AB 187 (Machado) FAILED PASSAGE Vehicle registration: exceptions Existing law requires the
registered owner of a vehicle, who does not intend to renew the registration of the
vehicle prior to expiration of the current registration, to file a "planned
nonoperation (PNO)" certification. AB 187 would have exempted commercial vehicles
over 26,000 pounds, various combinations of trucks and trailers and specified vehicles
used in intrastate or interstate commerce from having to file a PNO certificate. Senator
Kopp amended AB 187 when it reached the Senate Transportation Committee to include all
vehicles in the PNO exemption. As the PNOs cost $5 each and must be renewed annually, this
bill was cost prohibitive. The Department of Finance estimated a loss of as much a $27
million in revenue to the state in the first year. This bill was opposed by the DMV,
CalTrans, and the Dept. of Finance.
AB 420 (Weggeland) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Vehicles: manufactured homes: transportation
UHCA was successful in securing an amendment to AB 420 which would REQUIRE the use of
escort (pilot) cars in the transport of extra wide manufactured homes. Homes up to 16 feet
in width will be manufactured in California (they are already manufactured in 37 other
states) and under specified conditions, allowed to be transported throughout the state.
AB 1460 (Morrissey) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Air pollution: heavy-duty motor vehicles:
emission Sponsored by the California Trucking Association, 1460 will prevent are in
compliance with the law, specify violations that ARB can cite; and improve the
administrative hearing procedure. AB 1460 changes the existing smoke emissions enforcement
program by: 1. Allowing ARB regulations to specify that refusal to submit to a test
procedure is proof of a violation, but not a violation of regulations; thereby, protecting
the owner of a motor vehicle from civil penalties (not more than $1,500 per day) for
violation of the regulations. 2. Exempting any owner of motor vehicle cited by ARB from
the $300 civil penalty for a first citation.
AB 1675 (Goldsmith) FAILED PASSAGE Air pollution: diesel vehicles Prohibits the operation
of a heavy-duty diesel powered truck or truck older than the 1987 model-year unless the
owner or operator of the vehicle makes a specified declaration of compliance.
PLEASE READ COVER STORY
AB 1683 (Conroy) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Public utilities: carriers Transfers authority
for the regulation of safety with respect to motor carriers from the Public Utilities
Commission to the Department of the California Highway Patrol for enforcement purposes and
to the DMV for administrative functions.
PLEASE READ COVER STORY
AB 2027 ( Frusetta) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Vehicles: weights: permits AB 2027 requires
cities and counties to use a Caltrans standard permit for oversized and special loaded
trucks. The uniform permit process and standard application form for truck route permits
will be developed by members of the trucking industry, Caltrans, and local government.
Permittees contend that some local jurisdictions charge permit fees in excess of those
levied by Caltrans or add surcharges (administrative time, staff time, facsimiles, etc.)
to the permit fee that serve to vastly increase the cost of the permit.
AB 2108 (Mazzoni) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Solid waste: new tires: disposal fee The
California Tire Recycling Act requires the California Integrated Waste Management Board
(CIWMB) to establish a tire recycling program that promotes and develops alternatives to
landfill disposal and stockpiling of used tires. The Act imposes, until June 30, 1999, a
fee of $0.25 per tire on every person who leaves tires for "disposal" with a
seller of new or used tires. AB 2108: * Shifts the point at which the existing $0.25 per
tire recycling fee is collected to the point of retail sale, rather than at the point of
disposal. * Authorizes traffic officers and peace officers to enforce provisions of the
state's Tire Hauler Registration Law as authorized representatives of CIWMB. * Requires
any person operating a vehicle that transports waste tires to be registered with the
CIWMB, unless specifically exempted
AB 2201 (House) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Vehicles: cargo tanks: flammable liquids:
certification Existing law requires the CHP to conduct an annual inspection of specified
vehicles used to transport hazardous waste. Existing law also requires the Department of
Toxic Substances Control to adopt regulations and issue certificates of compliance for the
containers used in hazardous waste transportation. The existing process has proven costly,
labor-intensive, and inefficient. AB 2201 would conform California's tank inspection laws
to the less stringent federal standards.
AB 2345 (Morrissey) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Vehicles: weight violations Under existing
law, excessive weight violations are fined according to a statutory schedule, on top of
initial penalties for violations of state and local special permits. The current fine
structure does not allow latitude as exemplified by a $22,627 fine on an overweight truck
in San Jose and a $16,201 fine in Los Angeles. AB 2345 gives courts discretion in imposing
this additional fine schedule for overweight vehicles. Southern California Contractors
sponsored AB 2345.
AB 2370 (Takasugi) FAILED PASSAGE Vehicles: carpool lanes: prohibitions AB 2370 would have
prohibited commercial vehicles, motortrucks or truck tractors having three or more axles
or drawing any other vehicle, and passenger vehicles or buses drawing other vehicles from
using high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Caltrans contends that trucks are not
appropriate for travel on HOV lanes. Caltrans claims that allowing trucks to use HOV lanes
defeats the legislative intent of alleviating congestion and encouraging people to
carpool. Please Read "Why Can't Commercial Vehicles Use On-Ramp Carpool Lanes?!? on
Page 2 of HIGHWAY, Volume 33. Issue II
AB 2410 (McPherson) FAILED PASSAGE Vehicles: hours of service: regulations Attempted to
make changes in hours of service regulations for motor carriers.
AB 2704 (Bowler) FAILED PASSAGE Port Districts This bill would improve the flow of
commerce to, within, and out of the Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Districts by requiring
that terminal facility lessees be open for business and fully operational on a continuous
basis, 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Assemblyman Bowler introduced AB 2704 in an
effort to alleviate service congestion and to improve port capacity and marketability.
Opponents contended that marketplace forces, such as supply and demand, should dictate the
hours of operation. Included in the list of opponents were: California Association of Port
Authoritities, General Steamship Agencies, Port of Long Beach, Pacific Merchant Shipping
Association, and the Steamship Association of Southern California. AB 2704 was supported
by CTA. SB 562 (COSTA) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Underground Storage Tank Exemption *
Reforms the current underground storage tank regulatory system by requiring greater
communication between state and local agencies that administer the program. * Requires the
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to issue guidelines for local agencies to
follow in developing workplans that will dirct cleanup activity. * Limits recovery from
the UST Cleanup Fund to one occurrence at a site where only a single site assessment is
required. * Requires SWRCB to adopt a uniform closure letter that clearly states no
further work is required or needed. * Permits SWRCB to suspend work on any site that does
not pose an emergency or immediate threat once the source of the contamination, any
free-flowing product, and heavily saturated soil are removed until funds for cleanup are
available from the UST Cleanup Fund. * Restores a site that was closed, but reopened with
the discovery of more contamination, to its original place in line for access to funds
from the UST Cleanup Fund. * Allows comingled plumes to receive funding based on the
priority ranking that first makes the site eligible for funds if the cleanup is conducted
as a single cleanup. * Permits tank owners to appeal to SWRCB for closure of UST cleanup
sites.
SB 1463 (Johannessen) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1997 Vehicle lengths: motorsports competition
This bill would exempt from vehicle length limitations any trailer used to transport
vehicles that compete in motorsports, if the distance from the kingpin to the trailer's
rearmost axle does not exceed 46 feet. Existing state law sets the maximum kingpin-to-axle
distance at 40 feet. Newly-enacted federal law (HR 2539, 1995) includes a provision that
states may not prescribe or enforce regulations which impose a limitation of less than 46
feet on the kingpin distance of trailers used in connection with motorsports, but these
limits have only applied to the federally-designated road system.
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