SB506: Bill Text

LRB-3968/1

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2003 - 2004 LEGISLATURE

2003 Senate BILL 506

February 27, 2004 - Introduced by Senators Zien and Schultz, cosponsored by Representatives Suder, Hines, Townsend and Albers. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Information Infrastructure.

SB506,1,3 An Act to create 348.15 (3) (bt) of the statutes; relating to: permitting vehicles that are hauling road building and maintenance materials to exceed weight limits on certain highways.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, with limited exceptions, no person may operate upon a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceeds certain statutory weight limits unless that person obtains a permit issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Certain exceptions allow a vehicle or a combination of vehicles that is transporting exclusively milk under specified circumstances, peeled or unpeeled forest products cut crosswise, or scap metal, or that is used primarily for the transportation of septage, to operate without a permit on certain highways at different, higher per-axle weight limits if the vehicle or combination of vehicles does not exceed a gross weight of 80,000 pounds. A vehicle or combination of vehicles operating under any of these exceptions may not operate without a permit on Class B highways or on the national system of interstate and defense highways, except for the portion of I 39 between USH 51 and I 90/94.

This bill allows a vehicle or a combination of vehicles that is used primarily for the transportation of road building and maintenance materials to operate without a permit on certain highways at different, higher per-axle weight limits if the vehicle or combination of vehicles does not exceed a gross weight of 80,000 pounds. The bill does not allow these vehicles to operate without a permit on Class B highways or on the national system of interstate and defense highways, except for the portion of I 39 between USH 51 and I 90/94.

Because this bill concerns an exception to the vehicle weight limits specified in ch. 348, stats., the Department of Transportation, as required by law, will prepare a report to be printed as an appendix to this bill.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB506, s. 1 Section 1. 348.15 (3) (bt) of the statutes is created to read:

SB506,2,4 348.15 (3) (bt) 1. In this paragraph, "road building and maintenance material" means any material that will be used in construction, repair, or maintenance of roads, including highway salt.

SB506,2,15 2. Notwithstanding pars. (a), (b), and (c), in the case of a vehicle or combination of vehicles used primarily for the transportation of road building and maintenance materials, the gross weight imposed on the highway by the wheels of any one axle may not exceed 21,500 pounds or, for 2 axles 8 or less feet apart, 37,000 pounds or, for groups of 3 or more consecutive axles more than 9 feet apart, a weight of 4,000 pounds more than is shown in par. (c) or, for groups of 4 or more consecutive axles more than 10 feet apart, a weight of 6,000 pounds more than is shown in par. (c) or, for groups of 5 or more consecutive axles more than 14 feet apart, a weight of 7,000 pounds more than is shown in par. (c), but not to exceed 80,000 pounds. This paragraph does not apply to the national system of interstate and defense highways, except for that portion of I 39 between USH 51 and I 90/94.

SB506,2,16 (End)