[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3372 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3372

   To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a safety data 
collection program for certain 6-axle vehicles, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2023

Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself and Mr. Costa) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a safety data 
collection program for certain 6-axle vehicles, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SAFETY DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN 6-AXLE VEHICLES.

    Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(x) Pilot Program for Safety Data Collection on Certain 6-Axle 
Vehicles.--
            ``(1) General authority.--Not later than 30 days after the 
        date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        establish a pilot program (referred to in this subsection as 
        the `pilot program') under which States admitted by the 
        Secretary under paragraph (2) may allow covered 6-axle vehicles 
        to be operated on the Interstate System in the State.
            ``(2) Admission to pilot program.--
                    ``(A) Initial application.--Beginning on the date 
                that is 30 days after the date of enactment of this 
                subsection, a State seeking to participate in the pilot 
                program shall submit an application to the Secretary in 
                electronic form, containing such administrative 
                information as the Secretary may require, including a 
                certification that the State has or will have the 
                authority pursuant to State law to implement the pilot 
                program.
                    ``(B) Admission.--The Secretary shall admit to the 
                pilot program, on a rolling basis, States that submit a 
                completed application under subparagraph (A).
                    ``(C) Election to no longer participate.--If a 
                State elects to no longer participate in the pilot 
                program, the State shall notify the Secretary of such 
                election.
            ``(3) Means of implementation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to participate in 
                the pilot program, a State shall agree to implement the 
                pilot program through the issuance of permits per 
                vehicle or group of vehicles with respect to covered 6-
                axle vehicles.
                    ``(B) Permit.--A permit described in subparagraph 
                (A) shall--
                            ``(i) describe the Interstate System routes 
                        that may be used while operating at greater 
                        than 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight in a 
                        covered 6-axle vehicle; and
                            ``(ii) require the permit holder to report 
                        to the State, with respect to each covered 6-
                        axle vehicle for which such permit was issued--
                                    ``(I) each accident (as such term 
                                is defined in section 390.5 of title 
                                49, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 
                                effect on the date of enactment of this 
                                subsection) that occurred in the State 
                                involving the covered 6-axle vehicle on 
                                the Interstate System in the State;
                                    ``(II) the estimated gross vehicle 
                                weight of each covered 6-axle vehicle 
                                at the time of an accident described in 
                                subclause (I); and
                                    ``(III) the estimated miles 
                                traveled by the covered 6-axle vehicle 
                                on the Interstate System in the State 
                                annually.
                    ``(C) Safety equipment incentive.--
                            ``(i) Fee reduction.--With respect to any 
                        fee associated with a permit under this 
                        paragraph, the State may reduce the fee 
                        otherwise applicable to a vehicle by 67 percent 
                        if the vehicle is equipped with an automatic 
                        emergency braking system, including such 
                        systems in use on the date of enactment of this 
                        subsection.
                            ``(ii) Group of vehicles.--As applied to a 
                        permit for a group of vehicles, the reduction 
                        under clause (i) shall only apply with respect 
                        to individual vehicles in the group that are 
                        equipped with an automatic emergency breaking 
                        system, including such systems in use on the 
                        date of enactment of this subsection.
            ``(4) Other authorizations not affected.--This subsection 
        shall not restrict--
                    ``(A) a vehicle that may operate under any other 
                provision of this section or another Federal law; or
                    ``(B) a State's authority with respect to a vehicle 
                that may operate under any other provision of this 
                section or another Federal law.
            ``(5) No highway funding reduction.--Notwithstanding 
        subsection (a), funds apportioned to a State under section 104 
        for any period may not be reduced because the State authorizes 
        the operation of covered 6-axle vehicles within such State in 
        accordance with this subsection.
            ``(6) Annual report.--Not later than the first March 1 
        after the date of enactment of this subsection, and annually 
        thereafter, a State participating in the pilot program shall 
        submit to the Secretary with respect to the previous calendar 
        year, a report on--
                    ``(A) the number of accidents (as such term is 
                defined in section 390.5 of title 49, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of 
                this subsection)) that occurred on the Interstate 
                System in the State involving a covered 6-axle vehicle 
                for which a permit was issued under the pilot program;
                    ``(B) the estimated gross vehicle weight of each 
                such vehicle at the time of the accident in the State 
                described in subparagraph (A); and
                    ``(C) the estimated miles traveled by such vehicle 
                on the Interstate System in the State.
            ``(7) Termination of pilot program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), the pilot program shall terminate on 
                the date that is 10 years after the date of enactment 
                of this subsection.
                    ``(B) Additional application; continuation of 
                authority.--For a period of 10 years beginning on the 
                date described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary may 
                continue the pilot program with respect to each State 
                in the program, upon the application of a State and 
                after consideration of--
                            ``(i) the actual experience of the State 
                        under the pilot program; and
                            ``(ii) any documents or other material 
                        submitted by the State in support of such an 
                        application.
            ``(8) Covered 6-axle vehicle defined.--In this subsection, 
        the term `covered 6-axle vehicle' means a vehicle--
                    ``(A) equipped with 6 or more axles;
                    ``(B) for which the weight--
                            ``(i) on any single axle of the vehicle 
                        does not exceed 20,000 pounds, including 
                        enforcement tolerances;
                            ``(ii) on any tandem axle of the vehicle 
                        does not exceed 34,000 pounds, including 
                        enforcement tolerances; and
                            ``(iii) on any group of three or more axles 
                        of the vehicle does not exceed 45,000 pounds, 
                        including enforcement tolerances;
                    ``(C) for which the gross weight does not exceed 
                the lesser of--
                            ``(i) 91,000 pounds, including enforcement 
                        tolerances; and
                            ``(ii) the maximum permitted by the bridge 
                        formula under subsection (a); and
                    ``(D) that is not a longer combination vehicle, as 
                such term is defined in subsection (d)(4).''.
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