(1) By no later than January 1, 2020, the Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall develop a permitting program that, notwithstanding any other provision of law except conflicting federal law and applicable provisions of s. 316.550, prescribes the operation of any combination of truck tractor, semitrailer, and trailer combination coupled together so as to operate as a single unit in which the semitrailer and the trailer unit may each be up to 48 feet in length, but not less than 28 feet in length, if such truck tractor, semitrailer, trailer combination is:

(a) Being used for the primary purpose of transporting farm products as defined in s. 823.14(3)(c) on a prescribed route within the boundary of the Everglades Agricultural Area as described in s. 373.4592(15);

(b) Traveling on a prescribed route that has been submitted to and approved by the Department of Transportation for public safety purposes having taken into account, at a minimum, the point of origin, destination, traffic and pedestrian volume on the route, turning radius at intersections along the route, and potential for damage to roadways or bridges on the route;

(c) Operating only on state or local roadways within a radius of 60 miles from where such truck tractor, semitrailer, and trailer combination was loaded; however, travel is not authorized on the Interstate Highway System; and

(d) Meeting the following weight limitations:

1. The maximum gross weight of the truck tractor and the first trailer shall not exceed 88,000 pounds.

2. The maximum gross weight of the dolly and second trailer shall not exceed 67,000 pounds.

3. The maximum overall gross weight of the truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer combination shall not exceed 155,000 pounds.

(2) The permitting program established pursuant to subsection (1) above shall automatically expire on January 1, 2025, unless reauthorized by the Legislature.

(3) Any such permit program may not be implemented or continued if the Federal Government notifies the department that implementation will adversely affect the allocation of federal funds to the state.

History.—s. 4, ch. 2019-149.