SECOND REGULAR SESSION
[P E R F E C T E D]
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 633
90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Senate Committee Substitute adopted March 6, 2000.
Taken up March 6, 2000. Read 3rd time and placed upon its final passage; bill passed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
2616S.03P
AN ACT
To repeal sections 301.010 and 304.170, RSMo Supp. 1999, relating to motor vehicle lengths, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to the same subject.
Section A. Sections 301.010 and 304.170, RSMo Supp. 1999, are repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 301.010 and 304.170, to read as follows:
301.010. As used in this chapter and sections 304.010 to 304.040, 304.120 to 304.260, RSMo, and sections 307.010 to 307.175, RSMo, the following terms mean:
(1) "All-terrain vehicle", any motorized vehicle manufactured and used exclusively for off-highway use which is fifty inches or less in width, with an unladen dry weight of six hundred pounds or less, traveling on three, four or more low pressure tires, with a seat designed to be straddled by the operator, and handlebars for steering control;
(2) "Automobile transporter", any vehicle combination designed and used specifically for the transport of assembled motor vehicles;
(3) "Axle load", the total load transmitted to the road by all wheels whose centers are included between two parallel transverse vertical planes forty inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle;
(4) "Boat transporter", any vehicle combination designed and used specifically to transport assembled boats and boat hulls;
(5) "Body shop", a business that repairs physical damage on motor vehicles that are not owned by the shop or its officers or employees by mending, straightening, replacing body parts, or painting;
(6) "Bus", a motor vehicle primarily for the transportation of a driver and eight or more passengers but not including shuttle buses;
(7) "Commercial motor vehicle", a motor vehicle designed or regularly used for carrying freight and merchandise, or more than eight passengers but not including vanpools or shuttle buses;
(8) "Cotton trailer", a trailer designed and used exclusively for transporting cotton at speeds less than forty miles per hour from field to field or from field to market and return;
(9) "Dealer", any person, firm, corporation, association, agent or subagent engaged in the sale or exchange of new, used or reconstructed motor vehicles or trailers;
(10) "Director" or "director of revenue", the director of the department of revenue;
(11) "Driveaway operation", the movement of a motor vehicle or trailer by any person or motor carrier other than a dealer over any public highway, under its own power singly, or in a fixed combination of two or more vehicles, for the purpose of delivery for sale or for delivery either before or after sale;
(12) "Dromedary", a truck-tractor designed for drawing other vehicles and which may carry part of a load when operating independently. When attached to a semi-trailer, it supports a part of the weight thereof;
(13) "Farm tractor", a tractor used exclusively for agricultural purposes;
[(13)] (14) "Fleet", any group of ten or more motor vehicles owned by the same owner;
[(14)] (15) "Fleet vehicle", a motor vehicle which is included as part of a fleet;
[(15)] (16) "Fullmount", a vehicle mounted completely on the frame of either the first or last vehicle in a saddlemount combination;
[(16)] (17) "Gross weight", the weight of vehicle and/or vehicle combination without load, plus the weight of any load thereon;
[(17)] (18) "Hail-damaged vehicle", any vehicle, the body of which has become dented as the result of the impact of hail;
[(18)] (19) "Highway", any public thoroughfare for vehicles, including state roads, county roads and public streets, avenues, boulevards, parkways or alleys in any municipality;
[(19)] (20) "Improved highway", a highway which has been paved with gravel, macadam, concrete, brick or asphalt, or surfaced in such a manner that it shall have a hard, smooth surface;
[(20)] (21) "Intersecting highway", any highway which joins another, whether or not it crosses the same;
[(21)] (22) "Junk vehicle", a vehicle which is incapable of operation or use upon the highways and has no resale value except as a source of parts or scrap, and shall not be titled or registered;
[(22)] (23) "Kit vehicle", a motor vehicle assembled by a person other than a generally recognized manufacturer of motor vehicles by the use of a glider kit or replica purchased from an authorized manufacturer and accompanied by a manufacturer's statement of origin;
[(23)] (24) "Land improvement contractors' commercial motor vehicle", any not-for-hire commercial motor vehicle the operation of which is confined to:
(a) An area that extends not more than a radius of one hundred miles from its home base of operations when transporting its owner's machinery, equipment, or auxiliary supplies to or from projects involving soil and water conservation, or to and from equipment dealers' maintenance facilities for maintenance purposes; or
(b) An area that extends not more than a radius of twenty-five miles from its home base of operations when transporting its owner's machinery, equipment, or auxiliary supplies to or from projects not involving soil and water conservation. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prevent any motor vehicle from being registered as a commercial motor vehicle or local commercial motor vehicle;
