Public Act 094-0949
 		





HB5506 Enrolled
LRB094 17700 DRH 52998 b






    AN ACT concerning transportation.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly: 

 
    Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended  by changing 
Section 15-102 as follows:
 



    (625 ILCS 5/15-102)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 15-102)



    Sec. 15-102. Width of Vehicles. 

    (a) On Class III and non-designated State and local 
highways, the total
outside width of any vehicle or load 
thereon shall not exceed 8 feet.

    (b) Except during those times when, due to insufficient 
light or unfavorable
atmospheric conditions, persons and 
vehicles on the highway are not clearly
discernible at a 
distance of 1000 feet, the following vehicles may exceed
the 8 
feet limitation during the period from a half hour before

sunrise to a half hour after sunset:


        (1) Loads of hay, straw or other similar farm products 
    provided that the
load is not more than 12 feet wide.


        (2) Implements of husbandry being transported on 
    another vehicle and the
transporting vehicle while loaded.


        The following requirements apply to the transportation 
    on another vehicle
of an implement of husbandry wider than 
    8 feet 6 inches on the National System
of Interstate and 
    Defense Highways or other highways in the system of State

    highways:


            (A) The driver of a vehicle transporting an 
        implement of husbandry
that exceeds 8 feet 6 inches in 
        width shall obey all traffic laws and shall
check the 
        roadways prior to making a movement in order to ensure 
        that adequate
clearance is available for the movement.  
        It is prima facie evidence that the
driver of a vehicle 
        transporting an implement of husbandry has failed to 
        check
the roadway prior to making a movement if the 
        vehicle is involved in a
collision with a bridge, 
        overpass, fixed structure, or properly placed traffic

        control device or if the vehicle blocks traffic due
to 
        its inability to proceed because of a bridge, overpass, 
        fixed structure, or
properly placed traffic control 
        device.


            (B) Flags shall be displayed so as to wave freely 
        at the extremities of
overwidth objects and at the 
        extreme ends of all protrusions, projections, and

        overhangs.  All flags shall be clean, bright red flags 
        with no advertising,
wording, emblem, or insignia 
        inscribed upon them and at least 18 inches square.


            (C) "OVERSIZE LOAD" signs are mandatory on the 
        front and rear of all
vehicles with loads over 10 feet 
        wide.  These signs must have 12-inch high
black letters 
        with a 2-inch stroke on a yellow sign that is 7 feet 
        wide by 18
inches high.


            (D) One civilian escort vehicle is required for a 
        load that exceeds 14
feet 6 inches in width and 2 
        civilian escort vehicles are required for a
load that 
        exceeds 16 feet in width on the National System of 
        Interstate and
Defense Highways or other highways in 
        the system of State highways.


            (E) The requirements for a civilian escort vehicle 
        and driver are as
follows:


                (1) The civilian escort vehicle shall be a 
            passenger car or a second
division vehicle not 
            exceeding a gross vehicle weight of 8,000 pounds 
            that is
designed to afford clear and unobstructed 
            vision to both front and rear.


                (2) The escort vehicle driver must be properly 
            licensed to operate
the vehicle.


                (3) While in use, the escort vehicle must be 
            equipped with illuminated
rotating, oscillating, 
            or flashing amber lights or flashing amber strobe 
            lights
mounted on top that are of sufficient 
            intensity to be visible at 500 feet in
normal 
            sunlight.


                (4) "OVERSIZE LOAD" signs are mandatory on all 
            escort vehicles.  The
sign on an escort vehicle 
            shall have 8-inch high black letters on a yellow

            sign that is 5 feet wide by 12 inches high.


                (5) When only one escort vehicle is required 
            and it is operating on a
two-lane highway, the 
            escort vehicle shall travel approximately 300 feet 
            ahead
of the load.  The rotating, oscillating, or 
            flashing lights or flashing amber
strobe lights 
            and an "OVERSIZE LOAD" sign shall be displayed on 
            the escort
vehicle and shall be visible from the 
            front.  When only one escort vehicle is
required and 
            it is operating on a multilane divided highway, the 
            escort vehicle
shall travel approximately 300 feet 
            behind the load and the sign and lights
shall be 
            visible from the rear.


