April 10, 2006

1. 60,000 Pound Tridems for Hauled and Fixed:

Caltrans implemented the new 60,000 lbs. Tridem Policy.  This change will benefit the drill rig, concrete pumping and eventually the crane industry and will ultimately benefit the contractors’ bottom line on projects.

The crushing industry is a particular beneficiary of this change. Before this, crushing equipment manufacturers had to make their products meet the California transportation requirements. We were the only state that refused to accept 60,000 lbs on a tridem.  California maximum on a Tridem group was only 53,500 lbs.  We had members report that the only way they could work and meet the needs of the contractors in California was to have a 2 axle Trunnion axle group installed beyond the border of California.

Caltrans – Proposal pending approval

1. Original Permit Policy: 
   Caltrans is reviewing our request.
2. Maximum Chart Weight for Fixed Loads:
   Caltrans is reviewing our request.

Caltrans – Proposal submitted to CTPAC Steering Committee January 26, 2005

1. Null and Void clarification for permit requirements.
2. Permitting Load to Scales with excess weight.

County of Los Angeles:
Permit Seminar: On February 22nd, we organized an Over-Dimensional Permit meeting at the County of Los Angeles. Caltrans, CHP Commercial Enforcement, the county, localities and industry were present to discuss the new Caltrans changes that have been implemented this past year and work toward uniformity throughout the county.

City of Los Angeles:

Annual Permit: The Department of Street Services has begun issuing annual permits which will allow 7, 8 and 9-axle multi-trailer permits.  Industry will be allowed up to 14’ 6” in width, 16’ 0” in height, and 110’ in length or 125’ for rear steer unit and up to 250,000 lbs.  This has taken years to accomplish and will benefit the entire construction industry.  We now are working with the city on some other issues regarding on-line permitting.

City Attorney of Los Angeles: 

The office of the City Attorney is currently working on new ordinance language for the following:

• Duration of Annual Permits: 
  For years all annual permits expired on February 28th.  The city will not prorate annuals; if you’re issued one in November, you pay the full price.  City Council agreed and approved our request on January 26, 2005 for annual permits to expire from the date of issuance.
  
• Hours of Travel: 
  City Council agreed and approved our request on November 15, 2005, to allow industry to travel 7 days a week with the current curfew restrictions applying. 
  
• Curfew Travel Restriction:
  City Council agreed and approved our request on November 15, 2005, to allow travel of vehicles up to 10’ wide to travel during the hours of curfew restrictions. This allows the City of Los Angeles to be uniform with Caltrans and the County of Los Angeles. This will add an additional truck 28 hours a week of travel for loads not exceeding 10’ wide.

These issues all represent considerable change and savings for our industry and will be implemented as soon as the City Attorney’s office drafts the new ordinances language. We are currently working with the City Attorney’s office to finalize the ordinance change for final approval of the City Council.

Town of Apple Valley:

The Truck Route Review Committee, made up of Town Councilmember’s Tim Jasper and Scott Nassif, local residents and members of the trucking industry met on February 7th, to review reasonable truck routes throughout the Town of Apple Valley.

Through Truck Routes 
It was agreed to add through truck routes, but, we are still missing a north south route which Apple Valley Road had served.  There were originally only two and when Apple Valley Road was eliminated, it caused major concern.  By not having Apple Valley Road as a through truck route, if you need to travel through the town, you’re going to have to travel to the eastside of town and use Central Avenue.  This will cost most deliveries an additional 14 miles.  This will only affect deliveries that are through deliveries, which become necessary for travel from unincorporated areas in the county and eastern areas of Hesperia to north side of Apple Valley unincorporated areas or northbound 15 to Barstow.

Local Truck Routes
It was agreed that there was need for local truck routes in-order to make the most direct route into or out of the Town boundaries.  It was the consensus of the group that these additional routes should be sufficient to make local pick up and deliveries.  Those making local pick up and deliveries will be able to use Apple Valley Road as usual as long as they are making a delivery that originates in the town or destination is in the town boundary. This will accomplish industry’s issues.

