FIRST REGULAR SESSION

SENATE BILL NO. 487

90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


INTRODUCED BY SENATOR GRAVES.

Read 1st time February 24, 1999, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.



TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.

S2051.01I


AN ACT

To repeal section 304.180, RSMo 1994, relating to weight and size restrictions for motor vehicles, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to the same subject.


Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:

Section A.  Section 304.180, RSMo 1994, is repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 304.177 and 304.180, to read as follows:

304.177.  The provisions of sections 304.170 to 304.240 relating to height, width, weight, length and load restrictions shall not apply to any motor vehicle under contract for a governmental entity.

304.180.  1.  No vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be moved or operated on any [primary or interstate] highway in this state [plus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such highways,] having a greater weight than twenty thousand pounds on one axle, no combination of vehicles operated by transporters of general freight over regular routes as defined in section 390.020, RSMo, shall be moved or operated on any highway of this state having a greater weight than the vehicle manufacturer's rating on a steering axle with the maximum weight not to exceed twelve thousand pounds on a steering axle, and no vehicle shall be moved or operated on any [primary or interstate highways] highway of this state having a greater weight than thirty-four thousand pounds on any tandem axle; the term "tandem axle" shall mean a group of two or more axles, arranged one behind another, the distance between the extremes of which is more than forty inches and not more than ninety-six inches apart [and further provided, however, that when any vehicle or combination of vehicles with six axles which includes a tandem axle group as above defined and a group of three axles which are fully equalized, automatically or mechanically, and the distance between the center of the extremes of which does not exceed one hundred ten inches, the chief engineer of the Missouri state transportation department shall issue a special permit for the movement thereof, as provided in section 304.200, for twenty thousand pounds for each axle of the tandem axle group and for sixteen thousand pounds for each axle of the group of three fully equalized axles which are equalized, automatically or mechanically, when said vehicle or combination of vehicles is used to transport excavation or construction machinery or equipment, roadbuilding machinery or farm implements over routes in the primary system and other routes that are not a part of the interstate system of highways; provided, further, that the chief engineer of the Missouri state transportation department may issue permits on the interstate system].

2.  An "axle load" is defined as the total load transmitted to the road by all wheels whose centers are included between two parallel transverse vertical planes forty inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.

3.  Subject to the limit upon the weight imposed upon a [primary or interstate] highway of this state through any one axle or on any tandem axle, the total gross weight with load imposed [upon a primary or interstate highway, plus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such highways,] by any group of two or more consecutive axles of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall not exceed the maximum load in pounds as set forth in the following table:

Distance in feet between the extremes of any group of two or more consecutive axles, measured to the nearest foot, except where indicated otherwise