                (6) When 2 escort vehicles are required, one 
            escort shall travel
approximately 300 feet ahead 
            of the load and the second escort shall travel

            approximately 300 feet behind the load.  The 
            rotating, oscillating, or flashing
lights or 
            flashing amber strobe lights and an "OVERSIZE 
            LOAD" sign shall be
displayed on the escort 
            vehicles and shall be visible from the front on the

            lead escort and from the rear on the trailing 
            escort.


                (7) When traveling within the corporate limits 
            of a municipality, the
escort vehicle shall 
            maintain a reasonable and proper distance from the

            oversize load, consistent with existing traffic 
            conditions.


                (8) A separate escort shall be provided for 
            each load hauled.


                (9) The driver of an escort vehicle shall obey 
            all traffic laws.


                (10) The escort vehicle must be in safe 
            operational condition.


                (11) The driver of the escort vehicle must be 
            in radio contact with
the driver of the vehicle 
            carrying the oversize load.


            (F) A transport vehicle while under load of more 
        than 8 feet 6 inches
in width must be equipped with an 
        illuminated rotating, oscillating, or
flashing amber 
        light or lights or a flashing amber strobe light or 
        lights
mounted on the top of the cab that are of 
        sufficient intensity to be visible at
500 feet in 
        normal sunlight.  If the load on the transport vehicle 
        blocks the
visibility of the amber lighting from the 
        rear of the vehicle, the vehicle must
also be equipped 
        with an illuminated rotating, oscillating, or flashing 
        amber
light or lights or a flashing amber strobe light 
        or lights mounted on the rear
of the load that are of 
        sufficient intensity to be visible at 500 feet in

        normal sunlight.


            (G) When a flashing amber light is required on the 
        transport vehicle
under load and it is operating on a 
        two-lane highway, the transport vehicle
shall display 
        to the rear at least one rotating, oscillating, or 
        flashing light
or a flashing amber strobe light and an 
        "OVERSIZE LOAD" sign.  When a flashing
amber light is 
        required on the transport vehicle under load and it is 
        operating
on a multilane divided highway, the sign and 
        light shall be visible from the
rear.


            (H) Maximum speed shall be 45 miles per hour on all 
        such moves or 5
miles per hour above the posted minimum 
        speed limit, whichever is greater, but
the vehicle 
        shall not at any time exceed the posted maximum speed 
        limit.


        (3) Portable buildings designed and used for 
    agricultural and livestock
raising operations that are not 
    more than 14 feet wide and with not more
than a 1 foot 
    overhang along the left side of the hauling vehicle.  
    However,
the buildings shall not be transported more than 
    10 miles and not on any
route that is part of the National 
    System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

    All buildings when being transported shall display at least 
2 red
cloth flags, not less than 12 inches square, mounted as 
high as practicable
on the left and right side of the building.

    A State Police escort shall be required if it is necessary 
for this load
to use part of the left lane when crossing any 2 
laned State highway bridge.

    (c) Vehicles propelled by electric power obtained from 
overhead trolley
wires operated wholly within the corporate 
limits of a municipality are
also exempt from the width 
limitation.

    (d) Exemptions are also granted to vehicles designed for 
the carrying
of more than 10 persons under the following 
conditions:


        (1) (Blank);


        (2) When operated within any public transportation 
    service with the
approval of local authorities or an 
    appropriate public body authorized by
law to provide public 
    transportation.  Any vehicle so operated may be
8 feet 6 
    inches in width; or


        (3) When a county engineer or superintendent of 
    highways, after giving due
consideration to the mass 
    transportation needs of the area and to the width and

    condition of the road, has determined that the operation of 
    buses wider than 8
feet will not pose an undue safety 
    hazard on a particular county or township
road segment, he 
    or she may authorize buses not to exceed 8 feet 6 inches in

    width on any highway under that engineer's  or 
    superintendent's jurisdiction.
    (d-1)  A recreational vehicle, as defined in Section 1-169, 
may exceed 8 feet 6 inches in width if:


