An Act To Authorize a Pilot Project To Allow Commercial Vehicles at Canadian Weight Limits Access to the Woodland Commercial Park in Baileyville
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1565
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: SHOREY, BUNKER, GOODWIN, HATCH

Legislative Document 
No. 1565 
H.P.1147 
House of Representatives, April 14, 2003 
An Act To Authorize a Pilot Project To Allow Commercial Vehicles 
at Canadian Weight Limits Access to the Woodland Commercial 
Park in Baileyville 
Submitted by the Department of Transportation pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representati ve USHER of Westbrook. 
Cosponsored by Senator SHOREY of Washington and 
1J1~/h.11bc~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BUNKER of Kossuth Township, DUGA Y of Cherryfield, GOODWIN of 
Pembroke, Senator: HATCH of Somerset. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 29-A MRS A §23S4-A is enacted to read: 
§2354-A. 
Pilot project to allow commercial vehicles at Canadian 
weight limits access to Woodland Commercial Part in 
Baileyville 
1. 
Pilot 
project. 
Notwithstanding 
section 
2354, 
the 
Commissioner 
of 
Transportation, 
in 
consultation 
with 
the 
Department of Public Safety and the Department of the Secretary 
of State, is authorized to conduct a pilot project that allows 
certain commercial vehicles at Canadian gross vehicle weight 
limits to travel from the planned Calais -
st. Stephen, 
New 
Brunswick bridge to the junction of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9 
in BaileYville. 
This pilot project must include the following 
conditions and components. 
A. 
The new bridge and access road must be 
open to all 
traffic, with the only allowable route of travel under the 
pilot project being from the United States-Canada border to 
the intersection of the access road and U. S. Route 1 and 
then westerly on U.S. Route 1 to the intersection of U.S. 
Route 1 and U.S. Route 9 in Baileyville. 
B. 
Allowable truck configurations under this pilot project 
must be limited to: 
(1) 
A 3-axle truck tractor with a 3-axle semitrailer 
at a gross vehicle weight of 108,900 pounds: and 
(2) 
A 
3-axle 
truck 
tractor 
with 
a 
semitrailer-semitrailer combination, 
configured as 
a 
B-train double with 8 axles totaL at a gross vehicle 
weight 
of 
137,700 
pounds. 
The 
weight 
of 
the 
2nd 
semitrailer may not exceed the weight of the first 
semitrailer. 
C. 
Maine axle weight limits, axle group limits, commodity 
allowances, 
maximum 
dimensions 
and all other 
commercial 
vehicle limits and requirements must apply under the pilot 
project, except that the B-train double overall length limit 
must be 82.02 feet, or 25 meters. 
D. 
The manufacturer's ratings for gross vehicle weight, 
axle capacity, brake systems and other components for which 
a manufacturer's rating il;i available may not be exceeded 
under the pilot project. 
Page l-LR1883(1) 
E. 
Each truck combination under the pilot project must 
display decals obtained for a 
fee from the Secretary of 
State, one on each side of the tractor unit. 
The fee must 
be established by the Commissioner of Transportation in an 
amount to cover related administrative costs, 
compliance 
monitoring 
and 
the 
additional 
cost 
of 
highway 
damage 
resulting from the pilot project. calculated using accepted 
engineering practices. 
F. 
The 
Commissioner 
of 
Transportation 
may 
revoke 
the 
privileges under the pilot project of participating trucks 
and 
trucking 
companies 
for 
cause, 
including 
repeatedly 
exceeding size and weight limits or operating outside the 
designated route of travel. 
Revocation by the Commissioner 
of Transportation is considered a final agency action. 
2. 
Definition. 
As used in this section, unless the context 
otherwise 
indicates, 
"B-train 
double" 
means 
a 
truck 
tractor-semi trailer-semitrailer combination vehicle in which the 
trailing units are connected with a B-train assembly. 
The 
B-train assembly is a rigid frame extension attached to the rear 
frame 
of 
a 
first semitrailer that 
allows 
for 
a 
5th wheel 
connection point for a 2nd semitrailer. This combination has one 
less articulation point than the conventional A-dolly-connected 
truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer combination. 
3. 
Report. 
The Commissioner of Transportation shall submit 
a 
report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over transportation matters for presentation 
to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature. 
The 
report 
must 
include 
the 
status 
of 
the 
pilot project 
and 
recommendations for continuance, discontinuance or modification 
of the pilot project's terms. 
4. 
Repeal. 
This section is repealed December 31, 2012. 
SUMMARY 
This bill authorizes 
a 
pilot project to 
allow certain 
commercial 
vehicle 
configurations 
at 
Canadian 
weight 
limits 
access via the U. S. Route 1 corridor from the planned Calais -
St. 
Stephen 
Bridge 
to 
the 
Woodland 
Commercial 
Park 
in 
Baileyville.