An Act To Make Technical Amendments to Truck Size and Weight Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1457
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: COLLINS
Amends: 29-A MRSA §101, 29-A MRSA §2353, 29-A MRSA §2357, 29-A MRSA §2382, 29-A MRSA §2390

Legislative Document 
No. 1457 
H.P.1065 
House of Representatives, March 27, 2003 
An Act To Make Technical Amendments to Truck Size and Weight 
Laws 
Submitted by the Department of Transportation pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative COLLINS of Wells. 
Cosponsored by Senator SA V AGE of Knox. 
Printed on Tei:YC I~d paper 
'!r/~ /J7.1lld£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§8-A is enacted to read: 
8-A. 
Axle weight. 
"Axle weight" means the weight of an 
axle plus the weight of the load carried by the axle. 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRS A §101, sub-§23-A is enacted to read: 
23-A. 
Final-stage manufacturer. 
"Final-stage manufacturer" 
means a manufacturer who performs manufacturing operations on an 
incomplete vehicle such that the vehicle becomes complete. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§§26-A and 26-B are! enacted to 
read: 
26-A. 
Gross vehicle weight. 
"Gross vehicle weight" 
or 
"GVW" means the actual total weight of the vehicle and load. 
26-B. 
Gross vehicle weight rating. 
"Gross vehicle weight 
rating" or "GVWR" 
means the weight of the vehicle and load as 
determined by the final-stage manufacturer, as the rating appears 
on the vehicle. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§29-A is enacted to read: 
29-A. 
Interstate highway, interstate system or interstate 
highway system. 
"Interstate highway," 
"interstate system" 
or 
"interstate highway system" has the same meaning as defined in 
Title 23, section 1903, subsection 3, except that it does not 
include that portion of the Maine Turnpike designated Interstate 
and 495 and that portion of Interstate 95 from the southern 
terminus of the Maine Turnpike to the New Hampshire state line. 
Sec. 5. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§60-A is enacted to read: 
60-A. 
Registered weight. 
"Registered weight'" 
means 
the 
gross vehicle weight specified on the vehicle's registration 
certificate. 
Sec. 6. 29-A MRSA §lOl, sub-§66-A is enacted to read: 
66-A. 
Single-axle unit. 
"Single-axle unit" meanS one axle, 
or 2 axles less than 4 feet apart as measured from axle center to 
axle center. 
Sec.7. 29-A MRSA §lOl, sub-§78-A is enacted to read: 
78-A. 
Tandem-axle unit. 
"Tandem-axle unit" means 2 or more 
axles at least 4 feet and not more than 8 feet apart, as measured 
from axle center to axle center of the extreme axles. 
Sec. 8. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§§86-A and 86-B are enacted to 
read: 
A. 
Tri axle semitrailer. 
"Tri-axle semitrailer" means a 
semitrailer that contains one tri-axle unit. 
B. 
Tri axle unit. 
"Tri axle unit" means 3 axles more 
than 8 feet and less than 12 feet apart, as measured between the 
centers of the first and 3rd axles. 
If the axle center of a 
single axle unit is closer than 10 feet, or 9 feet in the case of 
a steering axle, to the axle center of the nearest axle of a 
tri-axle unit, the 4 axles are a tri-axle unit. 
Sec. 9. 29-A MRSA §2353, sub-§4, tE, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 
683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is repealed. 
Sec. 10. 29-A MRSA §2357, sub-§4, as amended by PL 1999, c. 
580, §8 and affected by §14, is further amended to read: 
4. 
Six-axle combination. 
Notwithstanding subsection 2, 
a 
6-axle combination vehicleT consisting of a 3-axle truck tractor 
operating in combination with a 
tri-axle semitrailer may not 
exceed 100,000 pounds. 
The distance between the extreme axles of 
a vehicle under this subsection, excluding the steering axle, 
must be at least 32 feet and the vehicle must be registered for 
at 
least 
90,000 
pounds. 
The 
maximum 
gross 
vehicle 
weight 
permi tted is reduced by 2,000 pounds for each foot the distance 
is less than 32 feet between the extreme axles, excluding the 
steering axle, measured to the nearest foot. 
Sec. 11. 29-A MRSA §2382, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 
683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
6. 
Scope of permit. 
A permit is limited to the particular 
vehicle or object to be moved, the trailer or semitrailer hauling 
the overlimit object and particular ways and bridges. 
Sec. 12. 29-A MRSA §2390, sub-§I, V, as enacted by PL 1993, 
c. 683, pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
F. 
A combination of truck tractor, semitrailer and full 
trailer, 
or 
a 
combination 
of 
truck 
tractor 
and 
semitrailers, 
may 
be operated on the Interstate Highway 
System 
and 
those 
qualifying 
federal 
aid primary 
system 
highways designated by the Secretary of the United States 
Department of Transportation, pursuant to the United States 
Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, Public Law 
97-424, Section 411, with an overall length in excess of 65 
feet, 
if no 
semitrailer or trailer length exceeds 
28.5 
feet. 
This vehicle combination may also operate on other 
highways designated by the Commissioner of Transportation. 
Sec. 13. 29-A MRSA §2390, sub-§I, 1rJ, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
267, §13 and affected by §16, is further amended by repealing 
subparagraph (6). 
Sec. 14. 29-A MRSA §2390, sub-§I, 1rJ, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
267, §13 and affected by §16, is further amended by adding at the 
end new subparagraphs (13) and (14) to read: 
(13) 
The maximum gross weight of the truck tractor and 
semitrailer combination may not exceed 80,000 pounds or 
the 
maximum 
gross 
vehicle 
weight 
permitted 
by 
subchapter 1, whichever is less, whenever the vehicle 
is traveling on the Maine Turnpike or Interstate 95 
from the southern terminus of the Maine Turnpike to the 
New Hampshire state line. 
(14) 
This paragraph does not apply to a trailer or 
semitrailer when transporting or returning! empty from 
transporting a nondivisible load or object under the 
provisions of an overlimit permit granted by section 
2382. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies that certain definitions apply to the 
entire Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A. 
This 
bill 
restores 
the 
gross 
vehicle 
weight 
reduction 
provisions for shorter wheelbase 6-axle combination vehicles that 
were inadvertently repealed in 1999. 
This bill provides that an overlimit permit will also cover 
the trailer or semitrailer used to haul the overlimit load, in 
the event that the trailer or semitrailer also exceeds normal 
width or length limits. 
This bill makes clear that the same length provisions apply 
on the network designated by the Commissioner of Transportation 
for double 28 1/2 trailer-semitrailer vehicles as would apply on 
the national highway network. 
This bill repeals the lift axle prohibition for vehicles 
hauling semitrailers between 48 feet and 53 feet in length. 
This bill restores the 80, OOO-pound gross vehicle weight 
maximum for vehicles with semitrailers between 48 feet and 53 
feet in length if they are traveling on the Maine Turnpike or on 
Interstate 95 from the southern terminus of the Maine turnpike to 
the New Hampshire state line. 
The bill's provision removes an 
inconsistency of state law with a federal law exempting the Maine 
Turnpike and Interstate 95 from the southern terminus of the 
Maine turnpike to the New Hampshire state line from federal truck 
weight regulations.