Senate Bill No. 32

(By Senators K. Facemyer and D. Facemire)

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[Introduced January 12, 2011; referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact §17C-17-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to increasing the maximum weight for six-axle tractor trailers.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That §17C-17-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 17. SIZE, WEIGHT AND LOAD.

§17C-17-9. Gross weight of vehicles and loads for the national system of interstate and defense highways.

    (a) It shall be is unlawful for any owner, lessee or borrower of a vehicle or combination of vehicles to operate on any national system of interstate and defense highways such the vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross weight in excess of the gross weight for which such the vehicle or combination of vehicles is registered or in excess of any weight limitation set forth in this chapter, whether such the limitation be is specifically stated in this chapter or set by express authority granted in this chapter.

    (b) Subject to the limit upon the weight imposed upon the highway through any one axle as set forth in section eight of this article, or the limit imposed upon the highway through any tandem-axle as set forth in section eight-a of this article, the total gross weight with load imposed upon the highway by any one group of two or more consecutive axles of a vehicle or combination of vehicles shall may 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:

    axles       2 axles  3 axles  4 axles  5 axles  6 axles

    4           34000

    5           34000

    6           34000

    7           34000

    8           34000    34000

    9           39000    42500

    10          40000    43500

    11                    44000

    12                    45000    50000

    13                    45500    50500

    14                    46500    51500

    15                    47000    52000

    16                    48000    52500    58000

    17                    48500    53500    58500

    18                    49500    54000    59000

    19                    50000    54500    60000

    20                    51000    55500    60500    66000

    21                    51500    56000    61000    66500

    22                    52500    56500    61500    67000

    23                    53000    57500    62500    68000

    24                    54000    58000    63000    68500

    25                    54500    58500    63500    69000

    26                    55500    59500    64000    69500

    27                    56000    60000    65000    70000

    28                    57000    60500    65500    71000

    29                    57500    61500    66000    71500

    30                    58500    62000    66500    72000

    31                    59000    62500    67500    72500

    32                    60000    63500    68000    73000

    33                              64000    68500    74000

    34                              64500    69000    74500

    35                              65500    70000    75000

    36                              66000    70500    75500

    37                              66500    71000    76000

    38                              67500    72000    77000

    39                              68000    72500    77500

    40                              68500    73000    78000

    41                              69500    73500    78500

    42                              70000    74000    79000

    43                              70500    75000    80000

    44                              71500    75500    80500

    45                              72000    76000    81000

    46                              72500    76500    81500

    47                              73500    77500    82000

    48                              74000    78000    83000

    49                              74500    78500    83500

    50                              75500    79000    84000

    51                              76000    80000    84500

    52                              76500    80500    85000

    53                              77500    81000    86000

    54                              78000    81500    86500

    55                              78500    82500    87000

    56                              79500    83000    87500

    57                              80000    83500    88000

    58                                        84000    89000

    59                                        85000    89500

    60                                        85500    90000

    Provided, That no a vehicle or combination of vehicles shall may not have a gross weight, including the load, in excess of sixty-five thousand pounds, except that the maximum gross weight of vehicles operating on the national system of interstate and defense highways and any highway providing reasonable access to and from terminals and facilities for food, fuel, repairs and rest within the state shall may not be in excess of eighty thousand pounds and except as otherwise provided in this article. Notwithstanding the limits prescribed in this subsection, two consecutive sets of tandem-axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand pounds each providing the overall distance between the first and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem-axles is thirty-six feet or more: Provided, however, That the limits prescribed in this subsection shall do not prohibit the operation of any vehicle or combination of vehicles of a type which could be lawfully operated in accordance with gross vehicle weights in effect on January 1, 1975: Provided further, That no maximum weight in excess of or in conflict with any weight limitations prescribed by or pursuant to any act of Congress shall may be permitted on the national system of interstate and defense highways.

    © Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, a tractor-semitrailer combination with six axles and two additional brakes is limited to a maximum gross weight of ninety-seven thousand pounds with a tolerance of ten percent.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the maximum weight amount for trucks equipped with six axles and two additional brakes to ninety-seven thousand pounds.

    Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.