WSR 14-11-092

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed May 21, 2014, 7:12 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: Revision of WAC 468-38-155 Safety equipment for special permit moves and 468-38-100 Pilot/escort vehicle and operator requirements. Revisions to these rules are to reflect the national effort to harmonize pilot/escort and safety equipment required for moving special permit loads requirements between states.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 46.44.090 and 46.44.093.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The revisions to these rules will comply with the recommendations from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Sub-Committee on Highway Transport for uniform standards as it pertains to pilot/escort requirements and the safety equipment requirements when moving oversize permitted loads. States complying with the uniform standards will allow for moving oversize loads to move from state to state without changing safety equipment or pilot/escort car(s) to comply with separate state requirements.

States complying with the uniform standards will also allow for possible reciprocity of states' pilot/escort certification programs.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: The WACs are enforced by the Washington state patrol.

Process for Developing New Rule: Negotiated rule making.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Jim Wright, Commercial Vehicle Services, P.O. Box 47367, Olympia, WA 98504-7367, phone (360) 704-6345, fax (360) 704-6350, wrightji@wsdot.wa.gov.

May 21, 2014

Kathryn W. Taylor

Assistant Secretary