000	58,000	58,000	58,000
25	40,000	54,500	58,500	58,500	58,500
26	40,000	55,500	59,500	59,500	59,500
27	40,000	56,000	60,000	60,000	60,000
28	40,000	57,000	60,500	60,500	60,500
29	40,000	57,500	61,500	61,500	61,500
30	40,000	58,500	62,000	62,000	62,000
31	40,000	59,000	62,500	62,500	62,500
32	40,000	60,000	63,500	63,500	63,500
33	40,000	60,000	64,000	64,000	64,000
34	40,000	60,000	64,500	64,500	64,500
35	40,000	60,000	65,500	65,500	65,500
36	40,000	60,000	66,000	66,000	66,000
37	40,000	60,000	66,500	66,500	66,500
38	40,000	60,000	67,500	67,500	67,500
39	40,000	60,000	68,000	68,000	68,000
40	40,000	60,000	68,500	70,000	70,000
41	40,000	60,000	69,500	72,000	72,000
42	40,000	60,000	70,000	73,280	73,280
43	40,000	60,000	70,500	73,280	73,280
44	40,000	60,000	71,500	73,280	73,280
45	40,000	60,000	72,000	76,000	80,000
46	40,000	60,000	72,500	76,500	80,000
47	40,000	60,000	73,500	77,500	80,000
48	40,000	60,000	74,000	78,000	80,000
49	40,000	60,000	74,500	78,500	80,000
50	40,000	60,000	75,500	79,000	80,000
51	40,000	60,000	76,000	80,000	80,000
52	40,000	60,000	76,500	80,000	80,000
53	40,000	60,000	77,500	80,000	80,000
54	40,000	60,000	78,000	80,000	80,000
55	40,000	60,000	78,500	80,000	80,000
56	40,000	60,000	79,500	80,000	80,000
57	40,000	60,000	80,000	80,000	80,000
58	40,000	60,000	80,000	80,000	80,000
59	40,000	60,000	80,000	80,000	80,000
60	40,000	60,000	80,000	80,000	80,000

 

(b) In addition to the weights specified in subdivision (a), two
consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross weight of
34,000 pounds each if the overall distance between the first and
last axles of the consecutive sets of tandem axles is 36 feet or more.
The gross weight of each set of tandem axles shall not exceed
34,000 pounds begin insert , end insert and the gross weight of the two consecutive sets
of tandem axles shall not exceed 68,000 pounds.

(c) The distance between axles shall be measured to the nearest
whole foot. When a fraction is exactly six inches, the next larger
whole foot shall be used.

(d) Nothing contained in this section shall affect the right to
prohibit the use of any highway begin delete or any end delete begin insert , end insert bridge begin insert , end insert or other structure
thereon in the manner and to the extent specified in Article 4
(commencing with Section 35700) and Article 5 (commencing
with Section 35750) of this chapter.

(e) The gross weight limits expressed by this section and Section
35550 shall include all enforcement tolerances.