2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
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2019 SENATE BILL 404
September 16, 2019 - Introduced by Senators TIFFANY, BERNIER, CRAIG, FEYEN,
LEMAHIEU, OLSEN, STROEBEL and WANGGAARD, cosponsored by
Representatives SPIROS, BRANDTJEN, FELZKOWSKI, GUNDRUM, HUTTON, KATSMA,
MURSAU, NYGREN, PLUMER, QUINN, RAMTHUN, ROHRKASTE, SANFELIPPO,
SORTWELL, TUSLER, WITTKE, ZIMMERMAN, DITTRICH and SKOWRONSKI. Referred
to Committee on Transportation, Veterans and Military Affairs.
1 AN ACT to amend 348.15 (3) (intro.) and 348.27 (1); and to create 348.17 (7),
2 348.25 (8) (b) 5. and 348.27 (20) of the statutes; relating to: overweight permits
3 for vehicles or vehicle combinations with six or more axles.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue permits for the
operation of vehicle combinations that exceed maximum gross weight limitations by
not more than 11,000 pounds if the vehicle combination has six or more axles and
meets specified weight limits based on the number of axles and distances between
axles. The bill provides that the permits may be issued for operation only on state
trunk highways and on local highways for a distance up to 15 miles in order to travel
to and from a state trunk highway or to reach fuel, food, maintenance, repair, rest,
staging, terminal or vehicle assembly facilities, or points of loading or unloading.
The permits do not authorize operation of vehicles in excess of special or seasonal
weight limits imposed on a highway or weight restrictions on heavy traffic routes.
Under the bill, an applicant for a permit must include a description of the
proposed route they will travel, and DOT must minimize the operation of overweight
vehicles on state trunk highways in residential areas. If DOT issues a permit that
approves a route through a 1st class city, DOT must notify the city.
Under current law, with limited exceptions, no person may operate upon a
highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceeds certain statutory weight
limits unless the person obtains a permit issued by DOT or a local authority.
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SENATE BILL 404
Because this bill concerns an exception to the vehicle weight limits specified in
ch. 348, stats., the Department of Transportation, as required by law, will prepare
a report to be printed as an appendix to this bill.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 348.15 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
2 348.15 (3) (intro.) Subject to any modifications made by a 1st class city under
3 s. 349.15 (3) and except as provided in s. 348.17 (5) or, (6), or (7), no person, without
4 a permit, may operate on a class “A" highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles
5 unless the vehicle or combination of vehicles complies with the following weight
6 limitations:
7 SECTION 2. 348.17 (7) of the statutes is created to read:
8 348.17 (7) (a) The gross weight imposed on the highway by any group of 2 or
9 more consecutive axles of a vehicle or combination of vehicles being operated under
10 a permit issued under s. 348.27 (20) may not exceed the maximum gross weights in
11 the following table for each of the respective distances between axles and the
12 respective numbers of axles of a group:
13 (a) [Figure]
Distance in feet between Number of Axles
the extremes of any group
of 2 or more consecutive 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
axles
4 34,000
5 34,000
6 34,000
7 34,000
8 and less 34,000 34,000
More than 8 39,000 42,000
9 40,000 42,500
10 43,500
11 44,000
12 45,000 50,000
13 45,500 50,500
14 46,500 51,000
15 47,000 52,000
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SENATE BILL 404 SECTION 2
Distance in feet between Number of Axles
the extremes of any group
of 2 or more consecutive 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
axles
16 48,000 52,500 58,000
17 48,500 53,000 58,500
18 49,500 54,000 59,000
19 50,000 54,500 59,500
20 51,000 55,000 60,500 66,000
21 51,500 56,000 61,000 66,500
22 52,500 56,500 61,500 67,000
23 53,000 57,000 62,000 67,500
24 54,000 58,000 63,000 68,000 74,000
25 54,500 58,500 63,500 69,000 74,500
26 55,500 59,000 64,000 69,500 75,000
27 56,000 60,000 64,500 70,000 75,500
28 57,000 60,500 65,500 70,500 76,000 82,000
29 57,500 61,000 66,000 71,000 76,500 82,500
30 58,500 62,000 66,500 72,000 77,500 83,000
31 59,000 62,500 67,000 72,500 78,000 83,500
32 60,000 63,000 68,000 73,000 78,500 84,000
33 60,500 64,000 68,500 73,500 79,000 84,500
34 61,500 64,500 69,000 74,000 79,500 85,000
35 62,000 65,000 69,500 75,000 80,000 86,000
36 63,000 66,000 70,500 75,500 81,000 86,500
37 63,500 66,500 71,000 76,000 81,500 87,000
38 64,500 67,000 71,500 76,500 82,000 87,500
39 65,000 68,000 72,000 77,000 82,500 88,000
