87R10568 JRR-F
 
  By: Martinez H.B. No. 3532
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the regulation of motor vehicles and entities by the
  Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 1201.161(c), (d), and (e), Occupations
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (c)  The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles shall provide to
  [send] the department monthly[:
               [(1)  a copy of each permit issued in the preceding
  month for the movement of manufactured housing on the highways; or
               [(2)]  a list of the permits issued in the preceding
  month and the information on the permits.
         (d)  Unless the information provided for in Subsection (c) is
  provided electronically, the department shall pay the reasonable
  cost of providing [the copies or] the list and information under
  Subsection (c).
         (e)  The [copies and] lists to be provided under this section
  may be provided electronically.
         SECTION 2.  Section 256.101(3), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
               (3)  "Weight tolerance permit" means a permit issued
  under Section 623.011 [Chapter 623] authorizing a vehicle to exceed
  maximum legal weight limitations.
         SECTION 3.  Section 621.002, Transportation Code, is amended
  by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
  follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), a [A] copy of the
  registration receipt issued under Section 502.057 for a commercial
  motor vehicle, truck-tractor, trailer, or semitrailer shall be:
               (1)  carried on the vehicle when the vehicle is on a
  public highway; and
               (2)  presented to an officer authorized to enforce this
  chapter on request of the officer.
         (c)  Subsection (a) does not apply to a vehicle that displays
  a license plate issued under Section 502.0023(d-1) or 502.255(i).
         SECTION 4.  Section 621.101(a), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A vehicle or combination of vehicles may not be operated
  over or on a public highway or at a port-of-entry between Texas and
  the United Mexican States if the vehicle or combination has:
               (1)  a single axle weight heavier than 20,000 pounds,
  including all enforcement tolerances;
               (2)  a tandem axle weight heavier than 34,000 pounds,
  including all enforcement tolerances;
               (3)  an overall gross weight on a group of two or more
  consecutive axles heavier than the weight computed using the
  following formula and rounding the result to the nearest 500
  pounds:
         W = 500((LN/(N - 1)) + 12N + 36)
  where:
         "W" is maximum overall gross weight on the group;
         "L" is distance in feet between the axles of the group that
  are the farthest apart; and
         "N" is number of axles in the group; or
               (4)  tires that carry a weight heavier than the weight
  specified and marked on the sidewall of the tire, unless expressly
  authorized [the vehicle is being operated] under the terms of a
  special permit.
         SECTION 5.  Chapter 622, Transportation Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter K to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER K. AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTERS
         Sec. 622.151.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
               (1)  "Automobile transporter" means any vehicle
  combination designed and used for the transport of assembled motor
  vehicles, including a truck-tractor as defined by Section
  621.001(8)(A).
               (2)  "Backhaul" means the return trip of a vehicle
  transporting cargo or general freight.
               (3)  "Stinger-steered" means a truck-tractor and
  semitrailer combination in which the fifth wheel is located on a
  drop frame located behind and below the rearmost axle of the
  truck-tractor.
         Sec. 622.152.  AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTER BACKHAULS. (a) An
  automobile transporter that complies with the weight and size
  limitations for a truck-tractor and semitrailer combination under
  this subtitle may transport cargo or general freight on a backhaul.
         (b)  For purposes of Subsection (a), an automobile
  transporter is presumed to be on a backhaul if the automobile
  transporter is transporting cargo or general freight back over all
  or part of the same route.
         Sec. 622.153.  MAXIMUM EXTENDED LENGTH OF LOAD.
  Notwithstanding Section 621.206, an automobile transporter that is
  stinger-steered may carry a load that extends not more than:
               (1)  four feet beyond its front; and
               (2)  six feet beyond its rear.
         SECTION 6.  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 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;
               (7)  a vehicle or combination of vehicles used to
  transport a harvest machine that is used in farm custom harvesting
  operations on a farm if the overall length of the vehicle or
  combination is not longer than:
                     (A)  75 feet if the vehicle is traveling on a
  highway that is part of the national system of interstate and
  defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system; or
                     (B)  81-1/2 feet if the vehicle is not traveling
  on a highway that is part of the national system of interstate and
  defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system; [or]
               (8)  a truck-tractor operated in combination with a
  semitrailer and trailer or semitrailer and semitrailer if:
                     (A)  the combination is used to transport a
  harvest machine that is used in farm custom harvesting operations
  on a farm;
                     (B)  the overall length of the combination,
  excluding the length of the truck-tractor, is not longer than
  81-1/2 feet; and
                     (C)  the combination is traveling on a highway
  that:
                           (i)  is not part of the national system of
  interstate and defense highways or the federal aid primary highway
  system; and
                           (ii)  is located in a county with a
  population of less than 300,000; or
               (9)  a towaway trailer transporter combination, as
  defined by 49 U.S.C. Section 31111, if the overall length of the
  combination is not longer than 82 feet.
