| Passed by the Senate March 6, 2012 YEAS 48 BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House March 2, 2012 YEAS 96 FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | 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 | March 23, 2012 Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
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.