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Session of 2000
          Substitute for HOUSE BILL No. 2642           By Committee on Transportation           2-18          

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10             AN  ACT regulating traffic; concerning the maximum length of certain
11             vehicles; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1904 and repealing the exist-
12             ing section.
13      
14       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
15             Section  1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1904 is hereby amended to read as
16       follows: 8-1904. (a) No vehicle including any load thereon shall exceed a
17       height of 14 feet, except that a vehicle transporting cylindrically shaped
18       bales of hay as authorized by subsection (e) of K.S.A. 8-1902, and amend-
19       ments thereto, may be loaded with such bales secured to a height not
20       exceeding 14 1/2 feet. Should a vehicle so loaded with bales strike any
21       overpass or other obstacle, the operator of the vehicle shall be liable for
22       all damages resulting therefrom. The secretary of transportation may
23       adopt rules and regulations for the movement of such loads of cylindrically
24       shaped bales of hay.
25             (b) No motor vehicle including the load thereon shall exceed a length
26       of 421/2 45 feet extreme overall dimension, inclusive of front and rear
27       bumpers, except as provided in subsection (d).
28             (c) Except as otherwise provided in K.S.A. 8-1914 and 8-1915, and
29       amendments thereto, and subsections (d), (e), (f) and (g), no combination
30       of vehicles coupled together shall exceed a total length of 65 feet.
31             (d) The length limitations in subsection (b) shall not apply to a truck
32       tractor. No semitrailer which is being operated in combination with a
33       truck tractor shall exceed 591/2 feet in length. No semitrailer or trailer
34       which is being operated in a combination consisting of a truck tractor,
35       semitrailer and trailer shall exceed 281/2 feet in length.
36             (e) The limitations in this section governing maximum length of a
37       semitrailer or trailer shall not apply to vehicles operating in the daytime
38       when transporting poles, pipe, machinery or other objects of a structural
39       nature which cannot readily be dismembered, except that it shall be un-
40       lawful to operate any such vehicle or combination of vehicles which ex-
41       ceeds a total length of 85 feet unless a special permit for such operation
42       has been issued by the secretary of transportation or by an agent or des-
43       ignee of the secretary pursuant to K.S.A. 8-1911, and amendments

2
  1       thereto. For the purpose of authorizing the issuance of such special per-
  2       mits at motor carrier inspection stations, the secretary of transportation
  3       may contract with the superintendent of the Kansas highway patrol for
  4       such purpose, and in such event, the superintendent or any designee of
  5       the superintendent may issue such special permit pursuant to the terms
  6       and conditions of the contract. The limitations in this section shall not
  7       apply to vehicles transporting such objects operated at nighttime by a
  8       public utility when required for emergency repair of public service facil-
  9       ities or properties or when operated under special permit as provided in
10       K.S.A. 8-1911, and amendments thereto, but in respect to such night
11       transportation every such vehicle and the load thereon shall be equipped
12       with a sufficient number of clearance lamps on both sides and marker
13       lamps upon the extreme ends of any projecting load to clearly mark the
14       dimensions of such load.
15             (f) The limitations of this section governing the maximum length of
16       combinations of vehicles shall not apply to a combination of vehicles con-
17       sisting of a truck tractor towing a house trailer, if such combination of
18       vehicles does not exceed an overall length of 97 feet.
19             (g) The length limitations of this section shall not apply to stinger-
20       steered automobile or boat transporters, drive-away saddlemount vehicle
21       transport combinations or one truck and one trailer vehicle combination,
22       loaded or unloaded, used in transporting a combine to be engaged in
23       farm custom harvesting operations, as defined in subsection (d) of K.S.A.
24       8-143j, and amendments thereto. A stinger-steered automobile or boat
25       transporter, drive-away saddlemount vehicle transport combination or
26       one truck and one trailer vehicle combination, loaded or unloaded, used
27       in transporting a combine to be engaged in farm custom harvesting op-
28       erations, as defined in subsection (d) of K.S.A. 8-143j, and amendments
29       thereto, shall not exceed an overall length limit of 75 feet, exclusive of
30       front and rear overhang. 
31       Sec.  2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1904 is hereby repealed.
32        Sec.  3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
33       publication in the Kansas register.