A few States directly tie their limits to increases or decreases in Federal weight limits, while others simply void any provision that would threaten the appropriation of Federal funds to their State.Īlthough most States explicitly establish two sets of weight limits, one for State highways and one for Interstate highways, others do not explicitly draw out separate limits for Interstates in statute. 12 Many States require the legislature or the State Department with jurisdiction over vehicle weight regulations to increase the limits if Federal law changes or if it is brought to their attention that they do not comply with Federal law. States ensure adherence to these Federal compliance clauses in a variety of ways.
Many State statutes include clauses that place some level of restriction on State weight limits to avoid withholding of Federal funds due to non-compliance with Federal provisions. 11 According to these provisions, "the United States Secretary of Transportation shall withhold 50 percent of appropriated funds from a State that sets weight limits for Interstate travel that are higher or lower than the standard Federal limits for Interstate highways, with some exceptions" (23 U.S.C. Exhibit 7: Common State Statute Exemptions Vehicle Type/CommodityĪggregate Products (Rock, sand, gravel, road base, etc.)Ĭonstruction Equipment/ Highway Machineryįederal law prevents States from enforcing vehicle weight limits on Interstate highways that deviate from established Federal weight limits and specific exceptions. To summarize how prevalent exemptions are on the non-Interstate, including segments of the NHS, Exhibit 7 below shows the most common commodity and vehicle exemptions given through State statute and the number of States in which they are present (including the District of Columbia). Also, some exemptions or higher weights are allowed through specific permits. These exemptions often only apply to non-Interstate highways however, that is not always the case. Through statute, administrative code, and enforcement policy, States have given exemptions to various types of vehicles and commodities to operate above standard Federal truck size and weight limits. Common State Statute Exemptions to Standard Federal Limits In some instances, State or Federal courts may have interpreted State law and issued rulings that are inconsistent with the statutes and laws in this report. This report does not address the interplay of ever-changing case law and its effect on State laws. The scope of this report captures the current structure of existing truck size and weight limit laws from all 50 States and the District of Columbia. Table of Contents Compilation of Existing State Truck Size and Weight Limit Laws Appendix A: State Truck Size and Weight Laws
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