Vehicles: transit bus weight.

(1) Under existing law, the gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels on any one axle of a vehicle is prohibited from exceeding 18,000 pounds, except the gross weight on any one axle of a bus is prohibited from exceeding 20,500 pounds. A violation of these requirements is a crime. This bill would provide that these prohibitions do not apply to a transit bus, except as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2015, prohibit a publicly owned or operated transit system or an operator of a transit system under contract with a publicly owned or operated transit system from procuring through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation is issued on or after January 1, 2013, a transit bus whose weight on any axle exceeds 20,500 pounds, with specified exceptions. The bill would impose a state-mandated local program by imposing new requirements upon transit buses. Existing law requires state agencies to comply with specified procedures when promulgating and adopting administrative regulations. The bill would require state regulatory agencies that are required to promulgate administrative regulations to take into account vehicle weight impacts and the ability of vehicle manufacturers and vehicle operators to comply with laws limiting the weight of vehicles. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.