        (1) the excess width is attributable to appurtenances 
    that extend 6 inches or less beyond either side of the body 
    of the vehicle; and

        (2) the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling has 
    marked lanes for vehicular traffic that are at least 11 
    feet in width.
    As used in this subsection (d-1) and in subsection (d-2), 
the term appurtenance includes (i) a retracted awning and its 
support hardware and (ii) any appendage that is intended to be 
an integral part of a recreation vehicle.
    (d-2) A recreational vehicle that exceeds 8 feet 6 inches  
in width as provided in subsection (d-1) may travel any roadway 
of the State if the vehicle is being operated between a roadway 
permitted under subsection (d-1) and:
        (1) the location where the recreation vehicle is 
    garaged;
        (2) the destination of the recreation vehicle; or
        (3) a facility for food, fuel, repair, services, or 
    rest.

    (e) A vehicle and load traveling upon the National System 
of Interstate
and Defense Highways or any other highway in the 
system of State highways
that has been designated as a Class I 
or Class II highway by the
Department, or any street or highway 
designated by local authorities, may have a total outside width 
of 8 feet 6
inches, provided that certain safety devices that 
the Department
determines as necessary for the safe and 
efficient operation of motor
vehicles shall not be included in 
the calculation of width.

    (e-1) A vehicle and load more than 8 feet wide but not 
exceeding 8 feet 6
inches in width is
allowed
access according 
to the following:


        (1) A vehicle and load not exceeding 73,280 pounds in 
    weight is
allowed access from any State designated highway 
    onto any county,
township, or municipal highway for a 
    distance of 5 highway miles for the
purpose of loading and 
    unloading, provided:


            (A) The vehicle and load does not exceed 65 feet 
        overall length.


            (B) There is no sign prohibiting that access.


            (C) The route is not being used as a thoroughfare 
        between State
designated highways.


        (2) A vehicle and load not exceeding 73,280 pounds in 
    weight is allowed
access from any State designated highway 
    onto any county or township
highway for a distance of 5 
    highway miles or onto any municipal
highway for a distance 
    of one highway mile for the purpose of food, fuel,
repairs, 
    and rest, provided:


            (A) The vehicle and load does not exceed 65 feet 
        overall length.


            (B) There is no sign prohibiting that access.


            (C) The route is not being used as a thoroughfare 
        between State
designated highways.


        (3) A vehicle and load not exceeding 80,000 pounds in 
    weight is allowed
access from a Class I highway onto any 
    street or highway for a distance
of one highway mile for 
    the purpose of loading, unloading, food, fuel,
repairs, and 
    rest, provided there is no sign prohibiting that access.


        (4) A vehicle and load not exceeding 80,000 pounds in 
    weight is allowed
access from a Class I or Class II highway 
    onto any State highway or any
locally designated highway 
    for a distance of 5 highway miles for the
purpose of 
    loading, unloading, food, fuel, repairs, and rest.


        (5) A trailer or semi-trailer not exceeding 28 feet 6 
    inches in length,
that was
originally in combination with a 
    truck tractor, shall have unlimited access
to points of 
    loading and unloading.


        (6) All household goods carriers shall have unlimited 
    access to points of
loading and unloading.

    Section 5-35 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act 
relating to
procedures for rulemaking shall not apply to the 
designation of highways under
this paragraph (e).

    (f) Mirrors required by Section 12-502 of this Code and 
other safety devices
identified by the Department may project 
up to 14 inches beyond each side of
a bus and up to 6 inches 
beyond each
side
of any other vehicle, and that projection 
shall not be deemed a
violation of the width restrictions of 
this Section.

    (g) Any person who is convicted of violating this Section 
is subject to
the penalty as provided in paragraph (b) of 
Section 15-113.

(Source: P.A. 92-417, eff. 1-1-02; 93-177, eff. 7-11-03.)





Effective Date:  1/1/2007