1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to traffic regulations; authorizing state and 
  1.3             local authorities to issue annual overwidth permits 
  1.4             for certain snowplowing vehicles; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1996, section 169.86, subdivision 5, and by 
  1.6             adding a subdivision. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.86, is 
  1.9   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 1b.  [PERMIT FOR SNOWPLOWING VEHICLE.] The 
  1.11  commissioner or a local authority may issue an annual permit to 
  1.12  a person that authorizes the person to operate on any highway 
  1.13  under the jurisdiction of the grantor of the permit, a motor 
  1.14  vehicle bearing a snowplow blade that when deployed does not 
  1.15  exceed ten feet in width.  The permit authorizes operation of 
  1.16  the vehicle between October 1 and April 1. 
  1.17     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.86, 
  1.18  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  1.19     Subd. 5.  [FEES.] The commissioner, with respect to 
  1.20  highways under the commissioner's jurisdiction, may charge a fee 
  1.21  for each permit issued.  All such fees for permits issued by the 
  1.22  commissioner of transportation shall be deposited in the state 
  1.23  treasury and credited to the trunk highway fund.  Except for 
  1.24  those annual permits for which the permit fees are specified 
  1.25  elsewhere in this chapter, the fees shall be: 
  1.26     (a) $15 for each single trip permit. 
  2.1      (b) $36 for each job permit.  A job permit may be issued 
  2.2   for like loads carried on a specific route for a period not to 
  2.3   exceed two months.  "Like loads" means loads of the same 
  2.4   product, weight, and dimension. 
  2.5      (c) $60 for an annual permit to be issued for a period not 
  2.6   to exceed 12 consecutive months.  Annual permits may be issued 
  2.7   for: 
  2.8      (1) motor vehicles used to alleviate a temporary crisis 
  2.9   adversely affecting the safety or well-being of the public; 
  2.10     (2) motor vehicles which travel on interstate highways and 
  2.11  carry loads authorized under subdivision 1a; 
  2.12     (3) motor vehicles operating with gross weights authorized 
  2.13  under section 169.825, subdivision 11, paragraph (a), clause 
  2.14  (3); ~~and~~ 
  2.15     (4) special pulpwood vehicles described in section 169.863; 
  2.16  and 
  2.17     (5) motor vehicles bearing snowplow blades described in 
  2.18  section 169.86, subdivision 1b. 
  2.19     (d) $120 for an oversize annual permit to be issued for a 
  2.20  period not to exceed 12 consecutive months.  Annual permits may 
  2.21  be issued for:  
  2.22     (1) mobile cranes; 
  2.23     (2) construction equipment, machinery, and supplies; 
  2.24     (3) manufactured homes; 
  2.25     (4) implements of husbandry when the movement is not made 
  2.26  according to the provisions of paragraph (i); 
  2.27     (5) double-deck buses; 
  2.28     (6) commercial boat hauling.  
  2.29     (e) For vehicles which have axle weights exceeding the 
  2.30  weight limitations of section 169.825, an additional cost added 
  2.31  to the fees listed above.  The additional cost is equal to the 
  2.32  product of the distance traveled times the sum of the overweight 
  2.33  axle group cost factors shown in the following chart:  
  2.34                 Overweight Axle Group Cost Factors 
  2.35  Weight (pounds)         Cost Per Mile For Each Group Of:
  2.36  exceeding       Two consec-     Three consec-   Four consec-
  3.1   weight          utive axles     utive axles     utive axles
  3.2   limitations     spaced within   spaced within   spaced within
  3.3   on axles        8 feet or less  9 feet or less  14 feet or less 
  3.4        0-2,000    .12             .05             .04
  3.5    2,001-4,000    .14             .06             .05
  3.6    4,001-6,000    .18             .07             .06
  3.7    6,001-8,000    .21             .09             .07
  3.8    8,001-10,000   .26             .10             .08
  3.9   10,001-12,000   .30             .12             .09
  3.10  12,001-14,000   Not permitted   .14             .11
  3.11  14,001-16,000   Not permitted   .17             .12
  3.12  16,001-18,000   Not permitted   .19             .15
  3.13  18,001-20,000   Not permitted   Not permitted   .16
  3.14  20,001-22,000   Not permitted   Not permitted   .20
  3.15     The amounts added are rounded to the nearest cent for each 
  3.16  axle or axle group.  The additional cost does not apply to 
  3.17  paragraph (c), clauses (1) and (3).  
