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2018 SESSION

18106226D
SENATE BILL NO. 504
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Transportation
on February 7, 2018)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Carrico)
A BILL to authorize the Department of Transportation to enroll in a federal pilot program or project.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. Notwithstanding Chapter 10 (§ 46.2-1000 et seq.) of Title 46.2 of the Code of Virginia, the Commissioner of Highways, with the recommendation of the Secretary of Transportation and the approval of the Governor, is hereby authorized to enroll in or withdraw from any federal pilot program or project for the collection and study of data for the review of truck weights and the impact of such vehicles on federal or state roadway safety, infrastructure sustainability, congestion mitigation, transportation system efficiency, or capacity challenges. The duration of the federal pilot program or project shall not exceed 15 years. If the Commissioner of Highways enrolls in or withdraws from any such federal pilot program or project, he shall notify the House and Senate Committees on Transportation of such enrollment or withdrawal. The Commissioner of Highways shall only authorize active participation in such federal pilot program or project if a general law is enacted authorizing such active participation.

§ 2. The appropriate officials of the Commonwealth are hereby authorized to prepare, execute, and deliver such documents as may be necessary to enroll in such federal pilot program or project. The Commissioner of Highways is further authorized to establish fees for any six-axle tractor truck semitrailer combination to participate in the federal pilot program or project in the Commonwealth if active participation is authorized by the General Assembly, such fees not to exceed $250 annually. Such fees shall be collected by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and allocated pursuant to § 46.2-1128 of the Code of Virginia.

2. That the Department of Transportation (the Department) shall convene a work group to identify the implications of the Commonwealth's participation in a federal data collection pilot program or project involving six-axle tractor truck semitrailer combinations weighing up to 91,000 pounds and utilizing interstate highways. The Department may consult relevant stakeholders and may review (i) the fee structure for qualifying tractor trucks, (ii) the axle spacing for qualifying tractor trucks, (iii) issues related to reasonable access from loading facilities onto a primary or secondary highway and interstate highways, (iv) the sufficiency of existing data in determining if certain routes and bridges should be excluded from the federal pilot program or project, and (v) any other issues as deemed relevant or appropriate by the Department. The Department shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2018, and shall submit to the General Assembly and the Governor an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2019 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.