HOUSE BILL No. 4503 April 20, 1999, Introduced by Reps. Switalski, Woodward, Quarles, Thomas and DeHart and referred to the Committee on Transportation. A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled "Michigan vehicle code," by amending section 722 (MCL 257.722), as amended by 1993 PA 22. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 722. (1)TheUNTIL JANUARY 1, 2004, THE maximum axle 2 load shall not exceed the number of pounds designated in the fol- 3 lowing provisions which prescribe the distance between axles: 4 (a)WhenIF the axle spacing is 9 feet or more between 5 axles, the maximum axle load shall not exceed 18,000 pounds for 6 vehicles equipped with high pressure pneumatic or balloon tires. 7 (b)WhenIF the axle spacing is less than 9 feet between 2 8 axles but more than 3-1/2 feet, the maximum axle load shall not 9 exceed 13,000 pounds for high pressure pneumatic or balloon 10 tires. 01048'99 TJS 2 1 (c)WhenIF axles are spaced less than 3-1/2 feet apart, 2 the maximum axle load shall not exceed 9,000 pounds per axle. 3 (d) Subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) shall be known as the 4 normal loading maximum. 5 (2)WhenUNTIL JANUARY 1, 2004, WHEN normal loading is in 6 effect, the state transportation department and local authorities 7 with respect to highways under their jurisdiction may designate 8 certain highways, or sections of those highways, where bridges 9 and road surfaces are adequate for heavier loading, which desig- 10 nation may be revised as needed, on which the maximum tandem axle 11 assembly loading shall not exceed 16,000 pounds for any axle of 12 the assembly, if there is no other axle within 9 feet of any axle 13 of the assembly. 14 (3) Except as provided in subsection(8)(9), on a legal 15 combination of vehicles, only 1 tandem axle assembly shall be 16 permitted on the designated highways at the gross permissible 17 weight of 16,000 pounds per axle, if there is no other axle 18 within 9 feet of any axle of the assembly, and if no other tandem 19 axle assembly in the combination of vehicles exceeds a gross 20 weight of 13,000 pounds per axle.WhenIF the maximum gross 21 weight of a combination of vehicles with load does not exceed 22 73,280 pounds, 2 tandem axle assemblies shall be permitted on the 23 designated highways at a gross permissible weight of 16,000 24 pounds per axle, if there is no other axle within 9 feet of any 25 axle of the assembly. THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES UNTIL JANUARY 1, 26 2004. 01048'99 3 1 (4) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2004, THE MAXIMUM GROSS VEHICLE 2 WEIGHT FOR THE OPERATION OF VEHICLES SHALL NOT BE MORE THAN 3 80,000 POUNDS AND SHALL NOT EXCEED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: 4 (A) TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS ON 1 AXLE. 5 (B) A TANDEM AXLE WEIGHT OF 17,000 POUNDS PER AXLE INCLUDING 6 ALL ENFORCEMENT TOLERANCES. 7 (C) AN OVERALL GROSS WEIGHT ON A GROUP OF 2 OR MORE CONSECU- 8 TIVE AXLES EQUALING: 9 W = 500 /LN + 12N + 36\ 10 \N-1 / 11 WHERE W = OVERALL GROSS WEIGHT ON A GROUP OF 2 OR MORE CONSECU- 12 TIVE AXLES TO THE NEAREST 500 POUNDS, L = DISTANCE IN FEET 13 BETWEEN THE EXTREME OF A GROUP OF 2 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE AXLES, 14 AND N = NUMBER OF AXLES IN THE GROUP UNDER CONSIDERATION. 15 HOWEVER, 2 CONSECUTIVE SETS OF TANDEM AXLES MAY CARRY A GROSS 16 LOAD OF 17,000 POUNDS PER AXLE EACH IF THE FIRST AND LAST AXLES 17 OF THE CONSECUTIVE SETS OF TANDEM AXLES ARE NOT LESS THAN 36 FEET 18 APART, AND THE GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT DOES NOT EXCEED 80,000 POUNDS 19 INCLUDING ALL ENFORCEMENT TOLERANCES. 20 (5)(4)The normal size of tires shall be the rated size 21 as published by the manufacturers, and the maximum wheel load 22 permissible for any wheel shall not exceed 700 pounds per inch of 23 width of tire. 24 (6)(5)During the months of March, April, and May in each 25 year, the maximum axle load allowable on concrete pavements, or 26 pavements with a concrete base, shall be reduced by 25% from the 27 maximum axle load as specified in this chapter, and the maximum 28 axle loads allowable on all other types of roads during these 01048'99 4 1 months shall be reduced by 35% from the maximum axle loads as 2 specified. The maximum wheel load shall not exceed 525 pounds 3 per inch of tire width on concrete and concrete base or 450 4 pounds per inch of tire width on all other roads during the 5 period the seasonal road restrictions are in effect. Upon 6 