A bill to permit commercial trucks to use certain highways of the Interstate System to provide significant savings in the transportation of goods throughout the United States, and for other purposes.

Summary: Commercial Truck Fuel Savings Demonstration Act of 2008 - Prohibits any reduction of an apportionment of federal-aid highway funds to a state that allows the operation of certain commercial truck vehicles weighing over 80,000 pounds on Interstate System highways in the state when the weighted average retail price of retail number 2 diesel in the United States is $3.50 or more per gallon.

Requires the Comptroller General to study the effects on the overall highway safety in participating states.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Commercial Truck Fuel Savings 
Demonstration Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) diesel fuel prices have increased more than 50 percent 
        during the 1-year period between May 2007 and May 2008;
            (2) laws governing Federal highway funding effectively 
        impose a limit of 80,000 pounds on the weight of vehicles 
        permitted to use highways on the Interstate System;
            (3) the administration of that provision in many States has 
        forced heavy tractor-trailer and tractor-semitrailer 
        combination vehicles traveling in those States to divert onto 
        small State and local roads on which higher vehicle weight 
        limits apply under State law;
            (4) the diversion of those vehicles onto those roads 
        increases fuel costs because of increased idling time and total 
        travel time along those roads; and
            (5) permitting heavy commercial vehicles, including tanker 
        trucks carrying hazardous material and fuel oil, to travel on 
        Interstate System highways when fuel prices are high would 
        provide significant savings in the transportation of goods 
        throughout the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the 
        Commissioner of Transportation of a State.
            (2) Covered interstate system highway.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``covered Interstate 
                System highway'' means a highway designated as a route 
                on the Interstate System.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``covered Interstate 
                System highway'' does not include any portion of a 
                highway that, as of the date of the enactment of this 
                Act, is exempt from the requirements of subsection (a) 
                of section 127 of title 23, United States Code, 
                pursuant to a waiver under that subsection.
            (3) Interstate system.--The term ``Interstate System'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of title 23, 
        United States Code.

SEC. 4. WAIVER OF HIGHWAY FUNDING REDUCTION RELATING TO WEIGHT OF 
              VEHICLES USING INTERSTATE SYSTEM HIGHWAYS.

    (a) Prohibition Relating to Certain Vehicles.--Notwithstanding 
section 127(a) of title 23, United States Code, the total amount of 
funds apportioned to a State under section 104(b)(1) of that title for 
any period may not be reduced under section 127(a) of that title if a 
State permits a vehicle described in subsection (b) to use a covered 
Interstate System highway in the State in accordance with the 
conditions described in subsection (c).
    (b) Combination Vehicles in Excess of 80,000 Pounds.--A vehicle 
described in this subsection is a vehicle having a weight in excess of 
80,000 pounds that--
            (1) consists of a 3-axle tractor unit hauling a single 
        trailer or semitrailer; and
            (2) does not exceed any vehicle weight limitation that is 
        applicable under the laws of a State to the operation of the 
        vehicle on highways in the State that are not part of the 
        Interstate System, as those laws are in effect on the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
    (c) Conditions.--This section shall apply at any time at which the 
weighted average price of retail number 2 diesel in the United States 
is $3.50 or more per gallon.
    (d) Effective Date and Termination.--This section shall not remain 
in effect--
            (1) after the date that is 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act; or
            (2) before the end of that 2-year period, after any date on 
        which the Secretary of Transportation--
                    (A) determines that--
                            (i) operation of vehicles described in 
                        subsection (b) on covered Interstate System 
                        highways has adversely affected safety on the 
                        overall highway network; or
                            (ii) a Commissioner has failed faithfully 
                        to use the highway safety committee as 
                        described in section 6(2)(A) or to collect the 
                        data described in section 6(3); and
                    (B) publishes the determination, together with the 
                date of termination of this section, in the Federal 
                Register.
    (e) Consultation Regarding Termination for Safety.--In making a 
determination under subsection (d)(2)(A)(i), the Secretary of 
Transportation shall consult with the highway safety committee 
established by a Commissioner in accordance with section 6.

SEC. 5. GAO TRUCK SAFETY DEMONSTRATION REPORT.

    The Comptroller General of the United States shall carry out a 
study of the effects of participation in the program under section 4 on 
the safety of the overall highway network in States participating in 
that program.

SEC. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATES.

    For the purpose of section 4, a State shall be considered to meet 
the conditions under this section if the Commissioner of the State--
            (1) submits to the Secretary of Transportation a plan for 
        use in meeting the conditions described in paragraphs (2) and 
        (3);
            (2) establishes and chairs a highway safety committee 
        that--
                    (A) the Commissioner uses to review the data 
                collected pursuant to paragraph (3); and
                    (B) consists of representatives of--
                            (i) agencies of the State that have 
                        responsibilities relating to highway safety;
                            (ii) municipalities of the State;
                            (iii) organizations that have evaluation or 
                        promotion of highway safety among the principal 
                        purposes of the organizations; and
                            (iv) the commercial trucking industry; and
            (3) collects data on the net effects that the operation of 
        vehicles described in section 4(b) on covered Interstate System 
        highways have on the safety of the overall highway network, 
        including the net effects on single-vehicle and multiple-
        vehicle collision rates for those vehicles.