[(24)] (25) "Local commercial motor vehicle", a commercial motor vehicle whose operations are confined solely to a municipality and that area extending not more than fifty miles therefrom, or a commercial motor vehicle whose property-carrying operations are confined solely to the transportation of property owned by any person who is the owner or operator of such vehicle to or from a farm owned by such person or under the person's control by virtue of a landlord and tenant lease; provided that any such property transported to any such farm is for use in the operation of such farm;
[(25)] (26) "Local log truck", a commercial motor vehicle which is registered pursuant to this chapter to operate as a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state, used exclusively in this state, used to transport harvested forest products, operated solely at a forested site and in an area extending not more than a fifty-mile radius from such site, carries a load with dimensions not in excess of twenty-five cubic yards per two axles with dual wheels, and is not operated on the national system of interstate and defense highways described in Title 23, Section 103(e) of the United States Code, does not have more than four axles and does not pull a trailer which has more than two axles. A local log truck may not exceed the limits required by law, however, if the truck does exceed such limits as determined by the inspecting officer, then notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, such truck shall be subject to the weight limits required by such sections as licensed for eighty thousand pounds;
[(26)] (27) "Local transit bus", a bus whose operations are confined wholly within a municipal corporation, or wholly within a municipal corporation and a commercial zone, as defined in section 390.020, RSMo, adjacent thereto, forming a part of a public transportation system within such municipal corporation and such municipal corporation and adjacent commercial zone;
[(27)] (28) "Log truck", a vehicle which is not a local log truck and is used exclusively to transport harvested forest products to and from forested sites which is registered pursuant to this chapter to operate as a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state for the transportation of harvested forest products;
[(28)] (29) "Major component parts", the rear clip, cowl, frame, body, cab, front-end assembly, and front clip, as those terms are defined by the director of revenue pursuant to rules and regulations or by illustrations;
[(29)] (30) "Manufacturer", any person, firm, corporation or association engaged in the business of manufacturing or assembling motor vehicles, trailers or vessels for sale;
[(30)] (31) "Mobile scrap processor", a business located in Missouri or any other state that comes onto a salvage site and crushes motor vehicles and parts for transportation to a shredder or scrap metal operator for recycling;
[(31)] (32) "Motor change vehicle", a vehicle manufactured prior to August, 1957, which receives a new, rebuilt or used engine, and which used the number stamped on the original engine as the vehicle identification number;
[(32)] (33) "Motor vehicle", any self-propelled vehicle not operated exclusively upon tracks, except farm tractors;
[(33)] (34) "Motor vehicle primarily for business use", any vehicle other than a recreational motor vehicle, motorcycle, motortricycle, or any commercial motor vehicle licensed for over twelve thousand pounds:
(a) Offered for hire or lease; or
(b) The owner of which also owns ten or more such motor vehicles;
[(34)] (35) "Motorcycle", a motor vehicle operated on two wheels;
[(35)] (36) "Motorized bicycle", any two-wheeled or three-wheeled device having an automatic transmission and a motor with a cylinder capacity of not more than fifty cubic centimeters, which produces less than three gross brake horsepower, and is capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than thirty miles per hour on level ground;
[(36)] (37) "Motortricycle", a motor vehicle operated on three wheels, including a motorcycle while operated with any conveyance, temporary or otherwise, requiring the use of a third wheel. A motortricycle shall not be included in the definition of all-terrain vehicle;
[(37)] (38) "Municipality", any city, town or village, whether incorporated or not;
[(38)] (39) "Nonresident", a resident of a state or country other than the state of Missouri;
[(39)] (40) "Non-USA-std motor vehicle", a motor vehicle not originally manufactured in compliance with United States emissions or safety standards;
[(40)] (41) "Operator", any person who operates or drives a motor vehicle;
[(41)] (42) "Owner", any person, firm, corporation or association, who holds the legal title to a vehicle or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee, or in the event a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then such conditional vendee or lessee or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this law;
[(42)] (43) "Public garage", a place of business where motor vehicles are housed, stored, repaired, reconstructed or repainted for persons other than the owners or operators of such place of business;
[(43)] (44) "Rebuilder", a business that repairs or rebuilds motor vehicles owned by the rebuilder, but does not include certificated common or contract carriers of persons or property;
[(44)] (45) "Reconstructed motor vehicle", a vehicle that is altered from its original construction by the addition or substitution of two or more new or used major component parts, excluding motor vehicles made from all new parts, and new multistage manufactured vehicles;