         SECTION 7.  Section 622.952, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 622.952.  EMERGENCY [FIRE DEPARTMENT] VEHICLE. (a)
  The weight limitations of Section 621.101 do not apply to an
  emergency [a] vehicle [owned or operated by a public, private, or
  volunteer fire department].
         (b)  The weight of an emergency [a fire department's] vehicle
  may not exceed the greater of:
               (1)  [be heavier than] the manufacturer's gross vehicle
  weight capacity or axle design rating; or
               (2)  including all enforcement tolerances, a:
                     (A)  gross weight of 86,000 pounds;
                     (B)  single steering axle weight of 24,000 pounds;
                     (C)  single drive axle weight of 33,500 pounds;
                     (D)  tandem axle weight of 62,000 pounds; or
                     (E)  tandem rear drive steer axle weight of 52,000
  pounds.
         (c)  In this section, "emergency vehicle" means a vehicle
  designed to be used under emergency conditions:
               (1)  to transport personnel and equipment; and
               (2)  to support the suppression of fires and mitigation
  of other hazardous situations.
         SECTION 8.  Section 622.955(c), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (c)  The weight increase under Subsection (b) may not be
  greater than 500 [400] pounds.
         SECTION 9.  Section 623.011(b), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  To qualify for a permit under this section:
               (1)  the vehicle must be registered under Chapter 502
  for the maximum gross weight applicable to the vehicle under
  Section 621.101, not to exceed 80,000 pounds; and
               (2)  [the security requirement of Section 623.012 must
  be satisfied; and
               [(3)]  a base permit fee of $90, any additional fee
  required by Section 623.0111, and any additional fee set by the
  board under Section 623.0112 must be paid.
         SECTION 10.  Section 623.0112, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 623.0112.  ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. When a
  person applies for a permit under Section 623.011, the person must
  pay in addition to other fees an administrative fee adopted by board
  rule in an amount not to exceed the direct and indirect cost to the
  department of:
               (1)  issuing a sticker under Section 623.011(d);
               (2)  distributing fees under Section 621.353; and
               (3)  maintaining the list [notifying counties] under
  Section 623.013.
         SECTION 11.  Section 623.013, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 623.013.  LIST OF PERMITS ISSUED [DEPARTMENT'S NOTICE
  TO COUNTY]. The department shall make available on the
  department's Internet website a searchable and downloadable list by
  county of each [(a) Not later than the 14th day after the date the
  department issues a] permit issued under Section 623.011[, the
  department shall notify the county clerk of each county listed in
  the application for the permit]. The list [notice] must include the
  following information for each permit:
               (1)  the name and address of the person for whom the [a]
  permit was issued; [and]
               (2)  the vehicle identification number and license
  plate number of the vehicle;
               (3)  the permit number; and
               (4)  the effective date of the permit.
         [(b)  The department shall send a copy of the permit and the
  bond or letter of credit required for the permit with the notice
  required by this section.]
         SECTION 12.  Section 623.015, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 623.015.  LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE. [(a) The liability of
  a holder of a permit issued under Section 623.011 for damage to a
  state road or highway or a county road is not limited to the amount
  of the bond or letter of credit required for the issuance of the
  permit.
         [(b)]  The holder of a permit issued under Section 623.011
  [who has filed the bond or letter of credit required for the permit
  and who has filed the notice required by Section 623.013] is liable
  to the county only for the actual damage to a county road, bridge,
  or culvert with a load limitation established under Subchapter B of
  Chapter 621 or Section 621.301 caused by the operation of the
  vehicle in excess of the limitation. If a county judge, county
  commissioner, county road supervisor, or county traffic officer
  requires the vehicle to travel over a designated route, it is
  presumed that the designated route, including a bridge or culvert
  on the route, is of sufficient strength and design to carry and
  withstand the weight of the vehicle traveling over the designated
  route.
         SECTION 13.  Sections 623.0171(b) and (e), Transportation
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The department may issue a permit that authorizes the
  operation of a ready-mixed concrete truck in the manner prescribed
  by Section 622.012(b) [with three axles].
