State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB1010

 
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 1        AN ACT to amend the Illinois Vehicle Code.

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

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

 6        (625 ILCS 5/15-102) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 15-102)
 7        Sec. 15-102.  Width of Vehicles.
 8        (a)  Except as otherwise provided in this Section or this
 9     Code, the total outside width of any vehicle or load thereon
10    shall not exceed 8 feet.
11        (b)  Except  during those times when, due to insufficient
12    light or  unfavorable  atmospheric  conditions,  persons  and
13    vehicles  on  the  highway  are  not clearly discernible at a
14    distance of 1000 feet, the following vehicles may exceed  the
15    8  feet  limitation during the period from a half hour before
16    sunrise to a half hour after sunset:
17             (1)  Loads of  hay,  straw  or  other  similar  farm
18        products  provided that the load is not more than 12 feet
19        wide.
20             (2)  Implements of husbandry  being  transported  on
21        another   vehicle  and  the  transporting  vehicle  while
22        loaded.
23             The   following   requirements    apply    to    the
24        transportation  on  another  vehicle  of  an implement of
25        husbandry wider than 8 feet  6  inches  on  the  National
26        System  of  Interstate  and  Defense  Highways  or  other
27        highways in the system of State highways:
28                  (A)  The  driver  of  a vehicle transporting an
29             implement of husbandry that exceeds 8 feet 6  inches
30             in width shall obey all traffic laws and shall check
31             the  roadways prior to making a movement in order to
 
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 1             ensure that adequate clearance is available for  the
 2             movement.   It  is  prima  facie  evidence  that the
 3             driver of a vehicle  transporting  an  implement  of
 4             husbandry  has  failed to check the roadway prior to
 5             making a movement if the vehicle is  involved  in  a
 6             collision  with a bridge, overpass, fixed structure,
 7             or properly placed traffic control device or if  the
 8             vehicle  blocks  traffic  due  to  its  inability to
 9             proceed  because  of  a  bridge,   overpass,   fixed
10             structure,   or   properly  placed  traffic  control
11             device.
12                  (B)  Flags shall be displayed  so  as  to  wave
13             freely  at  the extremities of overwidth objects and
14             at the extreme ends of all protrusions, projections,
15             and overhangs.  All flags shall be clean, bright red
16             flags  with  no  advertising,  wording,  emblem,  or
17             insignia inscribed upon them and at least 18  inches
18             square.
19                  (C)  "OVERSIZE LOAD" signs are mandatory on the
20             front  and  rear  of all vehicles with loads over 10
21             feet wide.  These signs must have 12-inch high black
22             letters with a 2-inch stroke on a yellow  sign  that
23             is 7 feet wide by 18 inches high.
24                  (D)  One  civilian  escort  vehicle is required
25             for a load that exceeds 14 feet 6  inches  in  width
26             and  2  civilian  escort vehicles are required for a
27             load that exceeds 16 feet in width on  the  National
28             System  of  Interstate and Defense Highways or other
29             highways in the system of State highways.
30                  (E)  The requirements  for  a  civilian  escort
31             vehicle and driver are as follows:
32                       (1)  The  civilian escort vehicle shall be
33                  a passenger car or a  second  division  vehicle
34                  not  exceeding  a gross vehicle weight of 8,000
 
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 1                  pounds that is designed  to  afford  clear  and
 2                  unobstructed vision to both front and rear.
 3                       (2)  The  escort  vehicle  driver  must be
 4                  properly licensed to operate the vehicle.
 5                       (3)  While in use, the escort vehicle must
 6                  be   equipped   with   illuminated    rotating,
 7                  oscillating,   or   flashing  amber  lights  or
 8                  flashing amber strobe  lights  mounted  on  top
 9                  that  are of sufficient intensity to be visible
10                  at 500 feet in normal sunlight.
11                       (4)  "OVERSIZE LOAD" signs  are  mandatory
12                  on  all escort vehicles.  The sign on an escort
13                  vehicle shall have 8-inch high black letters on
14                  a yellow sign that is 5 feet wide by 12  inches
15                  high.
16                       (5)  When   only  one  escort  vehicle  is
17                  required and it  is  operating  on  a  two-lane
18                  highway,   the   escort  vehicle  shall  travel
19                  approximately 300 feet ahead of the load.   The
20                  rotating,  oscillating,  or  flashing lights or
21                  flashing amber strobe lights and  an  "OVERSIZE
22                  LOAD"  sign  shall  be  displayed on the escort
23                  vehicle and shall be visible  from  the  front.
24                  When only one escort vehicle is required and it
25                  is  operating  on  a multilane divided highway,
26                  the escort vehicle shall  travel  approximately
27                  300  feet  behind  the  load  and  the sign and
28                  lights shall be visible from the rear.
29                       (6)  When 2 escort vehicles are  required,
30                  one  escort shall travel approximately 300 feet
31                  ahead of the load and the second  escort  shall
32                  travel  approximately 300 feet behind the load.
33                  The rotating, oscillating, or  flashing  lights
34                  or   flashing   amber   strobe  lights  and  an
 
