Needles Municipal Code § 13-34 Truck Routes

1. Whenever this chapter designates and describes any street or portion thereof as a street the use of which is permitted by any vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight limit of three tons, the city traffic engineer is hereby authorized to designate such street or streets by appropriate signs as “Truck Traffic Routes” for the movement of vehicles exceeding a maximum gross weight limit of three tons.
2. Whenever any such truck traffic routes are established and designated by appropriate signs the operator of any vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight limit of three tons shall drive on such routes and none other, except when necessary to traverse another street to a destination for the purpose of loading or unloading, but then only by such deviation from the nearest truck route as is reasonably necessary. The provisions of this section shall not apply to passenger buses under the jurisdiction of the state public utilities commission.
3. In accordance with this section, and when signs are erected giving notice thereof, the following streets or portions of streets are hereby declared to be truck traffic routes for the movement of vehicles exceeding a gross weight of three tons: (None designated). (Ord. No. 257 N.S.)

1. No person shall operate or move a vehicle or combination of vehicles or special mobile equipment of a size or weight of vehicle or load exceeding the maximum specified in the state of California Vehicle Code on any highway or street within the City Limits of Needles without first obtaining a transportation permit from the city engineer or his/her designee.
2. The type of permit may be single trip or annual.
3. The city engineer is authorized to issue or withhold any permit at his/her discretion. If the permit is issued, he/she is authorized to limit the number of trips or to establish seasonal or time and day limitations or designate certain routes within the City of Needles, which the vehicle or vehicles described may be operated on the highways and streets indicated or otherwise to limit or prescribe conditions of operation of vehicle, when necessary to assure against undue damage to the road foundations, surfaces or structures and may require the undertaking of other security as may be deemed necessary to protect the highways, streets and bridges from injury or to provide indemnity for any injury resulting from the operation of the vehicle.
4. It is unlawful for any person to violate any of the terms or conditions of the transportation permit.
5. The permit application fees shall be the same as those in use by the California Department of Transportation. Additional services necessitated by unusually large or heavy loads, such as engineering investigations, police escorts, utility escorts or other services, shall be billed separately for each permit.
6. Nothing in this section shall relieve the operator or driver from any obligation imposed by federal, state or local laws relating to this type of transportation.
7. Any person convicted of transporting an extralegal load on a highway, or causing or directing the operation of or driving on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles for which a permit is required pursuant to this article, without having obtained a permit issued in accordance with this article, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment.

HISTORY Adopted by Ord. 490-AC on 2/27/2007