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An Act To Make Permanent the Allowance of Certain Commercial Vehicles between the Calais Border Crossing and Baileyville
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §2354-B, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 421, §1 and affected by §2, is amended to read:
 
5. Repeal. This section is repealed December 31, 20102009.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §2354-C  is enacted to read:
§ 2354-C. Allow certain commercial vehicles at Canadian weight limits to travel from the Canadian border at Calais to Baileyville and from the Canadian border at Van Buren to a rail yard in Van Buren
 
1.  Canadian gross vehicle weight limits.   Notwithstanding section 2354, the Commissioner of Transportation, in consultation with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of the Secretary of State, is authorized to allow certain commercial vehicles at Canadian gross vehicle weight limits to travel from the Canadian border at Calais to Baileyville and from the Canadian border at Van Buren to a rail yard in Van Buren. Vehicles are allowed to travel from the Canadian border under the following conditions.
 
A.  The only allowable routes of travel are from the United States-Canada border in Calais, approximately 1/4 mile south of the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Route 214, north on U.S. Route 1 to Access Road in Baileyville, east on Access Road to Domtar Woodland Mill or its successor on Main Street and north on Main Street to the Louisiana-Pacific Oriented Strand Board mill or its successor in Baileyville; and from the United States-Canada border in Van Buren on Bridge Street, east into the rail yard in Van Buren, located approximately 2/10 of one mile from the border.
 
B.  Allowable truck configuration is limited to:
 
(1) A 3-axle truck tractor with a 3-axle semitrailer at a gross vehicle weight of 108,900 pounds; and
 
(2) A 3-axle truck tractor with a semitrailer-semitrailer combination, configured as a B-train double with 8 axles total, at a gross vehicle weight of 137,700 pounds. The weight of the 2nd semitrailer may not exceed the weight of the first semitrailer.
 
C.  Maine axle weight limits, axle group limits, commodity allowances, maximum dimensions and all other commercial vehicle limits and requirements apply, except that the B-train double overall length limit must be 82.02 feet, or 25 meters.
 
D.  The manufacturer's ratings for gross vehicle weight, axle capacity, brake systems and other components for which a manufacturer's rating is available may not be exceeded.
 
E.  Each truck combination must display a credential obtained for a fee from the Secretary of State. The fee must be established by the Commissioner of Transportation in an amount to cover related administrative costs, compliance monitoring and the additional cost of highway damage resulting from certain commercial vehicles at Canadian gross vehicle weight limits traveling from the Canadian border at Calais to Baileyville and from the Canadian border at Van Buren to a rail yard in Van Buren, calculated using accepted engineering practices. The Secretary of State shall adopt rules to implement this paragraph in consultation with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety. Rules adopted pursuant to this paragraph are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
F.  The Commissioner of Transportation may revoke the privileges of trucks and trucking companies for cause, including repeatedly exceeding size and weight limits or operating outside the designated route of travel. Revocation by the Commissioner of Transportation is considered a final agency action.
 
2.  Definition.   As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, "B-train double" means a truck tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination vehicle in which the 2 trailing units are connected with a B-train assembly. The B-train assembly is a rigid frame extension attached to the rear frame of a first semitrailer that allows for a 5th wheel connection point for a 2nd semitrailer. This combination has one less articulation point than the conventional A-dolly-connected truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer combination.
 
SUMMARY
This bill makes permanent the allowance of commercial vehicles at Canadian weight limits to travel from the Canadian border at Calais to Baileyville and from the Canadian border at Van Buren to a rail yard in Van Buren.