MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Transportation
By: Representative Arnold
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 27-19-81 AND 63-5-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF HARVEST PERMITS FOR VEHICLES HAULING LIMESTONE UPON THE PUBLIC ROADWAYS OF THIS STATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 27-19-81, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-19-81. (1) No vehicle shall be registered by the Department of Revenue or by a tax collector, and no license tag whatsoever shall be issued therefor, where the gross weight of such vehicle exceeds the limits provided by law. In the event of an emergency requiring the hauling of a greater gross weight than permitted by law, the owner or operator of such vehicle shall obtain an excess weight authorization from the Mississippi Department of Transportation or local authority having jurisdiction of the particular road, street or highway before operating such vehicle on the highways of this state to haul such a gross weight over a route to be designated by the aforesaid department. It shall then be necessary for the owner or operator of the vehicle to obtain a permit from the Transportation Department, which shall be issued by the department under the same provisions as are provided for the issuance of trip permits under Section 27-19-79, but which permit shall likewise be obtained prior to the operation of such vehicle on the highways. No persons or agencies other than the Mississippi Department of Transportation shall have authority to issue the permits provided for in this section. The fee to be charged for such permits shall be computed in the same manner provided in Section 27-19-79 for each one thousand (1,000) pounds, or fractional part thereof, of gross weight above the licensed capacity of the vehicle, up to the maximum legal weights provided by this article on the roads to be traveled.
This subsection shall apply, but not be limited to, any tractor, road roller or road machinery used solely and specifically in road building or other highway construction or maintenance work.
For each one thousand (1,000) pounds, or fractional part thereof, in excess of the weight authorized by Sections 63-5-29 and 63-5-33 for any such vehicle or in excess of the limits set by the Transportation Department for specified roads and bridges, the fee shall be Five Cents (5¢) per one thousand (1,000) pounds, or fractional part thereof, for each mile traveled upon the highways of the state, except that the fee for manufactured housing modular units, residential or commercial, shall be Two Cents (2¢) per one thousand (1,000) pounds, or fractional part thereof, for each mile traveled upon the highways of the state. Provided, however, no permit shall be issued for a fee of less than Ten Dollars ($10.00).
The Transportation Department may provide for an annual permit which will allow preapproved vehicles and loads to travel predesignated routes with self-issued permits. Under such self-issuance authority, the owner of the vehicle shall complete the permit in a format designated by the department, electronically transmit a copy to the department prior to the move, and ensure that a copy is in the possession of the operator. Vehicles having a gross weight exceeding the limits provided by law that have a nondivisible gross vehicle weight of ninety-five thousand (95,000) pounds or less, which are otherwise legal, shall not be restricted as to the hours of the day such vehicles may be operated on predesignated routes. The department shall bill the vehicle owner according to the provisions of the preceding paragraph. The department is authorized to modify predesignated routes at any time for cause, such as highway construction or hazardous highway conditions. The annual fee for the self-issuance permit authority obtained pursuant to this paragraph shall be Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per owner, regardless of the number of vehicles which he will operate pursuant to such permit, in addition to any other fees required by this section. Any vehicle and load being operated pursuant to this paragraph for which the operator does not have the permit or a copy thereof in his possession, or for which a copy of the permit was not electronically transmitted to the department, shall be deemed not to have a permit and shall be penalized accordingly.
It shall not be necessary for the owner or operator of a vehicle to obtain a permit pursuant to this subsection if such owner or operator has obtained for his vehicle an annual special permit for vehicles transporting heavy equipment pursuant to Section 63-5-52.
(2) Before operating a vehicle where the size of the load being hauled is in excess of that permitted by law, the owner or operator of such vehicle shall obtain excess size authorization from the Transportation Department or proper local authority and an excess size permit from the Transportation Department. Such excess size permit shall be issued by the Mississippi Department of Transportation under the same provisions as are provided for the issuance of trip permits under Section 27-19-79, and it shall be obtained prior to the operation of such vehicle on the highways. The fee to be charged for such excess size permit shall be Ten Dollars ($10.00) per trip. Such permits may be issued for an extended period of time and must coincide with the expiration date and other provisions of the carrier's permit or authorization issued by the Transportation Department or local authority. The fee for such extended permits shall be based upon an annual fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per carrier. No permit shall be issued under this subsection if the issuance of the permit would violate federal law or would cause the State of Mississippi to lose federal aid funds. This subsection shall not apply to any tractor, road roller or road machinery used solely and specifically in road building or other highway construction or maintenance work or to any machinery or equipment operated on the highways or transported thereon in the course of normal farming activities, including cotton module transporters.
