Honorable Larry Phillips, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB777 by White (Relating to oversize or overweight vehicles transporting timber or timber products.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to authorize the operation of a vehicle or combination of vehicles that is being used to haul unrefined timber, wood chips, or woody biomass on a road or highway in Texas to exceed either the currently authorized excess axle weight limit or the excess gross weight limit for such vehicles under certain conditions.
The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) reports that vehicles carrying timber, wood chips, or wood pulp are currently authorized to exceed the maximum allowable axle weight by 12 percent (or 38,080 pounds for a tandem axle) without a permit but are required to obtain a permit to exceed the legal maximum gross weight by up to five percent. The DMV indicates that the bill would authorize the operation of a vehicle carrying these products without an excess gross weight permit if the load on any tandem axle does not exceed 44,000 pounds, which could result in a decrease in the number of permits issued and the amount of permit fee revenue to the state.Based on the analysis provided by the DMV, it is assumed the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact to state revenue.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
601 Department of Transportation, 608 Department of Motor Vehicles