         (e)  When the department issues a permit under this section,
  the department shall issue a sticker to be placed on the front
  windshield of the vehicle [above the inspection certificate issued
  to the vehicle]. The department shall design the form of the
  sticker to aid in the enforcement of weight limits for vehicles.
         SECTION 14.  Section 623.018(d), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (d)  If a vehicle is being operated in compliance with a
  permit issued under Section 623.011 or 623.402, a commissioners
  court may not:
               (1)  issue a permit under this section or charge an
  additional fee for or otherwise regulate or restrict the operation
  of the vehicle because of weight; or
               (2)  require the owner or operator to:
                     (A)  execute or comply with a road use agreement
  or indemnity agreement;
                     (B)  make a filing or application; or
                     (C)  provide a bond or letter of credit[, other
  than the bond or letter of credit prescribed by Section 623.012 for
  a vehicle issued a permit under Section 623.011].
         SECTION 15.  Sections 623.071(a), (c), and (c-1),
  Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department may issue a permit to allow the operation
  on [a person to operate over] a state highway of [superheavy or
  oversize] equipment that exceeds the weight and size limits
  provided by law for the movement of equipment [:
               [(1) is used to transport cylindrically shaped bales of
  hay] or a commodity that cannot reasonably be dismantled[; and
               [(2)  has a gross weight or size that exceeds the limits
  allowed by law to be transported over a state highway].
         (c)  The department may issue an annual permit to allow the
  operation on a state highway of equipment that exceeds weight and
  size limits provided by law for the movement of:
               (1)  an implement of husbandry by a dealer;
               (2)  water well drilling machinery and equipment or
  harvesting equipment being moved as part of an agricultural
  operation; or
               (3)  [superheavy or oversize] equipment or a commodity
  that:
                     (A)  cannot reasonably be dismantled; and
                     (B)  does not exceed:
                           (i)  12 feet in width;
                           (ii)  14 feet in height;
                           (iii)  110 feet in length; or
                           (iv)  120,000 pounds gross weight.
         (c-1)  The department may issue an annual permit that allows
  a person to operate over a state highway or road a vehicle or
  combination of vehicles transporting a load that cannot reasonably
  be dismantled that exceeds the length and height limits provided by
  law, except that:
               (1)  the maximum length allowed may not exceed 110
  feet; and
               (2)  the maximum height allowed may not exceed 14 feet.
         SECTION 16.  Section 623.0711(g), Transportation Code, as
  amended by Chapters 1135 (H.B. 2741) and 1287 (H.B. 2202), Acts of
  the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is reenacted to read
  as follows:
         (g)  An application for a permit under this section must be
  accompanied by the permit fee established by the department, in
  consultation with the commission, for the permit, not to exceed
  $9,000. The department shall send each fee to the comptroller, who
  shall deposit:
               (1)  90 percent of the fee to the credit of the state
  highway fund; and
               (2)  10 percent of the fee to the credit of the Texas
  Department of Motor Vehicles fund.
         SECTION 17.  Section 623.075, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 623.075.  ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ISSUANCE OF
  PERMIT [BOND]. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), [Before]
  the department may issue a permit under this subchapter only to an[,
  the] applicant registered under Chapter 643 [shall file with the
  department a bond in an amount set by the Texas Department of
  Transportation, payable to the Texas Department of Transportation,
  and conditioned that the applicant will pay to the Texas Department
  of Transportation any damage that might be sustained to the highway
  because of the operation of the equipment for which a permit is
  issued].
         (b)  Subsection (a) [Venue of a suit for recovery on the bond
  is in Travis County.
         [(c)  This section applies to the delivery of farm equipment
  to a farm equipment dealer. This section] does not apply to a
  permit for:
               (1)  the driving or transporting of farm equipment that
  is being used for an agricultural purpose and is driven or
  transported by or under the authority of the owner of the equipment;
  or
               (2)  a vehicle or equipment that is not subject to
  [operated by a motor carrier registered under] Chapter 643 or
  Chapter 645.
         (c)  Before the department issues a permit under this
  subchapter for a vehicle or equipment described by Subsection
  (b)(2), the applicant shall file with the department a bond in an
  amount set by the Texas Department of Transportation, payable to
  the Texas Department of Transportation, and conditioned that the
  applicant will pay to the Texas Department of Transportation any
  damage that might be sustained to the highway because of the
  operation of the vehicle or equipment for which a permit is issued.
  Venue of a suit for recovery on the bond is in Travis County.
