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Minutes for SB17 - Committee on Transportation
Short Title
Excepting haulers of grain and certain other agricultural goods from gross weight limitations for vehicles.
Minutes Content for Wed, Jan 29, 2025
The Chair opened the hearing on SB17.
Senator Virgil Peck, District 15, spoke as a proponent for the bill (Attachment 1). He recounted previous legislative actions attempting to exempt overweight grain trucks during harvest; he commented that it has been an issue for years. He distributed additional information from the Kansas Legislative Research Department citing information from other state statutes regarding overweight exemptions and overweight permits (Attachment 2).
A member suggested an amendment to the bill to define "seasonal."
Randy Stookey, Senior Vice-President, Government Affairs & General Counsel, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, testified as a proponent (Attachment 3). He noted the limited time window farmers face in completing harvest and said the bill would provide a limited harvest-time truck weight waiver for delivering grain from field to storage. He commented that the 50-mile limit and the 90,000-pound maximum were reasonable exemptions to expedite harvest time. He cited other state waivers and encouraged passage of the bill.
Assistant Revisor Adam Siebers briefed the Committee (Attachment 4). He explained that the bill provides a variance for haulers of grain and certain other agricultural goods from gross weight limitations for vehicles: 10% greater than the maximum weight otherwise provided for vehicles with tandem,triple, or quad axles, or 12.5% greater than the maximum weight for vehicles with a single rear axle. He said the maximum weight shall not exceed 90,000 pounds.
Taylor Nikkel, Director of Stockgrowers Division, Kansas Livestock Association, as a proponent for the bill, said livestock owners rely on trucks for transporting animals, and the bill allows flexibility that will assist the livestock industry. She cited comparable statutes in other states to illustrate the relevance of the bill, and she offered amendments that will better coincide with the livestock industry needs (Attachment 5).
Gary Reser, Kansas Soybean Association, spoke as a proponent; he referenced legislative action in 2017 that increased weight limits for large vehicles hauling grain. The present bill will also include small farm and ranch operations with smaller vehicles (Attachment 6).
Russell Plaschka, Kansas Cooperative Council, speaking in support of the bill, said the waiver will allow more operational flexibility for farmers during the critical harvest time and will support the productivity of Kansas agriculture (Attachment 7).
The following written-only testimony was provided in support of the bill:
- Claudia Hissong, Kansas Farm Bureau (Attachment 8);
- Adam York, CEO of Kansas Sorghum Producers Association (Attachment 9;
- Shayna DeGroot, Kansas Wheat Association (Attachment 10); and
- Taylor Williamson, Director of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Kansas Corn Growers Association (Attachment 11).
Captain Stephen La Row, Kansas Highway Patrol, testified as an opponent of the bill (Attachment 12). He said the bill will offer limited relief for grain haulers, and he commented that vehicles with greater weights cause disproportionate damage to roads as well as jeopardizing public safety because of the increased braking distance of an overloaded vehicle. He recommended that if the bill passes an amendment should include distinguishing between farm and commercial operations.
Captain La Row responded to members' questions:
- Adding a speed limit to the bill would not address safety issues.
- In 2024 the Patrol issued hundreds of citations for overweight vehicles in relation to bridges, registrations, axle weight, and other violations. Fines are varied by infraction.
Joel Skelley, Director of Policy, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), spoke in opposition to the bill (Attachment 13). He cited Kansas statutes to show that the bill is redundant, that current statutes deal with all the issues that the bill attempts to address, and it creates a conflict with the existing statutes. He noted that overweight vehicles threaten many of the 25,000 Kansas bridges and that the bill might restrict KDOT's federal funding. He also noted that overweight permits already exist; the annual agricultural overweight permit has been available for 5 years.
Written-only opposition was provided by the following:
- Jay Hall, Deputy Director and General Counsel, Kansas Association of Counties (Attachment 14);
- Clair Schrock, Thomas County Road Supervisor (Attachment 15);
- Darryl Lutz, Local Road Engineer; Kansas Association of Counties (Attachment 16); and
- Janelle Dockendorf, Dickinson County Administrator (Attachment 17).
Written Only Neutral testimony was provided by:
- Mike Hoeme, Director of Transportation, Kansas Corporation Commission (Attachment 18), and
- Travis Grauerholtz, Kansas Motor Carriers Association (Attachment 19).
The Chairman closed the hearing on SB17.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 30, 2025.
