BILL NUMBER: SB 341AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 25, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 21, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Senator Lowenthal FEBRUARY 15, 2011 An act to amend Section 27000 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 341, as amended, Lowenthal. Vehicles: dump trucks: backup alarms. (1) Existing law requires a refuse or garbage truck to be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting an audible sound meeting specified requirements. A violation of this requirement is a crime. This bill would additionally require a commercial vehicle, as defined, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), as defined, in excess of 14,000 pounds that transports any construction or industrial material , as described, to and from a mine or construction site, or both, to be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet. Because the bill would expand the scope of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 27000 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 27000. (a) A motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway, shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but no horn shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with, and use in conjunction with the siren on that vehicle, an air horn that emits sounds that do not comply with the requirements of this section. (b) A refuse or garbage truck shall be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 100 feet or shall be equipped with an automatic backup device that is in good working order, located at the rear of the vehicle and that immediately applies the service brake of the vehicle on contact by the vehicle with any obstruction to the rear. The backup device or alarm shall also be capable of operating automatically when the vehicle is in neutral or a forward gear but rolls backward. (c) A refuse or garbage truck, except a vehicle, known as a rolloff vehicle, that is used for the express purpose of transporting waste containers such as open boxes or compactors, purchased after January 1, 2010, shall also be equipped with a functioning camera providing a video display for the driver that enhances or supplements thedrivers'driver's view behind the truck for the purpose of safely maneuvering the truck. (d) (1) A commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) in excess of 14,000 pounds that transports construction or industrial materials to and from a mine or construction site, or both, shall be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet. (2) For purposes of this subdivision, "construction or industrial material" includes any aggregate material, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 23114, concrete, cement, clay, limestone, or other construction or industrial material transported in a bulk material haulage vehicle. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.