         SECTION 18.  Subchapter E, Chapter 623, Transportation Code,
  is amended by adding Section 623.0975 to read as follows:
         Sec. 623.0975.  LIST OF PERMITS ISSUED. The department
  shall make available on the department's Internet website a
  searchable and downloadable list by county of each permit issued
  under this subchapter. The list must include the following
  information for each permit:
               (1)  the permit number and issue date of the permit;
               (2)  the name of the person for whom the permit was
  issued;
               (3)  the length, width, and height of the manufactured
  house and the towing vehicle in combination;
               (4)  the name of the owner of the house;
               (5)  the model and year of manufacture of the house;
               (6)  the complete identification or serial number, the
  United States Department of Housing and Urban Development label
  number, or the state seal number of the house; and
               (7)  the origin county and address and destination
  county and address of the house.
         SECTION 19.  Section 623.322(a), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  To qualify for a permit under this subchapter for a
  vehicle or combination of vehicles, a person must:
               (1)  pay a permit fee of $900; and
               (2)  designate in the permit application the timber
  producing counties described by Section 623.321(a) in which the
  vehicle or combination of vehicles will be operated[; and
               [(3)  satisfy the security requirement of Section
  623.012].
         SECTION 20.  Sections 623.323(b) and (e), Transportation
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  Before a vehicle or combination of vehicles for which a
  permit is issued under this subchapter may be operated on a road
  maintained by a county or a state highway, the financially
  responsible party shall execute a notification document and agree
  to reimburse the county or the state, as applicable, for damage to a
  road or highway sustained as a consequence of the transportation
  authorized by the permit.  At a minimum, the notification document
  must include:
               (1)  the name and address of the financially
  responsible party;
               (2)  a description of each permit issued for the
  vehicle or combination of vehicles;
               (3)  a description of the method of compliance by the
  financially responsible party with Section [Sections] 601.051,
  643.101, or 643.102 [and 623.012];
               (4)  the address or location of the geographic area in
  which the financially responsible party wishes to operate a vehicle
  or combination of vehicles and a designation of the specific route
  of travel anticipated by the financially responsible party,
  including the name or number of each road maintained by a county or
  state highway;
               (5)  a calendar or schedule of duration that includes
  the days and hours of operation during which the financially
  responsible party reasonably anticipates using the county road or
  state highway identified in Subdivision (4); and
               (6)  a list of each vehicle or combination of vehicles
  by license plate number or other registration information, and a
  description of the means by which financial responsibility is
  established for each vehicle or combination of vehicles if each
  vehicle or combination of vehicles is not covered by a single
  insurance policy, surety bond, deposit, or other means of financial
  assurance.
         (e)  The state or a county required to be notified under this
  section may assert a claim against any [security posted under
  Section 623.012 or] insurance filed under Section 643.103 for
  damage to a road or highway sustained as a consequence of the
  transportation authorized by the permit.
         SECTION 21.  Section 643.059(c), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (c)  A motor carrier required to register under this
  subchapter must keep the cab card, in a manner prescribed by the
  department, in the cab of each vehicle requiring registration the
  carrier operates.
         SECTION 22.  Section 643.103(b), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  A motor carrier shall keep evidence of insurance in a
  manner prescribed [form approved] by the department in the cab of
  each vehicle requiring registration the carrier operates.
         SECTION 23.  Section 643.253(a), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person commits an offense if the person fails to:
               (1)  register as required by Subchapter B;
               (2)  maintain insurance or evidence of financial
  responsibility as required by Subchapter C; or
               (3)  keep a cab card in the cab of a vehicle as required
  by Section 643.059 or comply with an alternative method to the cab
  card established by the department under Section 643.059(e).
         SECTION 24.  Section 1001.002(b), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  In addition to the other duties required of the Texas
  Department of Motor Vehicles, the department shall administer and
  enforce:
               (1)  Subtitle A;
               (2)  Chapters 621, 622, 623, 642, 643, 645, [646,] and
  648; and
               (3)  Chapters 2301 and 2302, Occupations Code.
         SECTION 25.  The following provisions of the Transportation
  Code are repealed:
               (1)  Sections 623.012 and 623.016;
               (2)  Section 623.0711(f);
               (3)  Section 623.093(e); and
               (4)  Chapter 646.
         SECTION 26.  The repeal by this Act of Chapter 646,
  Transportation Code, does not apply to an offense committed under
  that chapter before the effective date of the repeal. An offense
  committed before the effective date of the repeal is governed by the
  law as it existed on the date the offense was committed, and the
  former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of
  this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of
  the repeal if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
         SECTION 27.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.