2011 WISCONSIN ACT 243
An Act to repeal 348.07 (2) (gr), 348.07 (2) (i), 348.26 (5) and 348.27 (13); and to amend 194.32, 348.05 (2) (f), 348.07 (1), 348.07 (2) (fs), 348.07 (2) (g), 348.07 (2) (gv), 348.07 (2) (h), 348.07 (4), 348.07 (4m), 348.08 (1) (a), 348.25 (4) (intro.) and 348.28 (1) of the statutes; relating to: the length of vehicles that may be operated on a highway and granting rule-making authority.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
194.32 Buses, restrictions. No common motor carrier of passengers shall operate any passenger-carrying bus over any public highway of this state with any trailer or semitrailer attached except for an articulated bus as defined in s. 340.01 (2m). Except for an articulated bus as defined in s. 340.01 (2m) which may be 65 feet in length, no No interurban motor bus which exceeds 45 feet in length or 8 feet 6 inches in width or is of a double-decked open-roof design shall be operated upon the public highways under the authority of this chapter. As used in this section an interurban motor bus is deemed to be of a "double-decked open-roof design" when passengers are carried therein on an upper level throughout the length of the bus over passengers on a lower level throughout the length of the bus and the bus roof does not extend throughout the length of the bus or is not permanently enclosed with rigid construction.
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Section
2. 348.05 (2) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.05 (2) (f) Eight feet 8 inches for urban passenger buses and 8 feet 6 inches for interurban passenger buses.
348.07 (1) No person, without a permit therefor, may operate on a highway any single vehicle with an overall length in excess of 45 feet or any combination of 2 vehicles with an overall length in excess of 65 70 feet, except as otherwise provided in subs. (2) and, (2a), and (4m) and s. 348.08 (1).
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4. 348.07 (2) (fs) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07 (2) (fs) 75 feet for a tractor-semitrailer combination that is operated on any part of the state trunk highway system, except as provided in par. (f) or sub. (4m).
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Section
5. 348.07 (2) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07 (2) (g) 48 feet for a semitrailer or trailer operated as part of a 2-vehicle combination, except as provided in par. (gr) or (gv).
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Section
6. 348.07 (2) (gr) of the statutes is repealed.
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7. 348.07 (2) (gv) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07 (2) (gv) 53 feet for a semitrailer whose length from kingpin to axle does not exceed 43 feet and which is operated as part of a 2-vehicle combination on any part of the state trunk highway system, except as provided in par. (gr) or sub. (4m). The length limits in this paragraph do not apply to a trailer or a semitrailer that is authorized to operate under par. (im).
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8. 348.07 (2) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07 (2) (h) 65 Sixty-six feet for articulated buses operated in urban areas.
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9. 348.07 (2) (i) of the statutes is repealed.
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10. 348.07 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07
(4) The secretary shall, by rule, designate the highways to which sub. (2) (f), (fm),
and (gm)
, and (gr) and s. 348.08 (1) (e) apply. The designation of highways under this subsection may not be inconsistent with the designation of highways made by the U.S. secretary of transportation under P.L.
97-424, section 411. The secretary may also designate additional highways by rule. In adopting a rule designating other highways, which may include 2-lane highways, the secretary shall specify the factors which resulted in the determination to designate the highways. These factors shall include, but are not limited to, safety, economics, energy savings, industry productivity and competition. Vehicles to which sub. (2) (f), (fm),
and (gm)
, and (gr) and s. 348.08 (1) (e) apply may also operate on highways not designated under this subsection for a distance of 15 miles or less in order to obtain access to a highway designated under this subsection or to reach fuel, food, maintenance, repair, rest, staging, terminal or vehicle assembly facilities or points of loading or unloading. The secretary may, by rule, designate an access route of more than 15 miles from a highway designated under this subsection when the longer route provides safer and better access to a location which is within the 15-mile limit. Household goods carriers may operate between highways designated under this subsection and points of loading and unloading.
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Section
11. 348.07 (4m) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.07 (4m) The secretary shall, by rule, designate those parts of the state trunk highway system to which sub. (2) (fs) and (gv) do not apply. For each part of the state trunk highway system designated under this subsection, the secretary shall specify the factors that resulted in the determination to designate the part as not suitable to accommodate vehicle lengths as specified in sub. (2) (fs) and (gv). The secretary may, by rule, establish exceptions to the vehicle-combination length limitation specified in sub. (1), including establishing any greater or lesser length limitation than that specified in sub. (1), with respect to specific types of vehicles identified by the secretary or highways designated by the secretary, but the secretary may not establish under this subsection any length limitation inconsistent with sub. (2) or (2a) or s. 348.08 (1).
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12. 348.08 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
348.08 (1) (a) Two or 3 vehicles may, without such permit, be drawn or attached when such vehicles are being transported by the drive-away method in saddlemount combination and the overall length of such combination of vehicles does not exceed 65 75 feet.
348.25 (4) (intro.) Except as provided under s. 348.26 (4), (5), (6), or (7) or 348.27 (3), (3m), (4m), (9), (9m), (9r), (9t), (10), (12), (13), (15), or (16), or (18) permits shall be issued only for the transporting of a single article or vehicle which exceeds statutory size, weight or load limitations and which cannot reasonably be divided or reduced to comply with statutory size, weight or load limitations, except that:
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14. 348.26 (5) of the statutes is repealed.
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Section
15. 348.27 (13) of the statutes is repealed.
348.28 (1) Permits issued under ss. 348.25, 348.26 and 348.27 and (16) shall be carried on the vehicle during operations so permitted.
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Section
17.
Initial applicability.
(1) This act first applies to vehicles operated on the effective date of this subsection.
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18.
Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after publication.
