H*4330(Rat #0586, Act #0511)  General Bill, By Fair, R.S. Corning, Harvin and 
J.J. Snow
 A Bill to amend Section 56-5-2530, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976,
 relating to stopping, standing, or parking a motor vehicle in prohibited
 specified areas, so as to provide an exception; and to amend Sections
 56-5-4070, as amended, relating to the length of motor vehicles and
 combinations of vehicles, so as to change certain references to the Department
 of Public Safety to the Department of Transportation, revise the length
 limitations for trailers, semitrailers, two unit truck tractor-trailers and
 semitrailers, and provide requirements for fifty-three foot trailers.-amended
 title

   12/01/93  House  Prefiled
   12/01/93  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
   01/11/94  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-21
   01/11/94  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-21
   04/21/94  House  Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Education and Public Works HJ-4
   05/05/94  House  Amended HJ-29
   05/05/94  House  Read second time HJ-29
   05/05/94  House  Unanimous consent for third reading on next
                     legislative day HJ-29
   05/06/94  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-2
   05/09/94  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-5
   05/09/94  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-5
   05/25/94  Senate Recalled from Committee on Transportation SJ-7
   05/25/94  Senate Read second time SJ-7
   05/25/94  Senate Ordered to third reading with notice of amendments SJ-7
   05/31/94  Senate Amended SJ-30
   05/31/94  Senate Read third time and returned to House with
                     amendments SJ-30
   06/01/94  House  Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled
   06/02/94         Ratified R 586
   08/31/94         Signed By Governor
   08/31/94         Effective date 08/31/94
   09/14/94         Copies available

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-2530, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO STOPPING, STANDING, OR PARKING A MOTOR VEHICLE IN PROHIBITED SPECIFIED AREAS, SO AS TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION; AND TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-4070, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE LENGTH OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND COMBINATIONS OF VEHICLES, SO AS TO CHANGE CERTAIN REFERENCES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, REVISE THE LENGTH LIMITATIONS FOR TRAILERS, SEMITRAILERS, TWO UNIT TRUCK TRACTOR-TRAILERS AND SEMITRAILERS, AND PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR FIFTY-THREE FOOT TRAILERS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Exception for motor vehicles in prohibited specified areas

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-2530 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"(C) This section does not prohibit a federal postal service carrier from stopping, standing, or parking along a rural roadway for frequent short intervals during delivery of mail, parcels, or packages. As used in this section, `rural' means an area outside the incorporated areas of the county."

Department references changed; length requirements for certain motor vehicles revised

SECTION 2. Section 56-5-4070 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Section 1430, Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:

"Section 56-5-4070. (A) Two or three unit vehicle combinations may be operated on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, on those qualifying federal-aid highways so designated by the United States Secretary of Transportation, and on other highways as designated by the Department of Transportation in accordance with Section 56-5-4075. The department may require warning devices which may be necessary to protect public safety. When in use on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways and `other qualifying highways':

(1) No trailer or semitrailer may be operated in a two unit truck tractor-trailer or truck tractor-semitrailer combination in excess of fifty-three feet, inclusive of the load carried on it. A fifty-three foot long trailer must be equipped with a rear underride guard, and the distance between the kingpin of the vehicle and the center of the rear axle assembly or to the center of the tandem axle assembly if equipped with two axles may be no greater than forty-one feet. (2) A trailer or semitrailer, operating in a three unit combination, may not exceed a length of twenty-eight and one-half feet, inclusive of the load carried on it.

(3) Auto and boat transporters may not have an overall length in excess of seventy-five feet, exclusive of front and rear overhang. However, front overhang may not exceed three feet, and rear overhang may not exceed four feet.

(4) Saddle mounts and full mounts may not have an overall length in excess of seventy-five feet.

(B) No motor vehicle, exclusive of truck tractors being used in two or three unit combinations on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, on those qualifying federal-aid highways so designated by the United States Secretary of Transportation, and on other highways as designated by the Department of Transportation in accordance with Section 56-5-4075, may exceed a length of forty feet extreme overall dimension, inclusive of front and rear bumpers and load carried on it, and a motor vehicle, other than a motor home, in excess of thirty-five feet may have not less than three axles, except buses with two axles approved by the Department of Public Safety.

(C) A combination of vehicles coupled together or especially constructed to transport motor vehicles in a truckaway or driveaway service may tow up to three saddle mounts. No other combination of vehicles coupled together may consist of more than two units, except as permitted by subsection (A).

(D) Except as permitted by subsection (A), trailers or semitrailers used within combinations may not exceed a length of fifty-three feet, and auto transporters are excluded from trailer length limitations. A fifty-three foot long trailer must be equipped with a rear underride guard, and the distance between the kingpin of the vehicle and the center of the rear axle assembly or to the center of the tandem axle assembly if equipped with two axles may be no greater than forty-one feet. Auto transporters may be allowed an upper level overhang not to exceed three feet on the front and four feet on the rear.

(E) Except where specifically prohibited in this article, there is no overall length limit on combination vehicles.

(F) Appropriate safety and energy conservation devices and compressors and fuel saving equipment on the front or loading devices on the rear of trailers or semitrailers must not be considered when determining their length for purposes of this section if the overall length limitations of combinations of vehicles is not exceeded."

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 31st day of August, 1994.