Commercial Truck Highway Safety Demonstration Program Act of 2003

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1142 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1142

To establish a commercial truck highway safety demonstration program in
the State of Maine, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 6, 2003

Mr. Michaud (for himself and Mr. Allen) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a commercial truck highway safety demonstration program in
the State of Maine, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Commercial Truck Highway Safety
Demonstration Program Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Public safety on the highways of the United States is a
paramount concern of all who use the highways and all who
prescribe public policy for the use of those highways,
including public policy on the operation of heavy commercial
trucks on highways.
(2) Federal highway funding law effectively imposes a limit
of 80,000 pounds on the weight of vehicles permitted to use
Interstate System highways.
(3) The administration of this law in Maine has forced
heavy tractor-trailer and tractor-semitrailer combination
vehicles, traveling into Maine from neighboring States and
Canada, to divert onto small State and local roads where higher
vehicle weight limits apply under Maine law.
(4) The diversion of those vehicles onto such roads causes
significant economic hardships and safety challenges for small
communities located along those roads.
(5) Permitting heavy commercial vehicles, including tanker
trucks carrying hazardous material and fuel oil, to travel on
Interstate System highways in Maine--
(A) would enhance public safety by reducing--
(i) the number of heavy vehicles that use
town and city streets in Maine; and
(ii) as a result, the number of dangerous
interactions between those heavy vehicles and
such other vehicles as school buses and private
vehicles; and
(B) would reduce the net highway maintenance costs
in Maine because the Interstate System highways, unlike
the secondary roads of Maine, are built to accommodate
heavy vehicles and are, therefore, more durable.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) Covered interstate system highway.--
(A) In general.--The term ``covered Interstate
System highway'' means a highway within the State of
Maine that is designated as a route on the Interstate
System, except as provided in subparagraph (B).
(B) Exception.--The term does not include any
portion of a highway that, as of the date of enactment
of this Act, is exempted from the requirements of
subsection (a) of section 127 of title 23, United
States Code, by the last sentence of such subsection.
(2) Interstate system.--The term ``Interstate System'' has
the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 23,
United States Code.

SEC. 4. MAINE TRUCK SAFETY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a program, in the
administration of this Act, to demonstrate the effects on the safety of
the overall highway network in the State of Maine that would result
from permitting vehicles described in section 5(b) to be operated on
the Interstate System highways within the State.

SEC. 5. WAIVER OF HIGHWAY FUNDING REDUCTION RELATING TO WEIGHT OF
VEHICLES USING INTERSTATE SYSTEM HIGHWAYS.

(a) Prohibition Relating to Certain Vehicles.--Notwithstanding
section 127(a) of title 23, United States Code, the total amount of
funds apportioned to the State of Maine under section 104(b)(1) of such
title for any period may not be reduced under such section 127(a) on
the basis that the State of Maine permits a vehicle described in
subsection (b) to use a covered Interstate System highway.
(b) Combination Vehicles in Excess of 80,000 Pounds.--A vehicle
referred to in subsection (a) is a vehicle having a weight in excess of
80,000 pounds that--
(1) consists of a 3-axle tractor unit hauling a single
trailer or semitrailer; and
(2) does not exceed any vehicle weight limitation that is
applicable under the laws of the State of Maine to the
operation of such vehicle on highways in Maine not on the
Interstate System, as such laws are in effect on the date of
enactment of this Act.
(c) Effective Date and Termination.--
(1) Effective date.--
(A) Date of satisfaction of administrative
conditions by maine.--The prohibition in subsection (a)
shall take effect on the date on which the Secretary of
Transportation notifies the Commissioner of
Transportation of the State of Maine, in writing,
that--
(i) the Secretary has received the plan
described in paragraph (1) of section 6; and
(ii) the Commissioner has established a
highway safety committee as described in
paragraph (2) of such section and has
promulgated rules and procedures for the
collection of highway safety data as described
in paragraph (3) of such section.
(B) Permanent effect.--After taking effect, the
prohibition in subsection (a) shall remain in effect
unless terminated under paragraph (2).
(2) Contingent termination.--The prohibition in subsection
(a) shall terminate 3 years after the effective date applicable
under paragraph (1) if, before the end of such 3-year period,
the Secretary--
(A) determines that--
(i) operation of vehicles described in
subsection (b) on covered Interstate System
highways has adversely affected safety on the
overall highway network in Maine; or
(ii) the Commissioner has failed to use the
highway safety committee as described in
paragraph (2)(A) of section 6 or to collect
data as described in paragraph (3) of such
section; and
(B) publishes the determination, together with the
date of the termination of the prohibition, in the
Federal Register.
(d) Consultation Regarding Termination for Safety.--In making a
determination under subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), the Secretary shall
consult with the highway safety committee established by the
Commissioner in accordance with section 6.

SEC. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE OF MAINE.

For the purposes of section 5, the State of Maine satisfies the
conditions of this section if the Commissioner of Transportation of the
State of Maine--
(1) submits to the Secretary of Transportation a plan for
satisfying the conditions set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3);
(2) establishes and chairs a highway safety committee
that--
(A) the Commissioner uses to review the data
collected pursuant to paragraph (3); and
(B) consists of representatives of--
(i) agencies of the State that have
responsibilities related to highway safety;
(ii) municipalities of the State;
(iii) organizations that have evaluation or
promotion of highway safety among their
principal purposes; and
(iv) the commercial trucking industry; and
(3) collects data on the net effects that the operation of
vehicles described in section 5(b) on covered Interstate System
highways has on the safety of the overall highway network in
the State, including the net effects on single-vehicle and
multiple-vehicle collision rates for such vehicles.
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