(3) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation may authorize certain carriers of property to issue overweight and/or oversize permits for vehicles owned or operated by such carriers, provided such carriers have blanket authorization from the Transportation Commission and also meet other requirements established by the Transportation Commission.
(4) The owner or operator of a vehicle hauling sand, gravel, woodchips, wood shavings, sawdust, fill dirt, agricultural products, bulk feed, wood pellets, limestone or unprocessed forestry products may apply to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for a harvest permit for the purpose of authorizing any such vehicles to operate on the highways in this state (other than the federal interstate system or those highways designated by the Mississippi Department of Transportation as not capable of carrying more than fifty-seven thousand six hundred fifty (57,650) pounds at the maximum gross weight specified in Section 63-5-33). Harvest permits may be issued and are valid to permit any such vehicle to be operated on a highway in this state that has been designated by the Mississippi Department of Transportation as not capable of carrying more than fifty-seven thousand six hundred fifty (57,650) pounds only if such vehicle operates in compliance with the provisions of Section 63-5-29(3)(b). A fee of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) shall be charged for each permit issued. The permit shall be in the form of a decal which shall be affixed to each permitted vehicle on the upper left corner of the windshield on the driver's side. Each permit shall expire one (1) year from its date of issue. The fees collected under this subsection shall be deposited into a special fund that is created in the State Treasury. Monies in the fund shall be allocated and distributed quarterly, beginning September 30, 1994, to each of the counties of the state on an equal basis. Monies distributed to the counties under this subsection shall be deposited in each county's road and bridge fund and may be expended, upon approval of the board of supervisors, for any purpose for which county road and bridge fund monies lawfully may be expended.
(5) Any owner or operator who has met the requirements set by the Mississippi Transportation Commission may defer payment of permits issued by the department until the end of the current month. If full payment is not received by the twentieth of the following month, there may be added as damages to the total amount of the delinquency or deficiency the following percentages: ten percent (10%) for the first offense; fifteen percent (15%) for the second offense; and twenty-five percent (25%) for the third and any subsequent offense. Upon the third offense, the department may suspend the privilege to defer payment. The balance due shall become payable upon notice and demand by the department.
(6) The permit fee monies collected under this section, except as provided for in subsection (4) of this section, shall be deposited into the State Highway Fund for the construction, maintenance and reconstruction of highways and roads of the State of Mississippi or the payment of interest and principal on bonds authorized by the Legislature for construction and reconstruction of highways.
(7) The department may waive the permits, taxes and fees set forth in this section whenever a motor vehicle is operated upon the public highways in this state in response to an emergency, a major disaster or the threat of a major disaster.
(8) The Mississippi Department of Transportation and any other law enforcement agency authorized to perform escort of a vehicle designated as a superload vehicle pursuant to regulations of the Mississippi Department of Transportation may charge a reasonable fee to perform the escort of superload vehicles. The fee charged for escort will be collected by the agency performing the escort.
SECTION 2. Section 63-5-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
* * *
63-5-33. (1) Subject to the limitations imposed on wheel and axle loads by Section 63-5-27, and to the further limitations hereinafter specified, the total combined weight (vehicles plus load) on any group of axles of a vehicle or a combination of vehicles shall not exceed the value given in the following table (Table III) corresponding to the distance in feet between the extreme axles of the group, measured longitudinally to the nearest foot, on those highways or parts of highways designated by the Mississippi Transportation Commission as being capable of carrying the maximum load limits and, in addition thereto, such other highways or parts of highways found by the commission to be suitable to carry the maximum load limits from an engineering standpoint, and so designated as such by order of the commission entered upon its minutes and published once each week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a daily newspaper published in this state and having a general circulation therein. The maximum total combined weight carried on any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles shall be determined by the formula contained in the Federal Weight Law enacted January 4, 1975, as follows: W=500 (LN/N-1+12N+36) where W=maximum weight in pounds carried on any group of two (2) or more axles computed to the nearest five hundred (500) pounds, L=distance in feet between the extremes of any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles, and N=number of axles in any group under consideration.
