An Act Allowing Certain Commercial Vehicles at Canadian Weight Limits To Travel from the Canadian Border at Houlton to New Limerick and from the Canadian Border at Calais to Baileyville
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0334
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: JOY, RA YE, CROSTHWAITE, HOTHAM, SHERMAN, PLOWMAN
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2354-B

Legislative Document 
No. 334 
H.P.257 
House of Representatives, January 20, 2005 
An Act Allowing Certain Commercial Vehicles at Canadian Weight 
Limits To Travel from the Canadian Border at Houlton to New 
Limerick and from the Canadian Border at Calais to Baileyville 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative JOY of Crystal. 
Cosponsored by Senator RA YE of Washington and 
'711~ /J7.7l/~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CROSTHWAITE of Ellsworth, HOTHAM of Dixfield, McFADDEN of 
Dennysville, SHERMAN of Hodgdon, Senator: PLOWMAN of Penobscot. 
Printed on recyc led ra~r 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 29-A MRSA §2354-B is enacted to read: 
§2354-B. 
Pilot project to allow commercial vehicles at 
~adian weight limits to travel from Canadian 
~rder at Boulton to New Limerick and from the 
Canadian border at Calais to 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 Canadian border at Houlton to New 
Limerick and from the Canadian border at Calais to Baileyville. 
This pilot project must 
include the following conditions 
and 
components. 
A. 
The only allowable routes of travel under the pilot 
project are as follows: 
B. 
(1) 
Travel 
from the United States-Canada border at 
Houlton westerly on U.S. Route 2 to the intersection of 
U.S. 
Route 
1, 
then north 
on 
U.S. 
Route 
to 
the 
intersection of U. S. 
Route 2, 
then wester lyon U. S. 
Route 2 to the Station Road in New Limerick; 
(2) 
Travel 
from the United States-Canada border at 
Houlton westerly on U.S. Route 2 to the intersection of 
U.S. Route 2-A, then westerly on U.S. Route 2-A to the 
railyard on Bangor Road in Houlton; and 
(3) 
Travel 
from the United States-Canada border in 
Calais 
north 
on 
U.S. 
Route 
to 
Main 
Street 
in 
Baileyville. 
Allowable truck configuration 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 
vehicle limits and requirements 
project, except that the B-train 
must be 82.02 feet, or 25 meters. 
and all other 
commercial 
must apply under the pilot 
double overall length limit 
D. 
The manufacturer's ratings for gross vehicle weight, 
axle capacity, brake systems and other components for which 
a manufacturer's rating is available may not be exceeded 
under the pilot project. 
E. 
Each truck combination under 
the pilot project must 
display a credential obtained for a fee from the Secretary 
of State. 
The fee must be established by the Commissioner 
of 
Transportation 
in 
an 
amount 
to 
cover 
related 
administrative 
costs, 
compliance 
monitoring 
and 
the 
addi tional cost of highway damage resulting from the pilot 
project, 
calculated using accepted engineering practices. 
The Secretary of State shall adopt rules to implement this 
paragraph 
in 
consultation 
with 
the 
Department 
of 
Transportation and the Department of Public Safety. 
Rules 
adopted pursuant to this paragraph are routine technical 
rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
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. 
Def_in,ition. 
As used in this s_ection, unless the context 
otherwise 
indicates, 
"S-train 
double" 
means 
a 
truck 
tractor-semi trailer-semi trailer combination vehicle in which the 
trailing units are connected with a S-train assembly. 
The 
B-trai~embly 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-doIly-connected 
truck tractor-semi trailer-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 l26th 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, 2014. 
SUMMARY 
This bill authorizes the 
Commissioner of Transportation to 
conduct 
a 
pilot project 
allowing 
certain 
commercial 
vehicle 
configurations at Canadian weight limits to 
travel 
from 
the 
Canadian border at Houlton to New Limerick and from the Canadian 
border 
at 
Calais 
to 
Baileyville. 
The 
bill 
requires 
trucks 
participating 
in 
the 
pilot project 
to 
display 
a 
credential 
obtained for a fee from the Secretary of State. 
The bill directs 
the 
Secretary of State 
to 
adopt 
routine 
technical 
rules 
to 
implement the credentialing process. 
The bill also requires the 
Commissioner of Transportation to submit a report on the status 
of the pilot project and recommendations to the joint standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature 
having 
jurisdiction 
over 
transportation matters 
for 
presentation to 
the First Regular 
Session of the 126th Legislature.