  3.18     For a vehicle found to exceed the appropriate maximum 
  3.19  permitted weight, a cost-per-mile fee of 22 cents per ton, or 
  3.20  fraction of a ton, over the permitted maximum weight is imposed 
  3.21  in addition to the normal permit fee.  Miles must be calculated 
  3.22  based on the distance already traveled in the state plus the 
  3.23  distance from the point of detection to a transportation loading 
  3.24  site or unloading site within the state or to the point of exit 
  3.25  from the state. 
  3.26     (f) As an alternative to paragraph (e), an annual permit 
  3.27  may be issued for overweight, or oversize and overweight, 
  3.28  construction equipment, machinery, and supplies.  The fees for 
  3.29  the permit are as follows:  
  3.30  Gross Weight (pounds) of Vehicle          Annual Permit Fee
  3.31       90,000 or less                             $200
  3.32       90,001 - 100,000                           $300
  3.33      100,001 - 110,000                           $400
  3.34      110,001 - 120,000                           $500
  3.35      120,001 - 130,000                           $600
  3.36      130,001 - 140,000                           $700
  4.1       140,001 - 145,000                           $800
  4.2      If the gross weight of the vehicle is more than 145,000 
  4.3   pounds the permit fee is determined under paragraph (e). 
  4.4      (g) For vehicles which exceed the width limitations set 
  4.5   forth in section 169.80 by more than 72 inches, an additional 
  4.6   cost equal to $120 added to the amount in paragraph (a) when the 
  4.7   permit is issued while seasonal load restrictions pursuant to 
  4.8   section 169.87 are in effect. 
  4.9      (h) $85 for an annual permit to be issued for a period not 
  4.10  to exceed 12 months, for refuse compactor vehicles that carry a 
  4.11  gross weight of not more than:  22,000 pounds on a single rear 
  4.12  axle; 38,000 pounds on a tandem rear axle; or, subject to 
  4.13  section 169.825, subdivision 14, 46,000 pounds on a tridem rear 
  4.14  axle.  A permit issued for up to 46,000 pounds on a tridem rear 
  4.15  axle must limit the gross vehicle weight to not more than 62,000 
  4.16  pounds. 
  4.17     (i) For vehicles exclusively transporting implements of 
  4.18  husbandry, an annual permit fee of $24.  A vehicle operated 
  4.19  under a permit authorized by this paragraph may be moved at the 
  4.20  discretion of the permit holder without prior route approval by 
  4.21  the commissioner if: 
  4.22     (1) the total width of the transporting vehicle, including 
  4.23  load, does not exceed 14 feet; 
  4.24     (2) the vehicle is operated only between sunrise and 30 
  4.25  minutes after sunset, and is not operated at any time after 
  4.26  12:00 noon on Sundays or holidays; 
  4.27     (3) the vehicle is not operated when visibility is impaired 
  4.28  by weather, fog, or other conditions that render persons and 
  4.29  other vehicles not clearly visible at 500 feet; 
  4.30     (4) the vehicle displays at the front and rear of the load 
  4.31  or vehicle a pair of flashing amber lights, as provided in 
  4.32  section 169.59, subdivision 4, whenever the overall width of the 
  4.33  vehicle exceeds 126 inches; and 
  4.34     (5) the vehicle is not operated on a trunk highway with a 
  4.35  surfaced roadway width of less than 24 feet unless such 
  4.36  operation is authorized by the permit. 
  5.1      A permit under this paragraph authorizes movements of the 
  5.2   permitted vehicle on an interstate highway, and movements of 75 
  5.3   miles or more on other highways. 
  5.4      Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.5      Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  5.6   enactment.