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File Number: 15-124 <br />regulates maximum vehicle size and weight for safety and allows cities to issue special <br />permits to regulate and control oversized vehicles. <br />Oversized vehicles also on occasion travel outside of posted truck routes through residential <br />City streets that are not designed to accommodate them. These vehicles require greater <br />stopping distances and impact the wear on roadway surfaces due to their weight. The greater <br />stopping distances can be a safety factor when they are travelling outside truck routes in <br />residential areas. Vehicles found traveling off of the designated truck routes would be cited <br />and re-routed. <br />In the past twelve (12) months, several local businesses have expressed interest in operating <br />overweight vehicles within the City, specifically vehicles hauling intermodal shipping <br />containers. These businesses would like to operate vehicles with a gross weight of 95,000 <br />lbs. The maximum allowable gross weight in California is 80,000 lbs. The California Vehicle <br />Code allows cities to permit the moving of vehicles and loads at a maximum gross weight in <br />excess of 80,000 lbs. <br />Operating overweight vehicles allows local businesses to be more efficient and reduce the <br />impact on the environment by taking less trips. Additionally, permitting overweight vehicles <br />could reduce the number of trucks on the roadways, leading to less congestion, less fuel <br />consumption and less diesel exhaust (greenhouse gases) emitted into the atmosphere. <br />Overweight vehicles require additional regulation because the increased weight can affect the <br />safe starting, stopping and handling of such vehicles. Increased weight may cause stress on <br />a vehicle that could potentially cause a critical item component to fail, leading to a traffic <br />collision. The increased weight can add extreme pressure to a roadway, which could cause <br />the roadway and underlying infrastructure to fail. <br />Staff from the Engineering and Transportation Department and the Police Department met <br />with requesting businesses and San Leandro Chamber of Commerce officials to discuss risks <br />associated with permitting overweight vehicles. After that meeting, staff believes that the <br />benefits of allowing such vehicles, especially with regards to increased economic <br />development and reduction in greenhouse gases, out -weigh the risks, such that with proper <br />regulation and control the City can allow vehicles to operate within the City with an increased <br />weight of not greater than 95,000 lbs. <br />Regulations on the operation of overweight vehicles include proper driver training, approval of <br />a designated overweight route by the Engineering and Transportation Department, and proof <br />that the overweight vehicle has undergone proper safety inspections. Vehicles found out of <br />compliance with these conditions will be cited and in some cases taken out -of -service. <br />In 2010, the San Leandro Police Department created a full time commercial enforcement <br />officer position. This commercial enforcement officer is an expert in commercial vehicle <br />matters and drives a specialized vehicle equipped with inspection tools including portable <br />truck scales. This specially trained commercial enforcement officer patrols, locates and <br />inspects commercial vehicles. This officer is trained by the California Highway Patrol and <br />holds the title of M.R.E. (Mobile Road Enforcement). <br />The attached Ordinances will provide clear guidelines for overweight vehicle operators and <br />City of San Leandro Page 2 Printed on 2124/2015 <br />