[(45)] (46) "Recreational motor vehicle", any motor vehicle designed, constructed or substantially modified so that it may be used and is used for the purposes of temporary housing quarters, including therein sleeping and eating facilities which are either permanently attached to the motor vehicle or attached to a unit which is securely attached to the motor vehicle. Nothing herein shall prevent any motor vehicle from being registered as a commercial motor vehicle if the motor vehicle could otherwise be so registered;
[(46)] (47) "Rollback or car carrier", any vehicle specifically designed to transport wrecked, disabled or otherwise inoperable vehicles, when the transportation is directly connected to a wrecker or towing service;
[(47)] (48) "Saddlemount combination", a combination of vehicles in which a truck or truck tractor tows one or more trucks or truck tractors, each connected by a saddle to the frame or fifth wheel of the vehicle in front of it. The saddle is a mechanism that connects the front axle of the towed vehicle to the frame or fifth wheel of the vehicle in front and functions like a fifth wheel kingpin connection. When two vehicles are towed in this manner the combination is called a double saddlemount combination. When three vehicles are towed in this manner, the combination is called a triple saddlemount combination;
[(48)] (49) "Salvage dealer and dismantler", a business that dismantles used motor vehicles for the sale of the parts thereof, and buys and sells used motor vehicle parts and accessories;
[(49)] (50) "Salvage vehicle", a motor vehicle, semitrailer or house trailer which, by reason of condition or circumstance, has been declared salvage, either by its owner, or by a person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity exercising the right of security interest in it, or by an insurance company as a result of settlement of a claim for loss due to damage or theft; or a vehicle, ownership of which is evidenced by a salvage title; or abandoned property which is titled pursuant to section 304.155, RSMo, or section 304.157, RSMo, and designated with the words "salvage/abandoned property";
[(50)] (51) "School bus", any motor vehicle used solely to transport students to or from school or to transport students to or from any place for educational purposes;
[(51)] (52) "Shuttle bus", a motor vehicle used or maintained by any person, firm, or corporation as an incidental service to transport patrons or customers of the regular business of such person, firm, or corporation to and from the place of business of the person, firm, or corporation providing the service at no fee or charge. Shuttle buses shall not be registered as buses or as commercial motor vehicles;
[(52)] (53) "Special mobile equipment", every self-propelled vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property and incidentally operated or moved over the highways, including farm equipment, implements of husbandry, road construction or maintenance machinery, ditch-digging apparatus, stone crushers, air compressors, power shovels, cranes, graders, rollers, well-drillers and wood-sawing equipment used for hire, asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, ditchers, leveling graders, finished machines, motor graders, road rollers, scarifiers, earth-moving carryalls, scrapers, drag lines, rock-drilling and earth-moving equipment. This enumeration shall be deemed partial and shall not operate to exclude other such vehicles which are within the general terms of this section;
[(53)] (54) "Specially constructed motor vehicle", a motor vehicle which shall not have been originally constructed under a distinctive name, make, model or type by a manufacturer of motor vehicles. The term "specially constructed motor vehicle" includes kit vehicles;
[(54)] (55) "Stinger-steered combination", a truck tractor-semitrailer wherein the fifth wheel is located on a drop frame located behind and below the rearmost axle of the power unit;
[(55)] (56) "Tandem axle", a group of two or more axles, arranged one behind another, the distance between the extremes of which is more than forty inches and not more than ninety-six inches apart;
[(56)] (57) "Tractor", "truck tractor" or "truck-tractor", a self-propelled motor vehicle designed for drawing other vehicles, but not for the carriage of any load when operating independently. When attached to a semitrailer, it supports a part of the weight thereof;
[(57)] (58) "Trailer", any vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers on its own structure and for being drawn by a self-propelled vehicle, except those running exclusively on tracks, including a semitrailer or vehicle of the trailer type so designed and used in conjunction with a self-propelled vehicle that a considerable part of its own weight rests upon and is carried by the towing vehicle. The term "trailer" shall not include cotton trailers as defined in subdivision (8) of this section and shall not include manufactured homes as defined in section 700.010, RSMo;
[(58)] (59) "Truck", a motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of property;
[(59)] (60) "Truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer", a combination vehicle in which the two trailing units are connected with a B-train assembly which is a rigid frame extension attached to the rear frame of a first semitrailer which allows for a fifth-wheel connection point for the second semitrailer and has one less articulation point than the conventional "A dolly" connected truck-tractor semitrailer-trailer combination;
