| 1 | 1 | | 81R7817 SLB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Jones H.B. No. 4187 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a length exemption for a vehicle or combination of |
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| 8 | 8 | | vehicles used to transport a combine used in farm custom harvesting |
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| 9 | 9 | | operations. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 622.902, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 622.902. LENGTH EXCEPTIONS. The length limitations |
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| 14 | 14 | | provided by Sections 621.203 to 621.205 do not apply to: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) machinery used exclusively for drilling water |
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| 16 | 16 | | wells, including machinery that is itself a unit or that is a unit |
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| 17 | 17 | | mounted on a conventional vehicle or chassis; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) a vehicle owned or operated by a public, private, |
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| 19 | 19 | | or volunteer fire department; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated |
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| 21 | 21 | | exclusively in the territory of a municipality or to a combination |
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| 22 | 22 | | of vehicles operated by a municipality in a suburb adjoining the |
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| 23 | 23 | | municipality in which the municipality has been using the equipment |
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| 24 | 24 | | or similar equipment in connection with an established service to |
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| 25 | 25 | | the suburb; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) a truck-tractor, truck-tractor combination, or |
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| 27 | 27 | | truck-trailer combination exclusively transporting machinery, |
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| 28 | 28 | | materials, and equipment used in the construction, operation, and |
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| 29 | 29 | | maintenance of facilities, including pipelines, that are used for |
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| 30 | 30 | | the discovery, production, and processing of natural gas or |
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| 31 | 31 | | petroleum; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) a drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter |
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| 33 | 33 | | combination or a drive-away saddlemount with fullmount vehicle |
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| 34 | 34 | | transporter combination, as defined by 23 C.F.R. Part 658 or its |
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| 35 | 35 | | successor, if: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (A) the overall length of the combination is not |
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| 37 | 37 | | longer than 97 feet; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (B) the combination does not have more than three |
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| 39 | 39 | | saddlemounted vehicles if the combination does not include more |
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| 40 | 40 | | than one fullmount vehicle; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (6) the combination of a tow truck and another vehicle |
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| 42 | 42 | | or vehicle combination if: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (A) the other vehicle or vehicle combination |
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| 44 | 44 | | cannot be normally or safely driven or was abandoned on a highway; |
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| 45 | 45 | | and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (B) the tow truck is towing the other vehicle or |
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| 47 | 47 | | vehicle combination directly to the nearest authorized place of |
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| 48 | 48 | | repair, terminal, or destination of unloading; or |
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| 49 | 49 | | (7) a vehicle or combination of vehicles used to |
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| 50 | 50 | | transport a combine that is used in farm custom harvesting |
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| 51 | 51 | | operations on a farm if the overall length of the vehicle or |
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| 52 | 52 | | combination is not longer than: |
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| 53 | 53 | | (A) 75 feet if the vehicle is traveling on a |
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| 54 | 54 | | highway that is part of the national system of interstate and |
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| 55 | 55 | | defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system; or |
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| 56 | 56 | | (B) 81-1/2 feet if the vehicle is not traveling |
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| 57 | 57 | | on a highway that is part of the national system of interstate and |
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| 58 | 58 | | defense highways or the federal aid primary highway system. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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