Senate Bill No. 481–Committee on Transportation

 

(On Behalf of the Department of Transportation)

 

March 24, 2003

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Transportation

 

SUMMARY—Establishes provisions relating to maximum load weights per tire and minimum number of tires per axle for vehicles allowed to operate on public highways of this state. (BDR 43‑544)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: Yes.

                           Effect on the State: Yes.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to motor vehicles; establishing provisions relating to the maximum load weights per tire and the minimum number of tires per axle for vehicles allowed to operate on public highways of this state; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1  Section 1. NRS 484.745 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2  484.745  1.  Except as otherwise provided in NRS 484.737,

1-3  484.743, 484.746, 484.748 [and 484.7485,] , 484.7485 and 484.752,

1-4  a vehicle may be operated or moved upon any public highway if:

1-5  (a) The maximum weight on any single axle does not exceed

1-6  20,000 pounds.

1-7  (b) The maximum weight on any tandem axle does not exceed

1-8  34,000 pounds.

1-9  (c) The maximum weight per tire, measured by pounds per

1-10  inch of tire width, does not exceed 600 pounds per inch for a

1-11  steering axle and 500 pounds per inch for all other axles.

1-12      (d) Except for a steering axle and axles that weigh less than

1-13  10,000 pounds, each axle has at least four tires if the tire width of

2-1  each tire on the axle is less than or equal to 14 inches. If the

2-2  maximum weight per tire does not exceed 500 pounds per inch of

2-3  tire width, an axle may be equipped with tires that have a width of

2-4  more than 14 inches.

2-5  (e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, the maximum

2-6  overall gross weight on any group of two or more consecutive axles

2-7  does not exceed the values set forth in the following formula:

2-8  W=500 [LN/(N‑1) + 12N + 36] wherein:

2-9       (1) W equals the maximum load in pounds carried on any

2-10  group of two or more consecutive axles;

2-11          (2) L equals the distance in feet between the extremes of any

2-12  group of two or more consecutive axles; and

2-13          (3) N equals the number of axles in the group under

2-14  consideration.

2-15      2.  Two consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load

2-16  of 34,000 pounds each if the distance between the first and last axles

2-17  of the consecutive sets of axles is 36 feet or more.

2-18      3.  As used in this section, “tire width” means the width set by

2-19  the manufacturer of the tire and inscribed on the sidewall of the

2-20  tire.

 

2-21  H