TABLE III
DISTANCE
IN FEET
BETWEEN THE
EXTREMES OF
ANY GROUP
OF 2 OR MORE
CONSECUTIVE MAXIMUM LOAD IN POUNDS CARRIED ON ANY
AXLES GROUP OF 2 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE AXLES
2 axles 3 axles 4 axles 5 axles 6 axles 7 axles
4 34,000
5 34,000
6 34,000 Axle groups in
7 34,000
8 and
less 34,000 34,000 these spacings
More
than
8 38,000 42,000
9 39,000 42,500
10 40,000 43,500 impractical
11 44,000
12 45,000 50,000
13 45,500 50,500
14 46,500 51,500
15 47,000 52,000
16 48,000 52,500 58,000
17 48,500 53,500 58,500
18 49,500 54,000 59,000
19 50,000 54,500 60,000
20 51,000 55,500 60,500 66,000
21 51,500 56,000 61,000 66,500
22 52,500 56,500 61,500 67,000
23 53,000 57,500 62,500 68,000
24 54,000 58,000 63,000 68,500 74,000
25 54,500 58,500 63,500 69,000 74,500
26 55,500 59,500 64,000 69,500 75,000
27 56,000 60,000 65,000 70,000 75,500
28 57,000 60,500 65,500 71,000 76,500
29 57,500 61,500 66,000 71,500 77,000
30 58,500 62,000 66,500 72,000 77,500
31 59,000 62,500 67,500 72,500 78,000
32 60,000 63,500 68,000 73,000 78,500
33 64,000 68,500 74,000 79,000
34 64,500 69,000 74,500 80,000
35 65,500 70,000 75,000 80,000
36 66,000 70,500 75,500 80,000
37 66,500 71,000 76,000 80,000
38 67,500 71,500 77,000 80,000
39 68,000 72,500 77,500 80,000
40 68,500 73,000 78,000 80,000
41 69,500 73,500 78,500 80,000
42 70,000 74,000 79,000 80,000
43 70,500 75,000 80,000 80,000
44 71,500 75,500 80,000 80,000
45 72,000 76,000 80,000 80,000
46 72,500 76,500 80,000 80,000
47 73,500 77,500 80,000 80,000
48 74,000 78,000 80,000 80,000
49 74,500 78,500 80,000 80,000
50 75,500 79,000 80,000 80,000
51 76,000 80,000 80,000 80,000
52 76,500 80,000 80,000 80,000
53 77,500 80,000 80,000 80,000
54 78,000 80,000 80,000 80,000
55 78,500 80,000 80,000 80,000
56 79,500 80,000 80,000 80,000
57 80,000 80,000 80,000 80,000
(2) Moreover, in addition to the per axle weight limitations specified by Section 63-5-27, two (2) consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds each, providing that the overall distance between the first and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem axles is thirty-six (36) feet or more, except that, until September 1, 1989, the axle distance for tank trailers, dump trailers and ocean transport container haulers may be thirty (30) feet or more. Such overall gross weight may not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds, except as provided by this section.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 63-5-27 and/or Section 63-5-29 to the contrary, vehicles hauling products in the manner set forth in this subsection, whether or not such vehicles are operating with a harvest permit, shall be allowed a gross weight of not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) pounds on any tandem. Vehicles operating without a harvest permit shall be allowed a tolerance not to exceed five percent (5%) above their authorized gross vehicle weight, tandem or axle weight; except that the maximum gross vehicle weight of any such vehicle shall not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds plus a tolerance thereon of not more than two percent (2%). Vehicles operating without a harvest permit loading at a point of origin having scales available for weighing the vehicle shall not be eligible for any tolerance over the gross weight limit of eighty thousand (80,000) pounds. Vehicles operating with a harvest permit shall be allowed a tolerance not to exceed ten percent (10%) above their authorized gross vehicle weight, tandem or axle weight, but the maximum gross vehicle weight of any such vehicle shall not exceed eighty-eight thousand (88,000) pounds. However, neither the increased weights in this subsection nor any tolerance shall be allowed on federal interstate highways or on other highways where a tolerance is specifically prohibited by the Transportation Commission, the county board of supervisors or the municipal governing authorities as provided for in Section 63-5-27. The tolerance allowed by this subsection shall only apply to the operation of vehicles from the point of loading to the point of unloading for processing, and to the operation of vehicles hauling sand, gravel, woodchips, wood shavings, sawdust, fill dirt, limestone, and agricultural products, and products for recycling or materials for the construction or repair of highways. The range of such operation shall not exceed a radius of one hundred (100) miles except where the products are being transported for processing within this state.
