Enrolled Bill Summary
Legislative Session: 79(R)Under previous law, only a supervising officer of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) could take enforcement action relating to the weight of a loaded commercial motor vehicle. Senate Bill 619 amends the Transportation Code to allow a noncommissioned employee of DPS to take the action if the employee is under the supervision of a DPS officer. The bill also specifies that a noncommissioned employee of DPS may take action to enforce violations of vehicles and traffic law, including a rule adopted under this law, and federal safety regulations for commercial motor vehicles if the employee is under the supervision of a DPS officer. It specifies that vehicle weight limits do not apply to a vehicle or combination of vehicles that operates exclusively at a private port of entry and its associated private roads and across a public highway between the private roads under a certain contract. It defines "port of entry" for purposes of enforcing commercial motor vehicle safety standards to mean a place at which a customs officer is authorized to perform certain duties, including a publicly or privately owned international port of entry on the Texas-Mexico border.