HOUSE BILL No. 5337 October 24, 2001, Introduced by Rep. Gilbert and referred to the Committee on Transportation. A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled "Michigan vehicle code," by amending section 722 (MCL 257.722), as amended by 2000 PA 6. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 722. (1) The maximum axle load shall not exceed the 2 number of pounds designated in the following provisions that pre- 3 scribe the distance between axles: 4 (a) If the axle spacing is 9 feet or more between axles, the 5 maximum axle load shall not exceed 18,000 pounds for vehicles 6 equipped with high pressure pneumatic or balloon tires. 7 (b) If the axle spacing is less than 9 feet between 2 axles 8 but more than 3-1/2 feet, the maximum axle load shall not exceed 9 13,000 pounds for high pressure pneumatic or balloon tires. 10 (c) If the axles are spaced less than 3-1/2 feet apart, the 11 maximum axle load shall not exceed 9,000 pounds per axle. 04844'01 * TJS 2 1 (d) Subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) shall be known as the 2 normal loading maximum. 3 (2) When normal loading is in effect, the state transporta- 4 tion department, or a local authority with respect to highways 5 under its jurisdiction, may designate certain highways, or sec- 6 tions of those highways, where bridges and road surfaces are ade- 7 quate for heavier loading, and revise a designation as needed, on 8 which the maximum tandem axle assembly loading shall not exceed 9 16,000 pounds for any axle of the assembly, if there is no other 10 axle within 9 feet of any axle of the assembly. 11 (3)Except as provided in subsection (10), onON a legal 12 combination of vehicles, only 1 tandem axle assembly shall be 13 permitted on the designated highways at the gross permissible 14 weight of 16,000 pounds per axle, if there is no other axle 15 within 9 feet of any axle of the assembly, and if no other tandem 16 axle assembly in the combination of vehicles exceeds a gross 17 weight of 13,000 pounds per axle.When the maximum gross weight18of a combination of vehicles with load does not exceed 73,28019pounds, 2ON A COMBINATION OF TRUCK TRACTOR AND SEMITRAILER 20 HAVING NOT MORE THAN 5 AXLES, 2 CONSECUTIVE tandem axle assem- 21 blies shall be permitted on the designated highways at a gross 22 permissible weight of 16,000 pounds per axle, if there is no 23 other axle within 9 feet of any axle of the assembly. 24 (4) NOTWITHSTANDING SUBSECTION (3), ON A COMBINATION OF 25 TRUCK TRACTOR AND SEMITRAILER HAVING NOT MORE THAN 5 AXLES, 2 26 CONSECUTIVE SETS OF TANDEM AXLES MAY CARRY A GROSS PERMISSIBLE 27 WEIGHT OF NOT TO EXCEED 17,000 POUNDS ON ANY AXLE OF THE TANDEM 04844'01 * 3 1 AXLES IF THERE IS NO OTHER AXLE WITHIN 9 FEET OF ANY AXLE OF THE 2 TANDEM AXLES AND IF THE FIRST AND LAST AXLES OF THE CONSECUTIVE 3 SETS OF TANDEM AXLES ARE NOT LESS THAN 36 FEET APART AND THE 4 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT DOES NOT EXCEED 80,000 POUNDS TO PICK UP AND 5 DELIVER CARGO BETWEEN THE NATIONAL TRUCK NETWORK OR SPECIAL DES- 6 IGNATED HIGHWAYS AND ANY OTHER HIGHWAY BY THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE 7 ROUTE. THIS SUBSECTION IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE MAXIMUM AXLE LOADS 8 OF SUBSECTIONS (1), (2), AND (3). FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBSEC- 9 TION, A "TANDEM AXLE" MEANS 2 AXLES SPACED MORE THAN 40 INCHES 10 BUT NOT MORE THAN 96 INCHES APART OR 2 AXLES SPACED MORE THAN 11 3-1/2 FEET BUT LESS THAN 9 FEET APART. THIS SUBSECTION DOES NOT 12 APPLY DURING THAT PERIOD WHEN REDUCED MAXIMUM LOADS ARE IN EFFECT 13 PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (7). 14 (5)(4)The exception to the loading maximums and gross 15 vehicle weight requirements of subsection(10)(11) under sub- 16 section(6)(7) for a person hauling agricultural commodities 17 applies only if the person who picks up or delivers the agricul- 18 tural commodity either from a farm or to a farm notifies the 19 county road commission for roads under its authority not less 20 than 48 hours before the pickup or delivery of the time and loca- 21 tion of the pickup or delivery. The county road commission shall 22 issue a permit TO THE PERSON and charge a fee that does not 23 exceed the administrative costs incurred.to the person24containingTHE PERMIT SHALL CONTAIN the following: 25 (a) The designated route or routes of travel for the load. 04844'01 * 4 1 (b) The date and time period requested by the person who 2 picks up or delivers the agricultural commodities during which 3 the load may be delivered or picked up. 4 (c) A maximum speed limit of travel, if necessary. 5 (d) Any other specific conditions agreed to between the 6 parties. 7This subsection does not apply after April 1, 2002.8 (6)(5)The normal size of tires shall be the rated size 9 as published by the manufacturers, and the maximum wheel load 10 permissible for any wheel shall not exceed 700 pounds per inch of 11 width of tire. 12 (7)(6)Except as provided in this subsection and subsec- 13 tion(7)(8), during the months of March, April, and May in 14 each year, the maximum axle load allowable on concrete pavements 15 or pavements with a concrete base shall be reduced by 25% from 16 the maximum axle load as specified in this chapter, and the maxi- 17 mum axle loads allowable on all other types of roads during these 18 months shall be reduced by 35% from the maximum axle loads as 19 specified. The maximum wheel load shall not exceed 525 pounds 20 per inch of tire width on concrete and concrete base or 450 21 pounds per inch of tire width on all other roads during the 22 period the seasonal road restrictions are in effect.Until23April 1, 2002, thisTHIS subsection does not apply to vehicles 24 transporting agricultural commodities on a highway, road, or 25 street under the jurisdiction of a local road agency. 