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 63-5-27 and/or Section 63-5-29 to the contrary, vehicles hauling prepackaged products, unloaded at a state port or to be loaded at a state port, which are containerized in such a manner as to make subdivision thereof impractical shall be allowed a gross weight of not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) pounds on any tandem, and a tolerance not to exceed ten percent (10%) above their authorized gross weight, tandem or axle weight; except that the maximum weight of any vehicle shall not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds plus a tolerance thereon of not more than two percent (2%); however, neither the increased weights in this subsection nor any tolerance shall be allowed on federal interstate highways or on other highways where a tolerance is specifically prohibited by the Transportation Commission, the county board of supervisors or the municipal governing authorities as provided for in Section 63-5-27.
(5) (a) Vehicles for which a harvest permit has been issued pursuant to Section 27-19-81(4) shall be allowed a gross vehicle weight tolerance of ten percent (10%), not to exceed eighty-eight thousand (88,000) pounds. However, the board of supervisors of any county and the governing authorities of any municipality may designate the roads, streets and highways under their respective jurisdiction on and along which vehicles for which a harvest permit has been issued may travel. This subsection shall not apply to the federal interstate system.
(b) Any owner or operator who has been issued a harvest permit and who wishes to operate a vehicle on the roads, streets or highways under the jurisdiction of a county or municipality at a gross vehicle weight greater than the weight allowed by law or greater than the maximum weight established for such roads, streets or highways by the board of supervisors or municipal governing authorities, shall notify, in writing, the board of supervisors or the governing authorities, as the case may be, before operating such vehicle on the roads, streets or highways of such county or municipality. In his notice, the permit holder shall identify the routes over which he intends to operate vehicles for which the permit has been issued and the dates or time period during which he will be operating such vehicles. The board of supervisors or the governing authorities, as the case may be, shall have two (2) working days to respond in writing to the permit holder to notify the permit holder of the routes on and along which the permit holder may operate vehicles for which a harvest permit has been issued. Failure of the board of supervisors or the governing authorities timely to notify the permit holder and to designate the routes on and along which the permit holder may operate shall be considered as authorizing the permit holder to operate on any of the roads, streets or highways of the county or municipality in accordance with the authority granted to the permit holder by the harvest permit.
(c) Any time a timber deed is filed with the chancery clerk, the grantee, at that time, may make a written request of the board of supervisors of the county or the governing authorities of the municipality, as the case may be, for the purpose of providing to the grantee, within three (3) working days of the filing of the request, a designated and approved route over the roads, streets or highways under the jurisdiction of the county or city, as the case may be, that the grantee may travel for the purpose of transporting harvested timber. Upon providing such route designation, the county or city, as the case may be, shall also provide to the grantee a map designating the approved route. An approved route designation provided to a grantee under the provisions of this paragraph shall be valid for a period of six (6) months from its date of issue. The permit authorized to be issued under paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not be required for any person who obtains a permit issued under this paragraph.
(d) This subsection (5) shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 2025.
(6) Nothing in this section or subsections (1) through (4) of Section 63-5-27 shall be construed to deny the operation of any vehicle or combination of vehicles that could be lawfully operated upon the interstate highway system of this state on January 4, 1975.
(7) (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of Section 63-5-27 to the contrary, a vehicle that is operated by an engine fueled primarily by compressed or liquefied natural gas may exceed the gross vehicle weight limits by an amount, not to exceed a maximum of two thousand (2,000) pounds, that is equal to the difference between the weight of the vehicle attributable to the natural gas tank and fueling system carried by the vehicle and the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system.
(b) The weight exception provided in this subsection shall apply to all interstate highways per the exemption expressly permitted by 23 USC Section 127.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.