Senate File 390 - Introduced SENATE FILE 390 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1043) A BILL FOR An Act relating to vehicles operating with a permit for 1 excessive size or weight, and providing fees. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1385SV (4) 91 th/ns
S.F. 390 Section 1. Section 321E.3, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 1 2025, is amended to read as follows: 2 b. (1) The department may issue all-systems permits 3 under section 321E.8 which are valid for movement on all 4 paved highways or streets primary roads and secondary roads, 5 including roads designated by a local authority as a truck 6 route , except the interstate road system if prohibited 7 under section 321E.8 , and except any highways or streets 8 under the jurisdiction of local authorities upon which an 9 all-systems permit is road designated by the applicable local 10 authority as not valid as determined by the applicable local 11 authority for use by permitted vehicles if the local authority 12 indicates such highways and streets communicates the not-valid 13 designation to the department in writing, including by means 14 of electronic communication. However, all roads designated as 15 not valid are subject to review by the department, and a local 16 authority shall not determine that any paved farm-to-market 17 road, or highway or street road designated as a truck route, 18 is not valid for purposes of an all-systems permit without 19 justification. A highway or street under the jurisdiction of 20 a local authority upon which movement under an all-systems 21 permit is valid shall connect with a highway or street under 22 the jurisdiction of the state, or with another highway or 23 street upon which movement under an all-systems permit is valid 24 that ultimately connects with a highway or street under the 25 jurisdiction of the state. 26 (2) A local authority that indicates determines a highway or 27 street, including a paved farm-to-market road, secondary road, 28 or road designated as a truck route upon which an all-systems 29 permit is not valid under subparagraph (1) shall provide a 30 written justification report to the department explaining the 31 local authoritys determination in accordance with subparagraph 32 (1) . If the department disagrees with the local authoritys 33 determination, the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with 34 chapter 17A rules adopted by the department . 35 -1- LSB 1385SV (4) 91 th/ns 1/ 4
S.F. 390 (3) Notwithstanding a local authoritys determination under 1 this paragraph, a person who is issued an all-systems permit 2 may operate a permitted vehicle over the most direct route 3 between the location where the vehicle is loaded or is to be 4 unloaded and the nearest highway or street upon which movement 5 under an all-systems permit is valid. If all roads leading to 6 and from a loading or unloading location used by a permitted 7 vehicle are designated as not valid, a local authority shall 8 cooperate with the department to find an alternate route for 9 the permitted vehicle over the shortest practicable distance. 10 (4) The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 11 to implement and administer this paragraph. 12 Sec. 2. Section 321E.8, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended 13 to read as follows: 14 2. Vehicles with indivisible or divisible loads having an 15 overall width not to exceed the width authorized under section 16 321.454 , an overall length not to exceed the length authorized 17 under section 321.457 , an overall height not to exceed the 18 height authorized under section 321.456 , and a total gross 19 weight not to exceed the gross weight authorized under section 20 321.463 by more than twelve and one-half percent, may operate 21 under an all-systems permit and shall obtain route approval 22 from the department. Permitted vehicles under this subsection 23 with a gross weight exceeding eighty thousand pounds shall not 24 be allowed to travel on any portion of the interstate road 25 system. 26 Sec. 3. Section 321E.9, subsection 4, paragraph d, Code 27 2025, is amended by striking the paragraph. 28 Sec. 4. Section 321E.12, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended 29 to read as follows: 30 1. a. A vehicle traveling under permit shall be registered 31 for the gross weight of the vehicle and load. A trip permit 32 issued according to section 326.23 shall not be used in lieu of 33 the registration provided for in this section . 34 b. For purposes of this section, a vehicle traveling 35 -2- LSB 1385SV (4) 91 th/ns 2/ 4
S.F. 390 under a single-trip permit issued under section 321E.9 may be 1 registered with the department for the combined gross weight 2 of the vehicle and load on a single-trip basis. The fee for 3 single-trip registration is four dollars per ton exceeding 4 forty tons. 5 EXPLANATION 6 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 7 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 8 This bill relates to vehicles operating with a permit for 9 excessive size or weight (permit). 10 Permits are generally issued by the authority responsible 11 for the maintenance of the system of highways or streets on 12 which the permitted vehicles are authorized to travel. One 13 such permit is an all-systems permit that may be issued by 14 the department of transportation (DOT) to authorize movement 15 on most paved highways or streets, excluding the interstate 16 road system and any highway or street under local authority 17 where the permit is not valid, as determined by the local 18 authority, if indicated to the DOT. Despite local authority 19 determinations, permitted vehicles may still travel the 20 shortest route between loading and unloading sites and valid 21 highways. The bill makes an all-systems permit valid for 22 movement on all primary and secondary roads, including roads 23 designated by a local authority as a truck route, subject 24 to the exceptions for the interstate road system and roads 25 deemed not valid by a local authority. Under the bill, a road 26 designated as not valid is subject to DOT review. If the DOT 27 disagrees with the justification, the dispute must be resolved 28 in accordance with DOT rules. The bill requires a local 29 authority to cooperate with the DOT to find alternate routes if 30 all roads leading to a loading and unloading location used by a 31 permitted vehicle are designated as not valid. 32 Current law authorizes the DOT to issue an all-systems 33 permit valid for the movement of vehicles with a total gross 34 weight not to exceed the gross weight authorized under Code 35 -3- LSB 1385SV (4) 91 th/ns 3/ 4
S.F. 390 section 321.463 (maximum gross weight), which varies based on 1 the number of axles and distance between the axles, by more 2 than 12 percent. The bill increases the allowable weight 3 variance for such permitted vehicles to not more than 12.5 4 percent. 5 Under current law, containers for international shipment 6 must be considered an indivisible load when transported under a 7 single-trip permit if the vehicle combination does not exceed 8 maximum dimensions, the container is sealed for international 9 shipment and is either being exported or arriving from a 10 foreign country, specified documentation is carried in the 11 vehicle, and the container holds only raw forest products. The 12 bill strikes the requirement that the container hold only raw 13 forest products. 14 Under current law, the DOT and local authorities are 15 authorized to issue single-trip permits for the movement of 16 vehicles that exceed established dimensions and weight limits 17 (Code section 321E.9). A vehicle traveling under an oversize 18 or overweight permit is required to be registered for the gross 19 weight of the vehicle and load. The owner of a commercial 20 vehicle, which is properly registered and licensed in some 21 other jurisdiction and also operated occasionally in Iowa, 22 who pays the $10 trip permit fee that otherwise authorizes 23 a commercial vehicle not registered in Iowa to be operated 24 in Iowa for up to 72 hours, in accordance with Code section 25 326.23, cannot use that trip permit in lieu of the oversize 26 or overweight vehicle registration requirements. The bill 27 authorizes a vehicle traveling under a single-trip permit to be 28 registered with the DOT on a single-trip basis for the combined 29 gross weight of the vehicle and load. The fee for single-trip 30 registration is $4 per ton exceeding 40 tons. The bill strikes 31 the prohibition on using a Code section 326.23 trip permit in 32 lieu of registration. 33 -4- LSB 1385SV (4) 91 th/ns 4/ 4