CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6138

Chapter 79, Laws of 2012

62nd Legislature
2012 Regular Session



MAXIMUM VEHICLE LENGTHS--EXCEPTION



EFFECTIVE DATE: 06/07/12

Passed by the Senate March 6, 2012
  YEAS 48   NAYS 0

BRAD OWEN
________________________________________    
President of the Senate
Passed by the House March 2, 2012
  YEAS 96   NAYS 0

FRANK CHOPP
________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


 
CERTIFICATE

I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6138 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

THOMAS HOEMANN
________________________________________    
Secretary
Approved March 23, 2012, 12:03 p.m.








CHRISTINE GREGOIRE
________________________________________    
Governor of the State of Washington
 
FILED
March 23, 2012







Secretary of State
State of Washington


_____________________________________________ 

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6138
_____________________________________________

AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

Passed Legislature - 2012 Regular Session
State of Washington62nd Legislature2012 Regular Session

By Senate Transportation (originally sponsored by Senator Ericksen)

READ FIRST TIME 02/03/12.   



     AN ACT Relating to maximum vehicle lengths; and amending RCW 46.44.030.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 46.44.030 and 2005 c 189 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any vehicle having an overall length, with or without load, in excess of forty feet. This restriction does not apply to (1) a municipal transit vehicle, (2) auto stage, private carrier bus, school bus, or motor home with an overall length not to exceed forty-six feet, ((or)) (3) an articulated auto stage with an overall length not to exceed sixty-one feet, or (4) an auto recycling carrier up to forty-two feet in length manufactured prior to 2005.
     It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any combination consisting of a tractor and semitrailer that has a semitrailer length in excess of fifty-three feet or a combination consisting of a tractor and two trailers in which the combined length of the trailers exceeds sixty-one feet, with or without load.
     It is unlawful for any person to operate on the highways of this state any combination consisting of a truck and trailer, or log truck and stinger-steered pole trailer, with an overall length, with or without load, in excess of seventy-five feet. "Stinger-steered," as used in this section, means the coupling device is located behind the tread of the tires of the last axle of the towing vehicle.
     These length limitations do not apply to vehicles transporting poles, pipe, machinery, or other objects of a structural nature that cannot be dismembered and operated by a public utility when required for emergency repair of public service facilities or properties, but in respect to night transportation every such vehicle and load thereon shall be equipped with a sufficient number of clearance lamps on both sides and marker lamps upon the extreme ends of any projecting load to clearly mark the dimensions of the load.
     Excluded from the calculation of length are certain devices that provide added safety, energy conservation, or are otherwise necessary, and are not designed or used to carry cargo. The length-exclusive devices must be identified in rules adopted by the department of transportation under RCW 46.44.101.


         Passed by the Senate March 6, 2012.
         Passed by the House March 2, 2012.
         Approved by the Governor March 23, 2012.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 23, 2012.