99 Relating to: the length of vehicles that may be operated on the highway without an overlength permit. (FE)

  Date of enactment: December 13, 2013
2013 Assembly Bill 282   Date of publication*: December 14, 2013

* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes : Effective date of acts. "Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication."

2013 WISCONSIN ACT 99

An Act to amend 348.07 (2) (g), 348.07 (2) (gv) and 348.07 (4); and to create 348.07 (2) (gr) of the statutes; relating to: the length of vehicles that may be operated on the highway without an overlength permit.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1 . 348.07 (2) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:

348.07 (2) (g) 48 feet for a semitrailer or trailer operated as part of a 2-vehicle combination, except as provided in par. (gr) or (gv).

Section 2 . 348.07 (2) (gr) of the statutes is created to read:

348.07 (2) (gr) 53 feet for a semitrailer whose length from kingpin to axle does not exceed 43 feet and which is operated as part of a 2-vehicle combination on a highway designated under sub. (4). The length limits in this paragraph do not apply to a trailer or a semitrailer that is authorized to operate under par. (im).

Section 3 . 348.07 (2) (gv) of the statutes is amended to read:

348.07 (2) (gv) 53 feet for a semitrailer whose length from kingpin to axle does not exceed 43 feet and which is operated as part of a 2-vehicle combination, except as provided in par. (gr) or sub. (4m). The length limits in this paragraph do not apply to a trailer or a semitrailer that is authorized to operate under par. (im).

Section 4 . 348.07 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

348.07 (4) The secretary shall, by rule, designate the highways to which sub. (2) (f), (fm), and (gm) , and (gr) and s. 348.08 (1) (e) apply. The designation of highways under this subsection may not be inconsistent with the designation of highways made by the U.S. secretary of transportation under P.L. 97-424 , section 411. The secretary may also designate additional highways by rule. In adopting a rule designating other highways, which may include 2-lane highways, the secretary shall specify the factors which resulted in the determination to designate the highways. These factors shall include, but are not limited to, safety, economics, energy savings, industry productivity and competition. Vehicles to which sub. (2) (f), (fm), and (gm) , and (gr) and s. 348.08 (1) (e) apply may also operate on highways not designated under this subsection for a distance of 15 miles or less in order to obtain access to a highway designated under this subsection or to reach fuel, food, maintenance, repair, rest, staging, terminal or vehicle assembly facilities or points of loading or unloading. The secretary may, by rule, designate an access route of more than 15 miles from a highway designated under this subsection when the longer route provides safer and better access to a location which is within the 15-mile limit. Household goods carriers may operate between highways designated under this subsection and points of loading and unloading.

Section 5 . Initial applicability.

(1) This act first applies, retroactively, to vehicles operated on November 1, 2012.