26 (8)(7)The state transportation department for roads 27 under its jurisdiction and a county road commission for roads 04844'01 * 5 1 under its jurisdiction may grant exemptions from seasonal weight 2 restrictions for milk on specified routes when requested in 3 writing. Approval or denial of a request for an exemption shall 4 be given by written notice to the applicant within 30 days after 5 the date of submission of the application. If a request is 6 denied, the written notice shall state the reason for denial and 7 alternate routes for which the permit may be issued. The appli- 8 cant shall have the right to appeal to the state transportation 9 commission or the county road commission. These exemptions shall 10 not apply on county roads in counties that have negotiated agree- 11 ments with milk haulers or haulers of other commodities during 12 periods of seasonal load limits before April 14, 1993. This sub- 13 section does not limit the ability of these counties to continue 14 to negotiate such agreements. 15 (9)(8)The state transportation department, or a local 16 authority with respect to highways under its jurisdiction, may in 17 its discretion suspend the restrictions imposed by this section 18 when and where conditions of the highways or the public health, 19 safety, and welfare warrant suspension, and impose the restricted 20 loading requirements of this section on designated highways at 21 any other time that the conditions of the highway require. 22 (10)(9)For the purpose of enforcement of this act, the 23 gross vehicle weight of a single vehicle and load or a combina- 24 tion of vehicles and loads, shall be determined by weighing indi- 25 vidual axles or groups of axles, and the total weight on all the 26 axles shall be the gross vehicle weight. In addition, the gross 27 axle weight shall be determined by weighing individual axles or 04844'01 * 6 1 by weighing a group of axles and dividing the gross weight of the 2 group of axles by the number of axles in the group. Pursuant to 3 subsection(10)(11), the overall gross weight on a group of 2 4 or more axles shall be determined by weighing individual axles or 5 several axles, and the total weight of all the axles in the group 6 shall be the overall gross weight of the group. 7 (11)(10)The loading maximum in this subsection applies 8 to interstate highways, and the state transportation department, 9 or a local authority with respect to highways under its jurisdic- 10 tion, may designate a highway, or a section of a highway, for the 11 operation of vehicles having a gross vehicle weight of not more 12 than 80,000 pounds that are subject to the following load 13 maximums: 14 (a) Twenty thousand pounds on any 1 axle, including all 15 enforcement tolerances. 16 (b) A tandem axle weight of 34,000 pounds, including all 17 enforcement tolerances. 18 (c) An overall gross weight on a group of 2 or more consecu- 19 tive axles equaling: 20 21 W = 500 /LN + 12N + 36\ 22 \N-1 / 23 where W = overall gross weight on a group of 2 or more consecu- 24 tive axles to the nearest 500 pounds, L = distance in feet 25 between the extreme of a group of 2 or more consecutive axles, 26 and N = number of axles in the group under consideration; except 27 that 2 consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of 28 34,000 pounds each if the first and last axles of the consecutive 04844'01 * 7 1 sets of tandem axles are not less than 36 feet apart. The gross 2 vehicle weight shall not exceed 80,000 pounds including all 3 enforcement tolerances. Except for 5 axle truck tractor, semi- 4 trailer combinations having 2 consecutive sets of tandem axles, 5 vehicles having a gross weight in excess of 80,000 pounds or in 6 excess of the vehicle gross weight determined by application of 7 the formula in this subsection shall be subject to the maximum 8 axle loads of subsections (1), (2), and (3). As used in this 9 subsection, "tandem axle weight" means the total weight transmit- 10 ted to the road by 2 or more consecutive axles, the centers of 11 which may be included between parallel transverse vertical planes 12 spaced more than 40 inches but not more than 96 inches apart, 13 extending across the full width of the vehicle. Except as other- 14 wise provided in this section, vehicles transporting agricultural 15 commodities shall have weight load maximums as defined in this 16 subsection. 17 (12)(11)As used in this section, "agricultural 18 commodities" means those plants and animals useful to human 19 beings produced by agriculture and includes, but is not limited 20 to, forages and sod crops, grains and feed crops, field crops, 21 dairy and dairy products, poultry and poultry products, cervidae, 22 livestock, including breeding and grazing, equine, fish, and 23 other aquacultural products, bees and bee products, berries, 24 herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds, grasses, nursery 25 stock, mushrooms, fertilizer, livestock bedding, farming equip- 26 ment, and fuel for agricultural use. The term "agricultural 04844'01 * 8 1 commodities" shall not include trees and lumber.This2subsection does not apply after April 1, 2002.04844'01 * Final page. TJS