348.16 Weight limitations on class “B" highways.

(1) In this section, “class `B' highway" includes those county trunk highways, town highways and city and village streets, or portions thereof, which have been designated as class “B" highways by the local authorities pursuant to s. 349.15.

(2) Except as provided in sub. (3) and s. 348.175 and subject to any modifications made by a city of the first class pursuant to s. 349.15 (3), no person, without a permit therefor, shall operate on a class “B" highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles imposing wheel, axle, group of axles, or gross weight on the highway exceeding 60 percent of the weights authorized in s. 348.15 (3). This subsection does not apply to an implement of husbandry or agricultural commercial motor vehicle being operated or transported, or to a 2-vehicle combination transporting an implement of husbandry or agricultural commercial motor vehicle, as described in s. 348.15 (9) (c), (cm), (e), or (f) 1. or 1m.

(3)

(a) Any motor vehicle whose operation is pickup or delivery, including operation for the purpose of moving or delivering supplies or commodities to or from any place of business or residence that has an entrance on a class “B" highway, may pick up or deliver on a class “B" highway without complying with the gross vehicle weight limitations imposed by sub. (2).

(b) Subsection (2) does not apply to a vehicle operated by or at the direction of a public utility, as defined in s. 196.01 (5), a telecommunications provider, as defined in s. 196.01 (8p), or a cooperative association organized under ch. 185 for the purpose of producing or furnishing heat, light, power, or water to its members, that is being operated for the purpose of responding to a service interruption.

(c) Subsection (2) does not apply to the operation of any skidder, forwarder, harvester, or wheeled feller buncher under circumstances for which there is no weight limitation under s. 348.15 (10).

(d) Subsection (2) does not apply to a motor vehicle that is being operated to deliver propane for heating purposes if the gross weight imposed on the highway by the vehicle does not exceed 30,000 pounds, for a vehicle with a single rear axle, or 40,000 pounds, for a vehicle with tandem rear axles, and, if the motor vehicle is a tank vehicle, the tank is loaded to no more than 50 percent of the capacity of the tank. A tank vehicle operated under this paragraph shall be equipped with a gauge on the tank that shows the amount of propane in the tank as a percent of the capacity of the tank and shall carry documentation of the capacity of the tank either on the cargo tank or in the cab of the vehicle.

History: 1981 c. 312; 2001 a. 16; 2009 a. 177; 2011 a. 257; 2013 a. 377; 2015 a. 15, 44, 171; 2017 a. 59, 68.