40 66,000 68,500 73,000 78,000 83,000 88,500
41 66,500 69,000 73,500 78,500 83,500 89,000
42 67,500 70,000 74,000 79,000 84,500 90,000
43 68,000 70,500 74,500 79,500 85,000 90,500
44 69,000 71,000 75,500 80,000 85,500 91,000
45 69,500 72,000 76,000 81,000 86,000
46 70,500 72,500 76,500 81,500 86,500
47 71,000 73,000 77,000 82,000 87,000
48 72,000 74,000 78,000 82,500 88,000
49 72,500 74,500 78,500 83,000 88,500
50 73,500 75,000 79,000 84,000 89,000
51 74,000 76,000 79,500 84,500 89,500
52 75,000 76,500 80,500 85,000 90,000
53 75,500 77,000 81,000 85,500 90,500
54 76,500 78,000 81,500 86,000 91,000
55 77,000 78,500 82,000 87,000
56 78,000 79,000 83,000 87,500
57 78,500 80,000 83,500 88,000
58 79,500 80,500 84,000 88,500
59 80,000 81,000 84,500 89,000
60 81,000 82,000 85,500 90,000
61 81,500 82,500 86,000 90,500
62 82,500 83,000 86,500 91,000
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SENATE BILL 404 SECTION 2
Distance in feet between Number of Axles
the extremes of any group
of 2 or more consecutive 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
axles
63 83,000 84,000 87,000
64 84,000 84,500 88,000
65 84,500 85,000 88,500
66 85,500 86,000 89,000
67 86,000 86,500 89,500
68 87,000 87,000 90,500
69 87,500 88,000 91,000
70 88,500 88,500
71 89,000 89,000
72 90,000 90,000
73 90,500 90,500
74 91,000 91,000
1
2 (b) Unless the department provides otherwise by rule, any axle of a vehicle or
3 combination of vehicles that does not impose on the highway at least 8 percent of the
4 gross weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles may not be counted as an axle
5 for the purposes of par. (a).
6 SECTION 3. 348.25 (8) (b) 5. of the statutes is created to read:
7 348.25 (8) (b) 5. For a permit issued under s. 348.27 (20), $300.
8 SECTION 4. 348.27 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
9 348.27 (1) APPLICATIONS. All applications for annual, consecutive month, or
10 multiple trip permits for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles or loads
11 shall be made to the officer or agency designated by this section as having authority
12 to issue the particular permit desired for use of the particular highway in question.
13 All applications under subs. (2) and (4) to (15) shall be made upon forms prescribed
14 by the department. All applications under sub. (16) shall be made utilizing an
15 electronic process prescribed by the department. All applications under sub. (17)
16 shall be made utilizing an electronic process prescribed by the department. All
17 applications under sub. (18) shall be made utilizing an electronic process prescribed
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SENATE BILL 404 SECTION 4
1 by the department. All applications under sub. (20) shall be made utilizing an
2 electronic process prescribed by the department and shall include a description of the
3 route the applicant proposes to travel under the permit.
4 SECTION 5. 348.27 (20) of the statutes is created to read:
5 348.27 (20) PERMITS FOR OVERWEIGHT OPERATION OF VEHICLES WITH 6 OR MORE
6 AXLES. (a) The department may issue annual or consecutive month permits for the
7 operation of vehicle combinations that have 6 or more axles and that exceed the
8 maximum gross weight limitations under s. 348.15 (3) (c) by not more than 11,000
9 pounds.
10 (b) When determining whether to issue permits under this subsection, the
11 department shall minimize the operation of vehicles on portions of state trunk
12 highways located in areas that are primarily residential.
13 (c) A permit under this subsection is valid only on state trunk highways and
14 on local highways for a distance not to exceed 15 miles in order to travel to and from
15 a state trunk highway or to reach fuel, food, maintenance, repair, rest, staging,
16 terminal or vehicle assembly facilities, or points of loading or unloading.
17 (d) A permit under this subsection does not authorize operation of vehicles in
18 excess of a special or seasonal weight limit imposed on a highway under s. 349.16 or
19 a weight restriction on a heavy traffic route designated under s. 349.17.
20 (e) A permit under this subsection is not valid for use on any interstate highway
21 unless federal law authorizes vehicles or vehicle combinations with 6 or more axles
22 and a gross vehicle weight of not more than 91,000 pounds to operate on interstate
23 highways.
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SENATE BILL 404 SECTION 5
1 (f) If the department issues a permit under this subsection that approves a
2 route through a 1st class city, the department shall notify the 1st class city of the
3 issuance of the permit.
4 (END)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 348.15(3)(intro.), 348.15, 348.27(1), 348.27
Bill Text - PDF: 348.15(3)(intro.), 348.15, 348.27(1), 348.27