BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3510

By: VanDeaver

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recently enacted legislation authorized the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to issue an annual permit for the operation of vehicles moving certain sealed shipping containers. While TxDMV currently sets the maximum weight of vehicles operating under the permit at 93,000 pounds, there have been calls to increase the maximum weight to better accommodate certain vehicles. C.S.H.B. 3510 seeks to address this issue by increasing the maximum weight for a vehicle and semitrailer combination operating under an intermodal shipping container permit.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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. 3510 amends the Transportation Code to increase from 93,000 pounds to 95,000 pounds the maximum gross weight of the combination of a truck-tractor and semitrailer operating under a permit issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for the international transportation of an intermodal shipping container.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3510 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not include provisions relating to a revised permit fee for an intermodal shipping container permit. The substitute includes a provision that increases the gross weight of the combination of vehicles operating under such a permit.