BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1795

By: Aliseda

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, a permit issued by the Texas Department of Transportation for the movement of oil well servicing or drilling machinery applies to a single vehicle.  The law does not address the occasions when an oil well servicing or drilling machine needs to pull a small trailer to move equipment used in conjunction with servicing or drilling at a well site.  C.S.H.B. 1795 seeks to address this issue by allowing a trailer to be included on a permit to move oil well servicing or drilling machinery if certain conditions are met, including that the vehicle combination will not cause damage to the highway or serious inconvenience to highway traffic.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1795 amends the Transportation Code to authorize the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to include a trailer on a permit to move oil well servicing or drilling machinery if the required registration fee for the trailer is paid for the current registration year, the gross weight authorized by the permit does not exceed 86,000 pounds, and the axle weights authorized by the permit comply with limits set by state law relating to vehicle weight.  The bill makes the prohibition against TxDOT issuing a permit unless the vehicle may be moved without material damage to the highway or serious inconvenience to highway traffic apply also to a vehicle combination and makes related conforming changes. The bill establishes that a permit issued under the bill's provisions does not authorize the operation of a vehicle or vehicle combination on the national system of interstate and defense highways in this state.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1795 contains a provision not included in the original including among the conditions under which the Texas Department of Transportation is authorized to include a trailer on a permit to move oil well servicing or drilling machinery the condition that the axle weights authorized by the permit comply with limits set by state law relating to vehicle weight.

C.S.H.B. 1795 contains a provision not included in the original establishing that a permit to move oil well servicing or drilling machinery issued under the bill's provisions does not authorize the operation of a vehicle or vehicle combination on the national system of interstate and defense highways in Texas.