Public Act 102-0441
 
HB2584 EnrolledLRB102 11011 RAM 16343 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 Sections 12-812 and 15-102 as follows:
 



    (625 ILCS 5/12-812)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-812)



    Sec. 12-812. Rules and regulations. (a) The Department may 
promulgate rules and regulations to more
completely specify 
the equipment requirements of this Article and may establish 
by rule a pilot program to permit the testing of safety 
equipment not otherwise prohibited by State or federal law.

    (b) All rules, regulations and standards promulgated from 
time to
time by the State Board of Education
and the Department 
for
the safety and construction of school buses shall be 
applicable to every
motor vehicle in this State defined as a 
school bus under Section 1-182.

(Source: P.A. 81-1508.)

 


    (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 6 inches.

    (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 6 inch 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 
            vehicle not exceeding a gross vehicle weight 
            rating of 26,000 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) (Blank).



    (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.














    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.
    (h) Safety devices identified by the Department in 
accordance with Section 12-812 shall not be deemed a violation 
of the width restrictions of this Section. 

(Source: P.A. 100-830, eff. 1-1-19.)