I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 612 

To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to vehicle weight 

limitations applicable to the Interstate System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2013 

Mr. MICHAUD (for himself, Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. WALZ, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. 

SCHRADER, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to 

vehicle weight limitations applicable to the Interstate 

System, 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 ‘‘Safe and Efficient 

5 Transportation Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. MODERNIZED WEIGHT LIMITATIONS FOR CERTAIN 

2 VEHICLES. 

3 Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(j) ADDITIONAL EXCEPTION TO WEIGHT REQUIRE6 MENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 

8 (a), a State may authorize a vehicle with a max9 imum gross weight, including all enforcement toler10 ances, that exceeds the maximum gross weight oth11 erwise applicable under subsection (a) to operate on 

12 the Interstate System routes in the State, if— 

13 ‘‘(A) the vehicle is equipped with at least 

14 6 axles; 

15 ‘‘(B) the weight of any single axle on the 

16 vehicle does not exceed 20,000 pounds, includ17 ing enforcement tolerances; 

18 ‘‘(C) the weight of any tandem axle on the 

19 vehicle does not exceed 34,000 pounds, includ20 ing enforcement tolerances; 

21 ‘‘(D) the weight of any group of 3 or more 

22 axles on the vehicle does not exceed 51,000 

23 pounds, including enforcement tolerances; and 

24 ‘‘(E) the gross weight of the vehicle does 

25 not exceed 97,000 pounds, including enforce26 ment tolerances. 


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1 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULES.— 

2 ‘‘(A) OTHER EXCEPTIONS NOT AF3 FECTED.—This subsection shall not restrict— 

4 ‘‘(i) a vehicle that may operate under 

5 any other provision of this section or an6 other Federal law; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) a State’s authority with respect 

8 to a vehicle that may operate under any 

9 other provision of this section or another 

10 Federal law. 

11 ‘‘(B) INCREASE IN AXLE WEIGHT RE12 QUIREMENT.—A State may authorize a vehicle 

13 to exceed the maximum axle weight require14 ments under any one axle grouping in subpara15 graph (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (1) by not 

16 more than 2,000 pounds. 

17 ‘‘(3) STATE AUTHORIZATION.—A State seeking 

18 to authorize a vehicle to operate on the Interstate 

19 System routes within its boundaries under para20 graph (1) or to increase the maximum axle weight 

21 requirements under paragraph (2) shall do so pursu22 ant to authority provided under the laws of the 

23 State. 

24 ‘‘(4) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ANNUAL REPORT.—If a State author2 izes vehicles described in paragraph (1) to oper3 ate on highway routes in the State in a fiscal 

4 year, the State shall submit to the Secretary for 

5 the fiscal year an annual report at such time, 

6 in such manner, and containing such informa7 tion as the Secretary may require, including, at 

8 a minimum, the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) An identification of highway 

10 routes in the State, including routes not on 

11 the Interstate System, on which the State 

12 authorizes vehicles described in paragraph 

13 (1) to operate. 

14 ‘‘(ii) A description of the operating re15 quirements and gross vehicle weight limits 

16 applicable to the vehicles described in para17 graph (1). 

18 ‘‘(iii) Safety statistics, including esti19 mated vehicle miles traveled data, con20 cerning the vehicles described in paragraph 

21 (1). 

22 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec23 retary shall make all information required 

24 under subparagraph (A) available to the public. 


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1 ‘‘(5) TERMINATION.—The Secretary may termi2 nate the operation of vehicles authorized under this 

3 subsection on a specific Interstate System route seg4 ment if the Secretary determines that such operation 

5 poses an unreasonable safety risk based on an engi6 neering analysis or an analysis of safety data or any 

7 other applicable data the Secretary may use. 

8 ‘‘(6) WAIVER OF HIGHWAY FUNDING REDUC9 TION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the total 

10 amount of funds apportioned to a State under sec11 tion 104(b)(1) for any period may not be reduced 

12 under subsection (a) if the State authorizes a vehicle 

13 described in paragraph (1) to operate on the Inter14 state System in the State in accordance with this 

15 subsection or subsection (k). 

16 ‘‘(k) VEHICLES LAWFULLY OPERATING ON DECEM17 BER 31, 2012.—In addition to authority otherwise pro18 vided to a State under this section, a State may permit 

19 a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight that could have been 

20 lawfully operated on the Interstate System in the State 

21 on December 31, 2012, to operate on the Interstate Sys22 tem in that State upon the date of enactment of this sub23 section.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. SAFE AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE BRIDGE INFRA2 STRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 23, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 171. Safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastruc7 ture improvement program 

8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab9 lish a safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastructure im10 provement program in accordance with this section. 

