I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2263 

To establish a commercial truck highway safety demonstration program in 

the State of Maine, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2007 

Mr. MICHAUD (for himself and Mr. ALLEN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To establish a commercial truck highway safety demonstration program in the State of Maine, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commercial Truck 

5 Highway Safety Demonstration Program Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Public safety on the highways of the United 

9 States is a paramount concern of all who use the 

10 highways and all who prescribe public policy for the 


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1 use of those highways, including public policy on the 

2 operation of heavy commercial trucks on highways. 

3 (2) Federal highway funding law effectively im4 poses a limit of 80,000 pounds on the weight of ve5 hicles permitted to use Interstate System highways. 

6 (3) The administration of this law in Maine has 

7 forced heavy tractor-trailer and tractor-semitrailer 

8 combination vehicles, traveling into Maine from 

9 neighboring States and Canada, to divert onto small 

10 State and local roads where higher vehicle weight 

11 limits apply under Maine law. 

12 (4) The diversion of those vehicles onto such 

13 roads causes significant economic hardships and 

14 safety challenges for small communities located 

15 along those roads. 

16 (5) Permitting heavy commercial vehicles, in17 cluding tanker trucks carrying hazardous material 

18 and fuel oil, to travel on Interstate System highways 

19 in Maine— 

20 (A) would enhance public safety by reduc21 ing— 

22 (i) the number of heavy vehicles that 

23 use town and city streets in Maine; and 

24 (ii) as a result, the number of dan25 gerous interactions between those heavy 


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1 vehicles and such other vehicles as school 

2 buses and private vehicles; and 

3 (B) would reduce the net highway mainte4 nance costs in Maine because the Interstate 

5 System highways, unlike the secondary roads of 

6 Maine, are built to accommodate heavy vehicles 

7 and are, therefore, more durable. 

8 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

10 (1) COVERED INTERSTATE SYSTEM HIGH11 WAY.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘covered 

13 Interstate System highway’’ means a highway 

14 within the State of Maine that is designated as 

15 a route on the Interstate System, except as pro16 vided in subparagraph (B). 

17 (B) EXCEPTION.—The term does not in18 clude any portion of a highway that, as of the 

19 date of enactment of this Act, is exempted from 

20 the requirements of section 127(a) of title 23, 

21 United States Code, by the last sentence of 

22 such section. 

23 (2) INTERSTATE SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Inter24 state System’’ has the meaning given that term in 

25 section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 4. MAINE TRUCK SAFETY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

2 The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a 

3 program, in the administration of this Act, to demonstrate 

4 the effects on the safety of the overall highway network 

5 in the State of Maine that would result from permitting 

6 vehicles described in section 5(b) to be operated on the 

7 Interstate System highways within the State. 

8 SEC. 5. WAIVER OF HIGHWAY FUNDING REDUCTION RELAT9 ING TO WEIGHT OF VEHICLES USING INTER10 STATE SYSTEM HIGHWAYS. 

11 (a) PROHIBITION RELATING TO CERTAIN VEHI12 CLES.—Notwithstanding section 127(a) of title 23, United 

13 States Code, the total amount of funds apportioned to the 

14 State of Maine under section 104(b)(1) of such title for 

15 any period may not be reduced under such section 127(a) 

16 on the basis that the State of Maine permits a vehicle de17 scribed in subsection (b) to use a covered Interstate Sys18 tem highway. 

19 (b) COMBINATION VEHICLES IN EXCESS OF 80,000 

20 POUNDS.—A vehicle referred to in subsection (a) is a vehi21 cle having a weight in excess of 80,000 pounds that— 

22 (1) consists of a 3-axle tractor unit hauling a 

23 single trailer or semitrailer; and 

24 (2) does not exceed any vehicle weight limita25 tion that is applicable under the laws of the State 

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1 ways in Maine not on the Interstate System, as such 

2 laws are in effect on the date of enactment of this 

3 Act. 

4 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERMINATION.— 

5 (1) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

6 (A) DATE OF SATISFACTION OF ADMINIS7 TRATIVE CONDITIONS BY MAINE.—The prohibi8 tion in subsection (a) shall take effect on the 

9 date on which the Secretary of Transportation 

10 notifies the Commissioner of Transportation of 

11 the State of Maine, in writing, that— 

12 (i) the Secretary has received the plan 

13 described in paragraph (1) of section 6; 

14 and 

15 (ii) the Commissioner has established 

16 a highway safety committee as described in 

17 paragraph (2) of section 6 and has issued 

18 rules and procedures for the collection of 

19 highway safety data as described in para20 graph (3) of section 6. 

21 (B) PERMANENT EFFECT.—After taking 

22 effect, the prohibition in subsection (a) shall re23 main in effect unless terminated under para24 graph (2). 


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1 (2) CONTINGENT TERMINATION.—The prohibi2 tion in subsection (a) shall terminate 3 years after 

3 the effective date applicable under paragraph (1) if, 

4 before the end of such 3-year period, the Sec5 retary— 

6 (A) determines that— 

7 (i) operation of vehicles described in 

8 subsection (b) on covered Interstate Sys9 tem highways has adversely affected safety 

10 on the overall highway network in Maine; 

11 or 

12 (ii) the Commissioner has failed to 

13 use the highway safety committee as de14 scribed in paragraph (2)(A) of section 6 or 

15 to collect data as described in paragraph 

16 (3) of section (6); and 

17 (B) publishes the determination, together 

18 with the date of the termination of the prohibi19 tion, in the Federal Register. 

20 (d) CONSULTATION REGARDING TERMINATION FOR

21 SAFETY.—In making a determination under subsection 

22 (c)(2)(A)(i), the Secretary shall consult with the highway 

23 safety committee established by the Commissioner in ac24 cordance with section 6. 


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1 SEC. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE OF MAINE. 

2 For the purposes of section 5, the State of Maine sat3 isfies the conditions of this section if the Commissioner 

4 of Transportation of the State of Maine— 

5 (1) submits to the Secretary of Transportation 

6 a plan for satisfying the conditions set forth in para7 graphs (2) and (3); 

8 (2) establishes and chairs a highway safety 

9 committee that— 

10 (A) the Commissioner uses to review the 

11 data collected pursuant to paragraph (3); and 

12 (B) consists of representatives of— 

13 (i) agencies of the State that have re14 sponsibilities related to highway safety; 

15 (ii) municipalities of the State; 

16 (iii) organizations that have evalua17 tion or promotion of highway safety among 

18 their principal purposes; and 

19 (iv) the commercial trucking industry; 

20 and 

21 (3) collects data on the net effects that the op22 eration of vehicles described in section 5(b) on cov23 ered Interstate System highways has on the safety 

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1 ing the net effects on single-vehicle and multiple-ve2 hicle collision rates for such vehicles. 

Æ 


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