Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2130
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2014-03-13
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative remedies

Department of Transportation

Forests, forestry, trees

Minnesota

Motor carriers

Roads and highways

Transportation safety and security
Latest action: action_date: 2014-03-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2014-03-13
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), for a specified period, to waive certain federal vehicle weight limitations for covered logging vehicles to operate on the Interstate Highway System. Specifies the period beginning upon enactment of this Act and ending on the date the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation terminates the seasonal vehicle weight limit increase in the North Zone pursuant to the Minnesota Statutes.</p> <p>Defines the term &quot;covered logging vehicle&quot; to mean a vehicle that: (1) is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips; (2) has a gross vehicle weight of no more than 99,000 pounds; (3) has at least six axles; (4) is operating on specified segments of Interstate Route 35 and Interstate Route 535 in Minnesota; and (5) has obtained the appropriate overweight vehicle permit from the Department.</p> <p>Prohibits this waiver, however, until the bridges along the road segments have been inspected and certified by the Minnesota Department to be structurally capable of supporting such covered logging vehicles.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2130 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 13, 2014 Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Mr. Franken ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To direct the Secretary of Transportation to temporarily waive certain vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014 . 2. Temporary waiver (a) In general During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on which the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation terminates the seasonal vehicle weight limit increase in the North Zone in accordance with section 169.826 of the Minnesota Statutes, the Secretary of Transportation shall waive, for a covered logging vehicle, the application of any vehicle weight limit established under section 127 of title 23, United States Code. (b) Inspection requirement Notwithstanding subsection (a), a waiver described in such subsection may not be granted until the bridges along the road segments described in subsection (c)(4) have been inspected and certified by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to be structurally capable of supporting vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 99,000 pounds. (c) Defined term In this section, the term covered logging vehicle means a vehicle that— (1) is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips; (2) has a gross vehicle weight of not more than 99,000 pounds; (3) has not fewer than 6 axles; (4) is operating on a segment of— (A) Interstate Route 35 in Minnesota between mile marker 235.4 and mile marker 259.552; or (B) Interstate Route 535 in Minnesota between mile marker 0 and mile marker 1.571; and (5) has obtained the appropriate overweight vehicle permit from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.