11 ‘‘(b) APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS TO ELIGIBLE

12 STATES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On October 1 of each fiscal 

14 year, the Secretary shall apportion, in accordance 

15 with paragraph (2), the sums made available out of 

16 the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund for that 

17 fiscal year to carry out this section. 

18 ‘‘(2) RATIO TO ELIGIBLE STATES.—The sums 

19 made available out of the Safe and Efficient Vehicle 

20 Trust Fund shall be apportioned among eligible 

21 States in a ratio that— 

22 ‘‘(A) the total vehicle miles traveled on 

23 Interstate System highways by vehicles author24 ized to travel on such highways pursuant to sec25 tion 127(j) in each eligible State, as determined 

26 by the Secretary; bears to 


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1 ‘‘(B) the total vehicle miles traveled on 

2 Interstate System highways by vehicles author3 ized to travel on such highways pursuant to sec4 tion 127(j) in all eligible States, as determined 

5 by the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—An eligible State that re7 ceives an apportionment in a fiscal year under subsection 

8 (b) shall use the amounts of the apportionment for bridge 

9 projects eligible for assistance under this chapter that are 

10 located on the Interstate System. 

11 ‘‘(d) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—Funds made available 

12 out of the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund to carry 

13 out this section shall be available for obligation in the 

14 same manner as if the funds were made available from 

15 the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit 

16 Account). 

17 ‘‘(e) ELIGIBLE STATE DEFINED.—In this section, 

18 the term ‘eligible State’ means a State that authorizes a 

19 vehicle described in section 127(j) to operate on the Inter20 state System within its borders.’’. 

21 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 

22 chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘171. Safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastructure improvement program.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. SAFE AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE CHARGES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 4481 of 

3 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding 

4 at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘In the case of the use of any highway motor vehicle de6 scribed in section 127(j) of title 23, United States Code, 

7 if that vehicle is used on the Interstate System with a 

8 gross weight in excess of 80,000 pounds, in lieu of the 

9 rate in the table, the rate shall be equal to the lesser of— 

10 ‘‘(1) $100 per year, plus $22 for each 1,000 

11 pounds (or fraction thereof) in excess of 55,000 

12 pounds, or 

13 ‘‘(2) $800 per year.’’. 

14 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

15 this section shall apply to taxable periods beginning after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

17 SEC. 5. SAFE AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE TRUST FUND. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 98 of the 

19 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to the trust fund 

20 code) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

21 section: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 9512. SAFE AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE TRUST FUND. 

23 ‘‘(a) CREATION OF FUND.—There is hereby estab24 lished in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be 

25 known as the ‘Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund’, 

26 consisting of such amounts as may be— 


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1 ‘‘(1) appropriated to the Safe and Efficient Ve2 hicle Trust Fund as provided in this section, or 

3 ‘‘(2) credited to the Safe and Efficient Vehicle 

4 Trust Fund as provided in section 9602(b). 

5 ‘‘(b) TRANSFER TO SAFE AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE

6 TRUST FUND OF AMOUNTS EQUIVALENT TO CERTAIN

7 TAXES.—There are hereby appropriated to the Safe and 

8 Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund amounts equivalent to the 

9 taxes received in the Treasury under section 4481(a) 

10 which are attributable to the use of any highway motor 

11 vehicle described in section 127(j) of title 23, United 

12 States Code, if that vehicle is used on the Interstate Sys13 tem with a gross weight in excess of 80,000 pounds. 

14 ‘‘(c) EXPENDITURES FROM SAFE AND EFFICIENT

15 VEHICLE TRUST FUND.—Amounts in the Safe and Effi16 cient Vehicle Trust Fund shall be available, as provided 

17 by appropriations Acts, for fiscal years beginning 1 year 

18 after the date of the enactment of this section for projects 

19 eligible for assistance under section 171(c) of title 23, 

20 United States Code.’’. 

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

22 (1) Paragraph (1) of section 9503(b) of such 

23 Code is amended by striking the period at the end 

24 and inserting ‘‘, and taxes received under section 

25 4481 shall be determined without regard to those reVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:46 Feb 20, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H612.IH H612

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1 ceived in the Treasury under section 4481(a) which 

2 are attributable to the use of any highway motor ve3 hicle described in section 127(j) of title 23, United 

4 States Code, if that vehicle is used on the Interstate 

5 System with a gross weight in excess of 80,000 

6 pounds.’’. 

7 (2) The table of sections for subchapter A of 

8 chapter 98 of such Code is amended by adding at 

9 the end the following: 

‘‘Sec. 9512. Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund.’’. 

10 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

11 this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act. 

Æ 


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