Livestock Haulers Length Exemption

Following is a selective paraphrase of the CVC. It is not guaranteed and may be subject to change.

Per California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 35401.7, livestock haulers have a length exemption that applies to qualified truck tractor-/semitrailer combinations over 65 feet long, subject to all of the following conditions:

1. Travel is limited to State Route 101 from the junction of State Route 1 near Leggett in Mendocino County, through the counties of Humboldt and Del Norte, to the Oregon border: Map of Caltrans District 1 (PDF) .
2. The trip is necessary and incidental to the shipment of livestock.
3. The overall combination length does not exceed 70 feet.
4. The distance between the kingpin and the rearmost axle on the semitrailer does not exceed 43 feet.
5. The semitrailer length does not exceed 48 feet.
6. Travel does not occur on a national holiday or the day before a national holiday.

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Legislative History

The following bills created or amended the livestock haulers length exemption:

Assembly Bill 2426 - Chaptered 9/22/98
Assembly Bill (AB) 2426 initiated this exemption, which became effective on January 1, 1999. The initial repeal date ("sunset date") was January 1, 2001. AB 2426 also required that the California Highway Patrol (CHP), in consultation with the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), study the effect of the exemption and submit the findings in a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2000.

Assembly Bill 1474 - Chaptered 10/10/99
AB 1474 became effective on January 1, 2000. AB 1474 changed the sunset date to January 1, 2002 and required that the CHP and Caltrans study the exemption and report their findings to the Legislature by July 1, 2001.

Assembly Bill 220 - Chaptered 10/2/01
AB 220 became effective January 1, 2002. AB 220 changed the sunset date to January 1, 2004, and required that the CHP and Caltrans study the exemption and report their findings to the Legislature by May 1, 2003.

Senate Bill 127 - Chaptered 8/4/03
Senate Bill (SB) 127 became effective January 1, 2004. SB 127 extended the sunset date to January 1, 2007, and required that the CHP and Caltrans study the exemption and report their findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2006.

Assembly Bill 3082 - Chaptered 7/20/04
AB 3082 became effective January 1, 2005. AB 3082 made several minor edits, but did not change the 1/1/07 sunset date or the 1/1/06 date for submitting the report to the Legislature.

Senate Bill 1224 - Chaptered 9/25/06
SB 1224 extends the sunset date to January 1, 2012. SB 1224 also requires that the CHP and Caltrans study the exemption and make recommendations on future exemptions, including the creation of a permitting system for cattle truck and trailer combinations meeting applicable provisions of the federal Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) of 1982 (Public Law 97-424), and report their findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2011.

Senate Bill 773 - Chaptered 10/10/07
SB 773 increases the allowable kingpin-to-rear-axle distance from 40 feet to 43 feet, and requires that the semitrailer be no more than 48 feet in length. SB 773 requires that the CHP continue to study the effects of the exemption, and requires that the Secretary of State be notified if a certain size tree must be removed in order to accommodate the exempted vehicle.

Senate Bill 349 - Chaptered 8/4/11
SB 349 extends the sunset date to January 1, 2015. SB 349 deletes obsolete requirements, such as the CHP study to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by January 1, 2011. The following requirements remain: (1) to notify the Secretary of State if a certain size tree must be removed to accommodate the exempted vehicle, and (2) to notify the Secretary of State if this portion of Route 101 becomes a STAA route. This section is repealed on the date the Secretary of State receives either of the notices.

Assembly Bill 1101 - Chaptered 7/16/14
AB 1101 extends the sunset date until Route 101 is improved and allows access to the longer interstate trucks specified in CVC 35401.5(a). The following requirements remain: (1) to notify the Secretary of State if a certain size tree must be removed to accommodate the exempted vehicle, and (2) to notify the Secretary of State if this portion of Route 101 becomes a STAA route. This section is repealed on the date that access is allowed without legal restraints, and the Department publishes the access on its website. At that time, the livestock trucks covered by this exemption will have legal access and the special exemption will no longer be needed.