[(60)] (61) "Truck-trailer boat transporter combination", a boat transporter combination consisting of a straight truck towing a trailer using typically a ball and socket connection with the trailer axle located substantially at the trailer center of gravity rather than the rear of the trailer but so as to maintain a downward force on the trailer tongue;
[(61)] (62) "Used parts dealer", a business that buys and sells used motor vehicle parts or accessories, but not including a business that sells only new, remanufactured or rebuilt parts. "Business" does not include isolated sales at a swap meet of less than three days;
[(62)] (63) "Vanpool", any van or other motor vehicle used or maintained by any person, group, firm, corporation, association, city, county or state agency, or any member thereof, for the transportation of not less than eight nor more than forty-eight employees, per motor vehicle, to and from their place of employment; however, a vanpool shall not be included in the definition of the term "bus" or "commercial motor vehicle" as defined by subdivisions (6) and (7) of this section, nor shall a vanpool driver be deemed a "chauffeur" as that term is defined by section 302.010, RSMo; nor shall use of a vanpool vehicle for ride-sharing arrangements, recreational, personal, or maintenance uses constitute an unlicensed use of the motor vehicle, unless used for monetary profit other than for use in a ride-sharing arrangement;
[(63)] (64) "Vehicle", any mechanical device on wheels, designed primarily for use, or used, on highways, except motorized bicycles, vehicles propelled or drawn by horses or human power, or vehicles used exclusively on fixed rails or tracks, or cotton trailers or motorized wheelchairs operated by handicapped persons;
[(64)] (65) "Wrecker" or "tow truck", any emergency commercial vehicle equipped, designed and used to assist or render aid and transport or tow disabled or wrecked vehicles from a highway, road, street or highway rights-of-way to a point of storage or repair, including towing a replacement vehicle to replace a disabled or wrecked vehicle;
[(65)] (66) "Wrecker or towing service", the act of transporting, towing or recovering with a wrecker, tow truck, rollback or car carrier any vehicle not owned by the operator of the wrecker, tow truck, rollback or car carrier for which the operator directly or indirectly receives compensation or other personal gain.
304.170. 1. No vehicle operated upon the highways of this state shall have a width, including load, in excess of ninety-six inches, except clearance lights, rearview mirrors or other accessories required by federal, state or city law or regulation; except that, vehicles having a width, including load, not in excess of one hundred two inches, exclusive of clearance lights, rearview mirrors or other accessories required by law or regulations, may be operated on the interstate highways and such other highways as may be designated by the highways and transportation commission for the operation of such vehicles plus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such interstate or designated highway. Provided however, a recreational vehicle as defined in section 700.010, RSMo, may exceed the foregoing width limits if the appurtenances on such recreational vehicle extend no further than the rearview mirrors. Such mirrors may only extend the distance necessary to provide the required field of view before the appurtenances were attached.
2. No vehicle operated upon the interstate highway system or upon any route designated by the chief engineer of the state transportation department shall have a height, including load, in excess of fourteen feet. On all other highways, no vehicle shall have a height, including load, in excess of thirteen and one-half feet, except that any vehicle or combination of vehicles transporting automobiles or other motor vehicles may have a height, including load, of not more than fourteen feet.
3. No single motor vehicle operated upon the highways of this state shall have a length, including load, in excess of forty-five feet, except as otherwise provided in this section.
4. No bus, recreational motor vehicle or trackless trolley coach operated upon the highways of this state shall have a length in excess of forty-five feet, except that such vehicles may exceed the forty-five feet length when such excess length is caused by the projection of a front safety bumper or a rear safety bumper or both. Such safety bumper shall not cause the length of the bus or recreational motor vehicle to exceed the forty-five feet length limit by more than one foot in the front and one foot in the rear.
The term "safety bumper" means any device which may be fitted on an existing bumper or which replaces the bumper and is so constructed, treated, or manufactured that it absorbs energy upon impact.
5. No combination of truck-tractor and semitrailer or dromedary and semitrailer operated upon the highways of this state shall have a length, including load, in excess of sixty feet; except that in order to comply with the provisions of Title 23 of the United States Code (Public Law 97-424), no combination of truck-tractor and semitrailer or dromedary and semitrailer operated upon the interstate highway system of this state shall have an overall length, including load, in excess of the length of the truck-tractor plus the semitrailer or dromedary and semitrailer, the length of [which] such semitrailer shall not exceed fifty-three feet.