receipt of a written application and good cause being shown, the 7 state transportation department, for roads under their jurisdic- 8 tion, and county road commissions, for roads under their juris- 9 diction, may permit exemptions from seasonal weight restrictions 10 for milk on specified routes when requested. Approval or denial 11 of a request for an exemption shall be given by written notice to 12 the applicant within 30 days after the date of submission of the 13 application. If a request is denied, the written notice shall 14 state the reason for denial and alternate routes for which the 15 permit may be issued. The applicant shall have the right to 16 appeal to the state transportation commission or the county road 17 commission. These exemptions shall not apply on county roads in 18 countieswhichTHAT have negotiated agreements with milk haul- 19 ers, or haulers of other commodities, during periods of seasonal 20 load limits in yearsprior to the effective date of this 199321amendatory actBEFORE APRIL 14, 1993.This 1993 amendatory act22shall not limit the ability of these counties toCOUNTIES MAY 23 continue to negotiate such agreements AFTER APRIL 14, 1993. 24 (7)(6)The state transportation department, or a local 25 authority with respect to highways under its jurisdiction, may 26 suspend the restrictions imposed by this section when and where, 27 in its discretion, conditions of the highways or the public 01048'99 5 1 health, safety, and welfare so warrant, and may impose the 2 restricted loading requirements of this section on designated 3 highways at any other time that the conditions of the highway may 4 require. 5 (8)(7)For the purpose of enforcement of this act, the 6 gross vehicle weight of a single vehicle and load or a combina- 7 tion of vehicles and loads, shall be determined by weighing indi- 8 vidual axles or groups of axles, and the total weight on all the 9 axles shall be the gross vehicle weight. In addition, ON AND 10 UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2004, the gross axle weight shall be determined 11 by weighing individual axles or by weighing a group of axles and 12 dividing the gross weight of the group of axles by the number of 13 axles in the group. Pursuant to subsection(8)(4) OR (9) AS 14 APPLICABLE, the overall gross weight on a group of 2 or more 15 axles shall be determined by weighing individual axles or several 16 axles, and the total weight of all the axles in the group shall 17 be the overall gross weight of the group. 18 (9)(8)The loading maximum in this subsectionshall19applyAPPLIES to interstate highways, and the state transporta- 20 tion department, or a local authority with respect to highways 21 under its jurisdiction, may designate a highway, or a section of 22 a highway, for the operation of vehicles having a gross vehicle 23 weight of not more than 80,000 poundswhichTHAT are subject to 24 the following load maximums: 25 (a) Twenty thousand pounds on any 1 axle, including all 26 enforcement tolerances. 01048'99 6 1 (b) A tandem axle weight of 34,000 pounds including all 2 enforcement tolerances. 3 (c) An overall gross weight on a group of 2 or more consecu- 4 tive axles equaling: 5 6 W = 500 /LN + 12N + 36\ 7 \N-1 / 8 where W = overall gross weight on a group of 2 or more consecu- 9 tive axles to the nearest 500 pounds, L = distance in feet 10 between the extreme of a group of 2 or more consecutive axles, 11 and N = number of axles in the group under consideration; except 12 that 2 consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of 13 34,000 pounds each if the first and last axles of the consecutive 14 sets of tandem axles are not less than 36 feet apart. The gross 15 vehicle weight shall not exceed 80,000 pounds including all 16 enforcement tolerances. Except for 5 axle truck tractor, semi- 17 trailer combinations having 2 consecutive sets of tandem axles, 18 vehicleshavingTHAT HAVE a gross weight in excess of 80,000 19 pounds or in excess of the vehicle gross weight determined by 20 application of the formula in this subsectionshall beARE 21 subject to the maximum axle loads of subsections (1), (2), and 22 (3). As used in this subsection, "tandem axle weight" means the 23 total weight transmitted to the road by 2 or more consecutive 24 axles, the centers of which may be included between parallel 25 transverse vertical planes spaced more than 40 inches, but not 26 more than 96 inches, apart, extending across the full width of 27 the vehicle. THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2004. 01048'99 Final page. TJS