Minnesota Session Laws - 1990, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1990 

                        CHAPTER 416-H.F.No. 2124 
           An act relating to traffic regulations; changing 
          allowed dimensions of travel trailers; requiring 
          brakes on certain vehicles weighing 3,000 pounds or 
          more; requiring a study and report; amending Minnesota 
          Statutes 1988, section 169.67, subdivision 3; 
          Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, sections 168.011, 
          subdivision 8; and 169.67, subdivision 4. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, section 
168.011, subdivision 8, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 8.  [MANUFACTURED HOME; PARK TRAILER; TRAVEL 
TRAILER.] (a) "Manufactured home" has the meaning given it in 
section 327.31, subdivision 6. 
    (b) "Park trailer" means a trailer that: 
    (1) exceeds eight feet in width but is no larger than 400 
square feet when the collapsible components are fully extended 
or at maximum horizontal width; and 
    (2) is used as temporary living quarters. 
"Park trailer" does not include a manufactured home. 
    (c) "Travel trailer" means a trailer, mounted on wheels, 
that: 
    (1) is designed to provide temporary living quarters during 
recreation, camping, or travel; 
    (2) does not require a special highway movement permit 
based on its size or weight when towed by a motor vehicle; 
    (3) has a gross trailer area of less than 320 square feet; 
and 
    (4) does not exceed eight feet in width. 
    (d) "Gross trailer area" is the total plan area of a travel 
trailer measured to the maximum horizontal projection of 
exterior walls when in the set-up mode, but not including the 
area of that portion of the body of a fifth wheel trailer that 
is raised to extend over the towing vehicle and has a ceiling 
height of less than five feet 
    (3) complies with sections 169.80, subdivision 2, and 
169.81, subdivision 2. 
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1988, section 169.67, 
subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 3.  [TRAILERS, SEMITRAILERS, TANK TRAILERS.] Every 
trailer, semitrailer, or other vehicle of with a gross weight of 
1,500 that is 3,000 pounds or more or exceeds the empty weight 
of the towing vehicle, when drawn or pulled upon a highway, 
shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement 
of and to stop and to hold such vehicle, and so designed as to 
be applied by the driver of a towing motor vehicle from its cab, 
except (a) trailers owned by farmers when transporting 
agricultural products produced on the owner's farm or supplies 
back to the farm of the owner of the trailer, (b) custom service 
vehicles drawn by motor vehicles equipped with brakes capable of 
stopping both vehicles within the distance required by law for 
vehicles with four-wheel brakes and contractors' custom service 
vehicles not exceeding 30,000 pounds gross weight and 45 miles 
per hour when drawn by a motor vehicle capable of stopping the 
combination within the performance standards of subdivision 5, 
(c) trailers or semitrailers when used by retail dealers 
delivering implements of husbandry, (d) motor vehicles drawn by 
motor vehicles equipped with brakes capable of stopping the 
combination of vehicles within the performance requirements of 
this section, (e) tank trailers not exceeding 8,500 pounds gross 
weight used solely for transporting liquid fertilizer or gaseous 
fertilizer under pressure, or distributor trailers not exceeding 
8,500 pounds gross weight used solely for transporting and 
distributing dry fertilizer, when hauled by a truck capable of 
stopping with loaded trailer attached in the distance specified 
by subdivision 5 for vehicles equipped with four-wheel brakes, 
providing the gross weight of such trailer or semitrailer other 
than those described in this clause when drawn by a pleasure 
vehicle shall not exceed 3,000 pounds, or when drawn by a truck 
or tractor shall not exceed 6,000 pounds, or may exceed 6,000 
pounds but not exceed 15,000 pounds for a trailer described in 
clause (a) when drawn by a truck or tractor at a speed not 
exceeding 30 miles per hour, and except disabled vehicles towed 
to a place of repair. 
    Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, section 
169.67, subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 4.  [SERVICE BRAKES ON ALL WHEELS; EXCEPTIONS.] Every 
motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, manufactured after June 
30, 1988, and operated upon the highways shall be equipped with 
service brakes upon all wheels of every such vehicle, except 
mobile cranes not exceeding 45 miles per hour and capable of 
stopping within the performance standards of subdivision 5, and 
except that any motorcycle, any trailer or semitrailer of less 
than 1,500 3,000 pounds gross weight, a third wheel, of a swivel 
type, on a travel trailer, a temporary auxiliary axle attached 
to a motor vehicle during the period of road restrictions for 
the purpose of relieving weight of another axle, when the 
temporary auxiliary axle and the axle to be relieved do not 
exceed the combined gross weight of 18,000 pounds, and the 
vehicle to which such temporary axle is attached meets the brake 
requirements of this section, need not be equipped with brakes; 
and except, further, that brakes are not required on the front 
wheels of vehicles manufactured before July 1, 1988, having 
three or more axles or upon more than one wheel of a motorcycle 
provided the brakes on the other wheels are adequate to stop the 
vehicle in accordance with the braking performance requirements 
of subdivision 5. 
     Sec. 4.  [BACK-UP SAFETY DEVICE STUDY.] 
    The commissioner of public safety, in consultation with 
affected trucking organizations and other interested parties, 
shall study the feasibility of requiring the installation on 
trucks of devices that would increase the level of safety when a 
truck is backing up, including, but not limited to, convex 
mirrors and audible signals. The commissioner shall report to 
the chairs of the transportation committees of the senate and 
house of representatives on the results of the study by January 
15, 1991. 
    Presented to the governor April 5, 1990 
    Signed by the governor April 5, 1990, 9:22 p.m.