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 1                  "OVERSIZE LOAD" sign shall be displayed on  the
 2                  escort  vehicles  and shall be visible from the
 3                  front on the lead escort and from the  rear  on
 4                  the trailing escort.
 5                       (7)  When  traveling  within the corporate
 6                  limits of a municipality,  the  escort  vehicle
 7                  shall maintain a reasonable and proper distance
 8                  from   the   oversize   load,  consistent  with
 9                  existing traffic conditions.
10                       (8)  A separate escort shall  be  provided
11                  for each load hauled.
12                       (9)  The driver of an escort vehicle shall
13                  obey all traffic laws.
14                       (10)  The  escort  vehicle must be in safe
15                  operational condition.
16                       (11)  The driver  of  the  escort  vehicle
17                  must be in radio contact with the driver of the
18                  vehicle carrying the oversize load.
19                  (F)  A  transport  vehicle  while under load of
20             more than 8 feet 6 inches in width must be  equipped
21             with  illuminated rotating, oscillating, or flashing
22             amber lights or flashing amber strobe lights mounted
23             on the top of the cab or on the  load  that  are  of
24             sufficient  intensity  to  be visible at 500 feet in
25             normal sunlight.
26                  (G)  When a flashing amber light is required on
27             the transport vehicle under load and it is operating
28             on a two-lane highway, the transport  vehicle  shall
29             display   to   the   rear  at  least  one  rotating,
30             oscillating, or flashing light or a  flashing  amber
31             strobe  light  and  an "OVERSIZE LOAD" sign.  When a
32             flashing amber light is required  on  the  transport
33             vehicle   under  load  and  it  is  operating  on  a
34             multilane divided highway, the sign and light  shall
 
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 1             be visible from the rear.
 2                  (H)  Maximum  speed  shall be 45 miles per hour
 3             on all such moves or 5  miles  per  hour  above  the
 4             posted  minimum  speed  limit, whichever is greater,
 5             but the vehicle shall not at  any  time  exceed  the
 6             posted maximum speed limit.
 7             (3)  Portable   buildings   designed  and  used  for
 8        agricultural and livestock raising  operations  that  are
 9        not  more  than  14  feet wide and with not more than a 1
10        foot overhang along the left side of the hauling vehicle.
11        However, the buildings shall not be transported more than
12        10 miles and not  on  any  route  that  is  part  of  the
13        National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
14        All  buildings  when  being  transported shall display at
15    least 2 red cloth flags, not  less  than  12  inches  square,
16    mounted  as high as practicable on the left and right side of
17    the building.
18        A  State  Police  escort  shall  be  required  if  it  is
19    necessary for this load to use part of  the  left  lane  when
20    crossing any 2 laned State highway bridge.
21        (c)  Vehicles  propelled  by electric power obtained from
22    overhead trolley wires operated wholly within  the  corporate
23    limits  of  a  municipality  are  also  exempt from the width
24    limitation.
25        (d)  Exemptions are also granted to vehicles designed for
26    the carrying of more than  10  persons  under  the  following
27    conditions:
28             (1)  (Blank);
29             (2)  When  operated within any public transportation
30        service with the approval  of  local  authorities  or  an
31        appropriate  public  body  authorized  by  law to provide
32        public transportation.  Any vehicle so operated may be  8
33        feet 6 inches in width; or
34             (3)  When  a  county  engineer  or superintendent of
 
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 1        highways, after giving  due  consideration  to  the  mass
 2        transportation  needs  of  the  area and to the width and
 3        condition of the road, has determined that the  operation
 4        of  buses wider than 8 feet will not pose an undue safety
 5        hazard on a particular county or township  road  segment,
 6        he  or  she  may  authorize  buses not to exceed 8 feet 6
 7        inches in width on any highway under that engineer's   or
 8        superintendent's jurisdiction.
 9        (e)  A  vehicle  and  load  traveling  upon  the National
10    System of  Interstate  and  Defense  Highways  or  any  other
11    highway  in  the  system  of  State  highways  that  has been
12    designated  as  a  Class  I  or  Class  II  highway  by   the
13    Department,  or  any  street  or  highway designated by local
14    authorities or road district commissioners, may have a  total
15    outside  width  of  8  feet  6  inches, provided that certain
16    safety devices that the Department  determines  as  necessary
17    for  the safe and efficient operation of motor vehicles shall
18    not be included in the calculation of width.
19        Vehicles operating under this paragraph  (e)  shall  have
20    access  for a distance of one highway mile to or from a Class
21    I highway on any street or highway, unless there  is  a  sign
22    prohibiting the access, or 5 highway miles to or from a Class
23    I or II highway on a street or highway included in the system
24    of  State  highways and upon any street or highway designated
25    by local authorities or road district commissioners,  without
26    additional  fees,  to  points of loading and unloading and to
27    facilities for food, fuel, repairs and rest. In addition, any
28    trailer or semitrailer not exceeding  28  feet  6  inches  in
29    length,  that  was  originally  in  combination  with a truck
30    tractor, and all household  goods  carriers,  when  operating
31    under  paragraph  (e), shall have access to points of loading
32    and unloading.
33        Section 5-35 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act
34    relating to procedures for rulemaking shall not apply to  the
 
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 1    designation of highways under this paragraph (e).
 2        (f)  Mirrors  required by Section 12-502 of this Code and
 3    other safety devices identified by the Department may project
 4    up to 14 inches beyond each side of a bus and up to 6  inches
 5    beyond  each  side  of any other vehicle, and that projection
 6    shall not be deemed a violation of the width restrictions  of
 7    this Section.
 8        (g)  Any  person  who  is  convicted  of  violating  this
 9    Section  is  subject  to the penalty as provided in paragraph
10    (b) of Section 15-113.
11    (Source: P.A.  89-551,  eff.  1-1-97;  89-658,  eff.  1-1-97;
12    90-14, eff. 7-1-97.)

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