1985-1986 Bill 2307: Loads that extend more than four feet beyond the rear of a vehicle be required to display a

South Carolina General Assembly
106th Session, 1985-1986

Bill 2307

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               2307
Ratification Number:       300
Act Number:                199
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                        Loads that extend more than four
                           feet beyond the rear of a vehicle be required
                           to display a

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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A199, R300, H2307)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-4630, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO LOADS THAT EXTEND MORE THAN FOUR FEET BEYOND THE REAR OF A VEHICLE BE REQUIRED TO DISPLAY A FLAG OR LAMP TO THE REAR OF THE LOAD SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT THE RED FLAG BE NOT LESS THAN TWELVE INCHES BY TWENTY-FOUR INCHES, AND TO EXEMPT UTILITY COMPANIES RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY, AND TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-4140, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO WEIGHTS AND COMBINATIONS OF VEHICLES AND LOADS SO AS TO EXEMPT TRUCKS CARRYING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS FROM CONFORMING TO THE AXLE SPACING REQUIREMENTS EXCEPT ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Flag or lamp to be displayed

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-4630 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-5-4630. Whenever the load upon any vehicle extends to the rear four feet or more beyond the bed or body of the vehicle there must be displayed at the extreme rear end of the load, at the times specified in Section 56-5-4450, a red light or lantern plainly visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the sides and rear. The red light or lantern required under this section is in addition to the red rear light required upon every vehicle. At any other time there must be displayed at the extreme rear end of the load a red flag or cloth not less than twelve inches by twenty-four inches and so hung that the entire area is visible to the driver of a vehicle approaching from the rear.

Utility companies when responding to an emergency situation such as caused by storms or accidents are exempt from the provisions of this section."

Trucks carrying agricultural products exempt

SECTION 2. Subsection (3) of Section 56-5-4140 of the 1976 Code, added by Act 500 of 1980, is amended to read:

"(3) Except on the interstate highway system:

(a) Dump trucks, dump trailers, trucks carrying agricultural products, concrete mixing trucks, fuel oil trucks, line trucks, and trucks designated and constructed for special type work or use are not required to conform to the axle spacing requirements of this section but the vehicle is limited to a weight of twenty thousand pounds per axle plus scale tolerances and the maximum gross weight of these vehicles may not exceed the maximum weight allowed by this section for the appropriate number of axles, irrespective of the distance between axles, plus allowable scale tolerances.

(b) Concrete mixing trucks which operate within fifteen miles of their home base are not required to conform to the requirements of this section but these vehicles are limited to a maximum load of the rated capacity of the concrete mixer, the true gross load not to exceed sixty-six thousand pounds. All of these vehicles shall have at least three axles each with brake-equipped wheels."

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.