I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1248
To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, relating to motor vehicle 
weight and width limitations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2003
Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, relating 
to motor vehicle weight and width limitations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safer Truck Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Heavy trucks carrying up to 20 metric tons 
of cargo on the National Highway System are not 
equipped with modern safety features presently 
found on cars. These features include disc brakes,
crash absorbent bumpers and body panels, sway 
bars, roll bars, and underride beams. Under current 
law, truckers who choose to equip their vehicles with 
such safety features risk fines and other penalties 
for violating Federal weight and width restrictions 
even when the amount of cargo carried is not more 
than the amount customarily carried on trucks lack-
ing such safety features. 
(2) Trucking is the deadliest industry in the 
United States. One in every 7 Americans killed on 
the job is a trucker (approximately 800 of the 5900 
workplace deaths in 2001). 704 truckers were killed 
in truck crashes alone in 2001, along with 4,378 
motorists and pedestrians—more than 5,000 pre-
ventable deaths. Of the 130,000 people injured by 
commercial trucks in 2001, 29,000 were truckers. 
Over 150,000 people, including more than 25,000 
truckers, have been killed in preventable large-truck 
crashes since the end of the Vietnam War along with 
more than 3,000,000 injured. Many of these deaths 
can be prevented in the future by exempting safety 
features from truck weight and width restrictions 
and regulating only the weight of truck cargo rather 
than the overall weight of the truck.
(3) New intermodal technologies have emerged 
that promise to replace dangerous and inefficient 
long-haul trucks with safer, more efficient short-haul 
trucks that will utilize road, sea, rail, and inland wa-
terways transportation to substantially reduce the 
Nation’s dependence on foreign oil and lower the 
cost of food and other goods—especially for State 
run welfare programs. Under current law, States are 
required to impose unreasonable burdens on such 
intermodal trucks, such as requiring special permits 
and escort vehicles which are not required for larger, 
more dangerous trucks, or risk the cut off of Fed-
eral highway funds. While some modification to 
roads and bridges may be necessary to accommodate 
safer short-haul intermodal trucks, the cost is insig-
nificant compared to the savings that will accrue 
from reducing the excessive wear and tear on the 
National Highway System caused by obsolete long-
haul trucks and their associated high rate of death 
and injury. 
SEC. 3. VEHICLE WEIGHT LIMITATIONS. 
Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) EXCEPTION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), a State may allow a single unit truck or bus 
without a trailer to carry up to 20 metric tons or 
44,080 pounds of cargo, packaging, and load secure-
ment materials regardless of the overall weight of 
the vehicle, its axle weights, or the weight of its 
safety and energy conservation devices if the cargo 
is evenly distributed in a compartment or combined 
compartments at least 40 feet long, the overall 
height of the vehicle and cargo does not exceed the 
width of the wheelbase, the axles are positioned at 
the extreme ends of the vehicle, the gross weight and 
certified empty weight of the vehicle (including de-
tachable cargo compartments) are marked conspicu-
ously on the front of the vehicle in contrasting 3-
inch or taller letters and numbers. 
‘‘(2) CALCULATION
OF
GROSS
WEIGHT.—For 
purposes of this subsection, the gross weight shall be 
calculated by adding 20 metric tons or 44,080 
pounds to the empty weight.’’. 
SEC. 4. VEHICLE WIDTH LIMITATIONS. 
Section 31113(b) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) EXCLUSION
OF SAFETY
AND ENERGY CON-
SERVATION DEVICES.—
‘‘(1) ENERGY CONSERVATION DEVICES.—Width 
calculated under this section does not include an en-
ergy conservation device the Secretary decides is 
necessary for safe and efficient operation of a com-
mercial motor vehicle. 
‘‘(2) SAFETY DEVICES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A safety device that 
reduces the possibility of death and injury shall 
not be included in the calculation of width for 
purposes of this section if such device fits en-
tirely within the legal travel lanes of all roads 
upon which the vehicle operates. 
‘‘(B) SAFETY DEVICE DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘safety device’ includes 
mirrors, grabhandles, steps, rearview video cam-
eras, crash absorbent bumpers and body panels, 
batteries for regenerative braking, wheels, tires, 
structural members, and drivetrain components 
positioned to enhance vehicle stability.’’.
Æ