Maximum load in pounds

feet 2 axles 3 axles 4 axles 5 axles 6 axles

4 34,000

5 34,000

6 34,000

7 34,000

8 34,000 34,000

More than 8 38,000 42,000

9 39,000 42,500

10 40,000 43,500

11 40,000 44,000

12 40,000 45,000 50,000

13 40,000 45,500 50,500

14 40,000 46,500 51,500

15 40,000 47,000 52,000

16 40,000 48,000 52,500 58,000

17 40,000 48,500 53,500 58,500

18 40,000 49,500 54,000 59,000

19 40,000 50,000 54,500 60,000

20 40,000 51,000 55,500 60,500 66,000

21 40,000 51,500 56,000 61,000 66,500

22 40,000 52,500 56,500 61,500 67,000

23 40,000 53,000 57,500 62,500 68,000

24 40,000 54,000 58,000 63,000 68,500

25 40,000 54,500 58,500 63,500 69,000

26 40,000 55,500 59,500 64,000 69,500

27 40,000 56,000 60,000 65,000 70,000

28 40,000 57,000 60,500 65,500 71,000

29 40,000 57,500 61,500 66,000 71,500

30 40,000 58,500 62,000 66,500 72,000

31 40,000 59,000 62,500 67,500 72,500

32 40,000 60,000 63,500 68,000 73,000

33 40,000 60,000 64,000 68,500 74,000

34 40,000 60,000 64,500 69,000 74,500

35 40,000 60,000 65,500 70,000 75,000

36 60,000 66,000 70,500 75,500

37 60,000 66,500 71,000 76,000

38 60,000 67,500 72,000 77,000

39 60,000 68,000 72,500 77,500

40 60,000 68,500 73,000 78,000

41 60,000 69,500 73,500 78,500

42 60,000 70,000 74,000 79,000

43 60,000 70,500 75,000 80,000

44 60,000 71,500 75,500 80,000

45 60,000 72,000 76,000 80,000

46 60,000 72,500 76,500 80,000

47 60,000 73,500 77,500 80,000

48 60,000 74,000 78,000 80,000

49 60,000 74,500 78,500 80,000

50 60,000 75,500 79,000 80,000

51 60,000 76,000 80,000 80,000

52 60,000 76,500 80,000 80,000

53 60,000 77,500 80,000 80,000

54 60,000 78,000 80,000 80,000

55 60,000 78,500 80,000 80,000

56 60,000 79,500 80,000 80,000

57 60,000 80,000 80,000 80,000

Notwithstanding the above table, two consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand pounds each if the overall distance between the first and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem axles is thirty-six feet or more.

4.  [Subject to the limit upon the weight imposed upon a supplementary highway through any one axle which shall not have a weight greater than eighteen thousand pounds or on any tandem axle which shall not have a weight greater than thirty-two thousand pounds, the total gross weight with load imposed upon the supplementary highway by any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall not exceed the gross weight given for the respective distance between the first and last axle of a single motor vehicle or by the first axle of a motor vehicle and the last axle of the last vehicle in any combination of vehicles measured longitudinally to the nearest foot as set forth in the following table:

Distance in feet between the Maximum load in

extreme axles pounds

4 32,000

5 32,000

6 32,000

7 32,000

8 33,200

9 34,400

10 35,600

11 36,800

12 38,000

13 39,200

14 40,400

15 41,600

16 42,800

17 44,000

18 45,200

19 46,400

20 47,600

21 48,800

22 50,000

23 51,000

24 52,000

25 53,000

26 54,000

27 55,000

28 56,000

29 57,000

30 58,000

31 59,000

32 60,000

33 61,100

34 62,200

35 63,500

36 64,600

37 65,900

38 67,100

39 68,300

40 69,700

41 70,800

42 72,000

43 or over 73,280

5.  Provided, however, subject to the limit upon the weight imposed through any one axle, through any tandem axle, as provided in subsection 4 of this section, the total gross weight with load imposed upon any bridges generally considered by the state highways and transportation commission to be on the supplementary system or upon any bridges which are under the jurisdiction of and maintained by counties, townships or cities shall not exceed the gross weight given for the respective distance between the first and last axle of the total group of axles measured longitudinally to the nearest foot as set forth in the following table:

Distance in feet between Maximum load in

the extreme axles pounds

4 32,000

5 32,000

6 32,000

7 32,000

8 32,610

9 33,580

10 34,550

11 35,510

12 36,470

13 37,420

14 38,360

15 39,300

16 40,230

17 41,160

18 42,080

19 42,990

20 43,900

21 44,800

22 45,700

23 46,590

24 47,470

25 48,350

26 49,220

27 50,090

28 50,950

29 51,800

30 52,650

31 53,490

32 54,330

33 55,160

34 55,980

35 56,800

36 57,610

37 58,420

38 59,220

39 60,010

40 60,800

41 61,580

42 62,360

43 63,130

44 63,890

45 or over 64,650

The state highways and transportation commission, with respect to bridges on the supplementary system, or the person in charge of supervision or maintenance of the bridges on the county, township or city roads and streets may determine and by official order declare that certain designated bridges do not appear susceptible to unreasonable and unusual damage by reason of such higher weight limits and may legally be subjected to the higher limits in this section.] Whenever the state highways and transportation commission finds that any bridge in the state is in such condition that use thereof by vehicles of the weights specified in section 304.180 will endanger the bridge or users thereof, the commission may establish maximum weight and speed limits for vehicles using such bridge as is necessary to preserve the bridge and ensure the safety of bridge users.  Signs shall be posted at a conspicuous place at each end of the bridge to provide users notice of the weight and speed limits established by the commission.

[6.]  5.  Nothing in this section shall be construed as permitting lawful axle loads, tandem axle loads or gross loads in excess of those permitted under the provisions of Section 127 of Title 23 of the United States Code.

[7.  Additional routes may be designated by the state highways and transportation commission for movement or operation by vehicles or combinations of vehicles having the weights described in subsections 1 and 3 of this section.

8.]  6.  Notwithstanding the weight limitations contained in this section, any vehicle or combination of vehicles operating on highways other than the interstate highway system may exceed single axle, tandem axle and gross weight limitations in an amount not to exceed two thousand pounds.  However, total gross weight shall not exceed eighty thousand pounds.




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