1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to traffic regulations; requiring wheel flaps 
  1.3             on truck tractors; regulating weight restrictions on 
  1.4             vehicle axles; making technical changes; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 169.733, subdivision 
  1.6             1; 169.825, subdivision 8; and 299D.06. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.733, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [VEHICLES GENERALLY.] Every truck, truck 
  1.11  tractor, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, and rear-end dump 
  1.12  truck, excepting rear-end dump farm trucks and military vehicles 
  1.13  of the United States, shall be provided with wheel flaps or 
  1.14  other suitable protection above and behind the rearmost wheels 
  1.15  of the vehicle or combination of vehicles to prevent, as far as 
  1.16  practicable, such wheels from throwing dirt, water, or other 
  1.17  materials on the windshields of vehicles which follow.  Such 
  1.18  flaps or protectors shall be at least as wide as the tires they 
  1.19  are protecting and shall have a ground clearance of not more 
  1.20  than one-fifth of the horizontal distance from the center of the 
  1.21  rearmost axle to the flap under any conditions of loading or 
  1.22  operation of the motor vehicle.  
  1.23     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.825, 
  1.24  subdivision 8, is amended to read: 
  1.25     Subd. 8.  [PNEUMATIC-TIRED VEHICLES.] No vehicle or 
  1.26  combination of vehicles equipped with pneumatic tires shall be 
  2.1   operated upon the highways of this state:  
  2.2      (a) Where the gross weight on any wheel exceeds 9,000 
  2.3   pounds, except that on designated local routes and state trunk 
  2.4   highways the gross weight on any single wheel shall not exceed 
  2.5   10,000 pounds; 
  2.6      (b) Where the gross weight on any single axle exceeds 
  2.7   18,000 pounds, except that on designated local routes and state 
  2.8   trunk highways the gross weight on any single axle shall not 
  2.9   exceed 20,000 pounds; 
  2.10     (c) Where the maximum wheel load: 
  2.11     (1) on the foremost and rearmost steering axles, exceeds 
  2.12  600 pounds per inch of tire width or the manufacturer's 
  2.13  recommended load, whichever is less; or 
  2.14     (2) on other axles, exceeds 500 pounds per inch of tire 
  2.15  width or the manufacturer's recommended load, whichever is less; 
  2.16     Clause (2) applies to new vehicles manufactured after 
  2.17  August 1, 1991.  For vehicles manufactured before August 2, 
  2.18  1991, the maximum weight per inch of tire width is 600 pounds 
  2.19  per inch or the manufacturer's recommended load, whichever is 
  2.20  less, until August 1, 1996.  After July 31, 1996, clause (2) 
  2.21  applies to all vehicles regardless of date of manufacture. 
  2.22     (d) Where the gross weight on any axle of a tridem exceeds 
  2.23  15,000 pounds, except that for vehicles to which an additional 
  2.24  axle has been added prior to June 1, 1981, the maximum gross 
  2.25  weight on any axle of a tridem may be up to 16,000 pounds 
  2.26  provided the gross weight of the tridem combination does not 
  2.27  exceed 39,900 pounds where the first and third axles of the 
  2.28  tridem are spaced nine feet apart.  
  2.29     (e) Where the gross weight on any group of axles exceeds 
  2.30  the weights permitted under this section with any or all of the 
  2.31  interior axles disregarded, and with an exterior axle 
  2.32  disregarded if the exterior axle is a variable load axle that is 
  2.33  not carrying its intended weight, and their gross weights 
  2.34  subtracted from the gross weight of all axles of the group under 
  2.35  consideration. 
  2.36     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 299D.06, is 
  3.1   amended to read: 
  3.2      299D.06 [INSPECTIONS; WEIGHING.] 
  3.3      Personnel to enforce: 
  3.4      (1) the laws relating to motor vehicle equipment,; school 
  3.5   bus equipment, drivers license,; driver licensing; motor vehicle 
  3.6   registration,; motor vehicle size and weight,; and motor vehicle 
  3.7   petroleum tax, to enforce public utilities commission; and 
  3.8   directing the movement of vehicles to fixed or temporary scales 
  3.9   or inspection stations; and 
  3.10     (2) rules relating to motor carriers, to enforce pollution 
  3.11  control agency rules relating to and motor vehicle noise 
  3.12  abatement, and to enforce laws relating to directing the 
  3.13  movement of vehicles 
  3.14  shall be classified employees of the commissioner of public 
  3.15  safety assigned to the division of state patrol.  Employees 
  3.16  engaged in these duties, while actually on the job during their 
  3.17  working hours only, shall have power to issue citations in lieu 
  3.18  of arrest and continued detention and to prepare notices to 
  3.19  appear in court for violation of these laws and rules, in the 
  3.20  manner provided in section 169.91, subdivision 3.  They shall 
  3.21  not be armed and shall have none of the other powers and 
  3.22  privileges reserved to peace officers.