|  | AN ACT | 
|  | relating to the maximum length for certain vehicles. | 
|  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
|  | SECTION 1.  Section 622.902, Transportation Code, is amended | 
|  | to read as follows: | 
|  | Sec. 622.902.  LENGTH EXCEPTIONS.  The length limitations | 
|  | provided by Sections 621.203 to 621.205 do not apply to: | 
|  | (1)  machinery used exclusively for drilling water | 
|  | wells, including machinery that is itself a unit or that is a unit | 
|  | mounted on a conventional vehicle or chassis; | 
|  | (2)  a vehicle owned or operated by a public, private, | 
|  | or volunteer fire department; | 
|  | (3)  a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated | 
|  | exclusively in the territory of a municipality or to a combination | 
|  | of vehicles operated by a municipality in a suburb adjoining the | 
|  | municipality in which the municipality has been using the equipment | 
|  | or similar equipment in connection with an established service to | 
|  | the suburb; | 
|  | (4)  a truck-tractor, truck-tractor combination, or | 
|  | truck-trailer combination exclusively transporting machinery, | 
|  | materials, and equipment used in the construction, operation, and | 
|  | maintenance of facilities, including pipelines, that are used for | 
|  | the discovery, production, and processing of natural gas or | 
|  | petroleum; | 
|  | (5)  a drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter | 
|  | combination or a drive-away saddlemount with fullmount vehicle | 
|  | transporter combination, as defined by 23 C.F.R. Part 658 or its | 
|  | successor, if: | 
|  | (A)  the overall length of the combination is not | 
|  | longer than 97 [ 75] feet; and | 
|  | (B)  the combination does not have more than three | 
|  | saddlemounted vehicles if the combination does not include more | 
|  | than one fullmount vehicle; | 
|  | (6)  the combination of a tow truck and another vehicle | 
|  | or vehicle combination if: | 
|  | (A)  the other vehicle or vehicle combination | 
|  | cannot be normally or safely driven or was abandoned on a highway; | 
|  | and | 
|  | (B)  the tow truck is towing the other vehicle or | 
|  | vehicle combination directly to the nearest authorized place of | 
|  | repair, terminal, or destination of unloading; or | 
|  | (7)  a vehicle or combination of vehicles used to | 
|  | transport a combine that is used in farm custom harvesting | 
|  | operations on a farm if the overall length of the vehicle or | 
|  | combination is not longer than 75 feet. | 
|  | SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | 
|  | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | 
|  | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this | 
|  | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | 
|  | Act takes effect September 1, 2007. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ____________________________________________________________ | 
|  | President of the Senate             Speaker of the House | 
|  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 331 passed the Senate on | 
|  | March 12, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Secretary of the Senate | 
|  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 331 passed the House on | 
|  | May 2, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 147, Nays 0, two present | 
|  | not voting. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | Approved: | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Date | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Governor |