6. In order to comply with the provisions of Title 23 of the United States Code (Public Law 97-424), no combination of truck-tractor, semitrailer and trailer operated upon the interstate highway system of this state shall have an overall length, including load, in excess of the length of the truck-tractor plus the semitrailer and trailer, neither of which semitrailer or trailer shall exceed twenty-eight feet in length, except that any existing semitrailer or trailer up to twenty-eight and one-half feet in length actually and lawfully operated on December 1, 1982, within a sixty-five foot overall length limit in any state, may continue to be operated upon the interstate highways of this state. On those primary highways not designated by the state highways and transportation commission as provided in subsection 10 of this section, no combination of truck-tractor, semitrailer and trailer shall have an overall length, including load, in excess of sixty-five feet; provided, however, the state highways and transportation commission may designate additional routes for such sixty-five foot combinations.
7. Automobile transporters, boat transporters [and], truck-trailer boat transporter combinations [having a length not in excess of sixty-five feet] and stinger-steered combination automobile transporters and stinger-steered combination boat transporters having a length not in excess of seventy-five feet may be operated on the interstate highways of this state and such other highways as may be designated by the highways and transportation commission for the operation of such vehicles plus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such interstate or designated highway. All length provisions regarding automobile or boat transporters, truck-trailer boat transporter combinations and stinger-steered combinations shall include a semitrailer length not to exceed fifty-three feet and are exclusive of front and rear overhang, which shall be no greater than a three-foot front overhang and no greater than a four-foot rear overhang.
8. Driveaway saddlemount combinations having a length not in excess of seventy-five feet may be operated on the interstate highways of this state and such other highways as may be designated by the highways and transportation commission for the operation of such vehicles plus a distance not to exceed ten miles from such interstate or designated highway. Saddlemount combinations must comply with the safety requirements of Section 393.71 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations and may contain no more than three saddlemounted vehicles and one fullmount.
9. No truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination vehicles operated upon the interstate and designated primary highway system of this state shall have a semitrailer length in excess of twenty-eight feet or twenty-eight and one-half feet if the semitrailer was in actual and lawful operation in any state on December 1, 1982, operating in a truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination. The B-train assembly is excluded from the measurement of semitrailer length when used between the first and second semitrailer of a truck-tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination, except that when there is no semitrailer mounted to the B-train assembly, it shall be included in the length measurement of the semitrailer.
10. The highways and transportation commission is authorized to designate routes on the state highway system other than the interstate system over which those combinations of vehicles of the lengths specified in subsections 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this section may be operated. Combinations of vehicles operated under the provisions of subsections 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this section may be operated at a distance not to exceed ten miles from the interstate system and such routes as designated under the provisions of this subsection.
11. Except as provided in subsections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of this section, no other combination of vehicles operated upon the primary or interstate highways of this state plus a distance of ten miles from a primary or interstate highway shall have an overall length, unladen or with load, in excess of sixty-five feet or in excess of fifty-five feet on any other highway, except the state highways and transportation commission may designate additional routes for use by sixty-five foot combinations, seventy-five foot stinger-steered combinations or seventy-five foot saddlemount combinations. Any vehicle or combination of vehicles transporting automobiles, boats or other motor vehicles may carry a load which extends no more than three feet beyond the front and four feet beyond the rear of the transporting vehicle or combination of vehicles.
12. (1) Except as hereinafter provided, these restrictions shall not apply to agricultural implements operating occasionally on the highways for short distances, or to self-propelled hay-hauling equipment or to implements of husbandry, or to vehicles temporarily transporting agricultural implements or implements of husbandry or roadmaking machinery, or road materials or towing for repair purposes vehicles that have become disabled upon the highways; or to implement dealers delivering or moving farm machinery for repairs on any state highway other than the interstate system.
(2) Implements of husbandry and vehicles transporting such machinery or equipment may be operated occasionally for short distances on state highways when operated between the hours of sunrise and sunset by a driver licensed as an operator or chauffeur.
13. As used in this chapter the term "implements of husbandry" means all self-propelled machinery operated at speeds of less than thirty miles per hour, specifically designed for, or especially adapted to be capable of, incidental over-the-road and primary offroad usage and used exclusively for the application of commercial plant food materials or agricultural chemicals, and not specifically designed or intended for transportation of such chemicals and materials. No implement of husbandry may exceed a width of eleven feet, six inches.
14. The purpose of this section is to permit a single trip per day by the implement of husbandry from the source of supply to a given farm.
15. Sludge disposal units may be operated on all state highways other than the interstate system. Such units shall not exceed one hundred thirty-eight inches in width and may be equipped with over-width tires. Such units shall observe all axle weight limits. The chief engineer of the state transportation department shall issue special permits for the movement of such disposal units and may by such permits restrict the movements to specified routes, days and hours.