Brief Description: Increasing penalties for vehicle gross weight violations.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Kagi, Clibborn and Dickerson).

House Committee on Transportation
Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:

Vehicle owners registering trucks with a gross weight of 4,000 pounds or more are charged a combined license fee (CLF). The CLF is based on gross vehicle weight. No vehicle or combination of vehicles may operate upon the public highways of the state with a gross load on any single axle in excess of 20,000 pounds or upon any group of axles in excess of the weight that is set forth in statute.

If a vehicle is operated overweight, the penalties are:

• one pound through 4,000 pounds overweight is 3 cents per pound overweight;
• 4,001 pounds through 10,000 pounds overweight is $120 plus 12 cents per pound for each additional pound over 4,000 overweight;
• 10,001 pounds through 15,000 pounds overweight is $840 plus 16 cents per pound for each additional pound over 10,000 pounds overweight;
• 15,001 pounds through 20,000 pounds overweight is $1,640 plus 20 cents per pound for each additional pound over 15,000 pounds overweight; and
• 20,001 pounds or more is $2,640 plus 30 cents per pound for each additional pound over 20,000 pounds overweight.

Upon the first violation in any calendar year, the court may suspend the penalty for 500 pounds of excess weight for each axle on any vehicle or combination of vehicles, not to exceed a 2,000 pound suspension.

Summary:

Upon a third or succeeding weight violation during a 12 month period or a third or succeeding out of service violation, as defined on the act's effective date in the Code of Federal Regulations, during any 12 month period, the court will suspend the certificate of license registration for not less than 30 days.

The Washington State Patrol must develop recommendations:

• regarding the most effective methods for tracking the violations that lead to suspensions of certificates of license registrations; and
• for improving the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles on Washington's highways and roads.

In developing these recommendations, the Washington State Patrol must consult with the Administrator of the Courts, the Department of Licensing, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and the trucking industry. The recommendations will be submitted to the transportation committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2006.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   72   26
Senate   39   8

Effective: June 7, 2006