The Town Council meeting on March 28th:
Industry agreed to the Committee’s recommendation for the additional through truck routes and local truck routes, with a stipulation that there continues to be a need for a north south route.  We requested that as soon as the additional infrastructure work was completed that we revisit the issue.  We also requested an additional portion of Navajo north of Thunderbird to Waalew.  Council approved our request.
The final request that we had regarded the issue with 7:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew.  We made it clear that owner operators couldn’t get to of from work with this restriction and it would adversely affect local contractors as well.  The Town Council felt the concern of the local owner operator but not the contractor.  The hours of travel only affects the local truck routes.  We are in discussion with staff to see what can be worked out.  We will appeal to the Town Council again on April 11, at the second reading.

City of Palm Desert:

The Palm Desert City Council met on March 23rd to hear industry’s request to repeal an ordinance change from 1994 that banned commercial vehicles over 5 tons. 
Mayor Jim Ferguson said it best: “We have a 60 million dollar road (Fred Waring Drive) that we should be using and take some of the congestion off Hwy 111, that would seems reasonable”

The issue was continued because the Director of Public Works for Indian Wells hadn’t received sufficient notice that Palm Desert was considering lifting it’s long time ban.  We had expressed to City Council that we have been working with Indian Wells for over 2 years and it’s not a new issue to them, but rather shock that Palm Desert would consider it.  Palm Desert has come to the plate, unlike Indian Wells and sees a need for change. This is the only restricted route in Palm Desert for hours of travel. The City Council will be addressing this issue at the next City Council meeting scheduled for April 13, 2006.

City of San Jacinto:

The City of San Jacinto has regulated jobsites and now even taken it a step further to regulate intersections.  They are only regulating dirt hauling trucks from those intersections from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  We are currently working with California Dump Truck Owners Associations on this particular issue for one of their members, which is actually an industry problem. 

County of Sacramento:

We recently received a call from several members that the county was going to be making changes to their current annual permit program.  The county currently allowed 14’ wide, 15’ high up to 125’ in length.  The county was going to reduce the dimensions to 12’ wide, 14’ high and 65’ in length. We made several calls to county officials and a meeting was scheduled with the county’s senior civil engineer and staff.Permit Seminar:  We have request an opportunity to give a training session for the local communities in Sacramento County regarding uniformity in the near future.        

County of Contra County:

Permit Seminar:
We received numerous calls regarding local governments in Contra Costa County regarding uniformity.  We scheduled a meeting on February 15th with the Public Works Department of Contra Costa County.  They were very interested in on-line permitting that would expedite the issuance of permits.  We discussed meetings with localities that we have been conducting for the past 8 years and they have agreed to host a meeting with other communities in Contra Costa County. We recently met with Supervisor Mary Piepho’s office to discuss uniformity within the County and what our goal was which uniformity was.  They were very interested in the on-line permitting program.  Their first question was how long does it take to get up and running?  We have agreed to schedule a meeting in the next 90 days.

City of Antioch/ Brentwood:

We were recently contacted by a member about a citation.  The City of Brentwood issued a permit for travel through their jurisdiction.  Our member followed the prescribed route without any hesitation until he was detained by the City of Antioch.  He was unaware of why he was being detained, but then learned that a half mile section of half the street was Antioch’s jurisdiction.  There were no city limit signs that would have warned the driver.  If he would have been traveling the other direction he would not have been stopped.  The Brentwood permit showed the entire route without any deviations in the route. There was even an area that shows what other permits you need besides Brentwood and nothing was marked.  Our member has since received a citation in the mail for $20,353.  If he had been stopped for drunk driving, the fine would be about $1500.  Once again, we need to work to make the fine fit the crime.
Respectfully submitted,

Gregory D. Dineen

Industry Transportation Consultant
Cc: John Hakel, AGC Jim Burton, SCCA
Gary Futral, ECA Seth Hammond, MCOG
Richard Lambros, BIA Lee Brown, CDTOA
Aimee Shook, DCA