SB-0736, As Passed House, December 8, 2004
SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 736
A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled
"Michigan vehicle code,"
by amending section 717 (MCL 257.717), as amended by 2002 PA
552.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 717. (1) The total outside width of a vehicle or the
2 load on a vehicle shall not exceed 96 inches, except as otherwise
3 provided in this section.
4 (2) A person may operate or move an implement of husbandry of
5 any width on a highway as required, designed, and intended for
6 farming operations, including the movement of implements of
7 husbandry being driven or towed and not hauled on a trailer,
8 without obtaining a special permit for an excessively wide
9 vehicle or load under section 725. The operation or movement of
10 the implement of husbandry shall be in a manner so as to minimize
1 the interruption of traffic flow. A person shall not operate or
2 move an implement of husbandry to the left of the center of the
3 roadway from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before
4 sunrise, under the conditions specified in section 639, or at any
5 time visibility is substantially diminished due to weather
6 conditions. A person operating or moving an implement of
7 husbandry shall follow all traffic regulations.
8 (3) The total outside width of the load of a vehicle hauling
9 concrete pipe, agricultural products, or unprocessed logs,
10 pulpwood, or wood bolts shall not exceed 108 inches.
11 (4) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (5) and this
12 subsection, if a vehicle that is equipped with pneumatic tires is
13 operated on a highway, the maximum width from the outside of 1
14 wheel and tire to the outside of the opposite wheel and tire
15 shall not exceed 102 inches, and the outside width of the body of
16 the vehicle or the load on the vehicle shall not exceed 96
17 inches. However, a truck and trailer or a tractor and
18 semitrailer combination hauling pulpwood or unprocessed logs may
19 be operated with a maximum width of not to exceed 108 inches in
20 accordance with a special permit issued under section 725.
21 (5) The total outside body width of a bus, a trailer coach, a
22 trailer, a semitrailer, a truck camper, or a motor home shall not
23 exceed 102 inches. However, an appurtenance of a trailer coach,
24 a truck camper, or a motor home that extends not more than 6
25 inches beyond the total outside body width is not a violation of
26 this section.
27 (6) A vehicle shall not extend beyond the center line of a
1 state trunk line highway except when authorized by law. Except
2 as provided in subsection (2), if the width of the vehicle makes
3 it impossible to stay away from the center line, a permit shall
4 be obtained under section 725.
5 (7) The director of the state transportation department, a
6 county road commission, or a local authority may designate a
7 highway under the agency's jurisdiction as a highway on which a
8 person may operate a vehicle or vehicle combination that is not
9 more than 102 inches in width, including load, the operation of
10 which would otherwise be prohibited by this section. The agency
11 making the designation may require that the owner or lessee of
12 the vehicle or of each vehicle in the vehicle combination secure
13 a permit before operating the vehicle or vehicle combination.
14 This subsection does not restrict the issuance of a special
15 permit under section 725 for the operation of a vehicle or
16 vehicle combination. This subsection does not permit the
17 operation of a vehicle or vehicle combination described in
18 section 722a carrying a load described in that section if the
19 operation would otherwise result in a violation of that section.
20 (8) The director of the state transportation department, a
21 county road commission, or a local authority may issue a special
22 permit under section 725 to a person operating a vehicle or
23 vehicle combination if all of the following are met:
24 (a) The vehicle or vehicle combination, including load, is
25 not more than 106 inches in width.
26 (b) The vehicle or vehicle combination is used solely to move
27 new motor vehicles or parts or components of new motor vehicles
1 between facilities that meet all of the following:
2 (i) New motor vehicles or parts or components of new motor
3 vehicles are manufactured or assembled in the facilities.
4 (ii) The facilities are located within 10 miles of each
5 other.
6 (iii) The facilities are located within the city limits of
7 the same city and the city is located in a county that has a
8 population of more than 400,000 and less than 500,000 according
9 to the most recent federal decennial census.
10 (c) The special permit and any renewals are each issued for a
11 term of 1 year or less.
12 (9) A person who violates this section is responsible for a
13 civil infraction. The owner of the vehicle may be charged with a
14 violation of this section.