761—511.22(321) Movement of combination vehicles on economic export corridors.
	511.22(1) Designation of economic export corridors.
	a. 	The department may in its discretion establish economic export corridors for the transportation of goods or products manufactured in Iowa to or through the state of South Dakota and for the return of unladen semitrailers or unladen full trailers used for the transportation of those goods or products. An economic export corridor shall not include any segment of the interstate system or any part of the national network of highways identified pursuant to 23 CFR Part 658. However, if appropriate, the department may petition the Federal Highway Administration to remove a road or road segment from the national network of highways for the purpose of including it in an economic export corridor.
	b. 	The department may initiate designation of economic export corridors, or a request for economic export corridor designation may be submitted to the department by an interested party. If a proposed economic export corridor includes any roads or road segments that are under the jurisdiction of a city or a county, a resolution from all relevant local jurisdictions must be submitted to the department indicating their support for economic export corridor designation. The resolution must include a description of the proposed economic export corridor under local jurisdiction.
	c. 	The department shall exercise due regard for the safety of the traveling public and the protection of the highway surfaces and structures when establishing an economic export corridor. Factors to be considered include ability of the proposed economic export corridor to safely accommodate combinations of vehicles described in subrule  511.22(2), taking into account physical configurations and restrictions and traffic demands and capacity, as well as connection to markets that will benefit from the established economic export corridor.
	d. 	The department will post established economic export corridors on the department’s website.
	511.22(2) Combination vehicles that may be operated on an economic export corridor.
	a. 	In addition to combinations of vehicles lawful for operation on roads or road segments not designated as an economic export corridor, the following combinations of vehicles may be operated on an economic export corridor designated under subrule  511.22(1) if the combinations of vehicles meet the requirements in paragraph 511.22(2)“b”:
	(1)	A truck tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer converted to a full trailer by use of a dolly equipped with a fifth wheel which is considered a part of the trailer for all purposes, and not a separate unit; or
	(2)	A truck tractor-semitrailer-full trailer; or
	(3)	A truck tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination, where the semitrailers are connected by a rigid frame extension including a fifth wheel connection point attached to the rear frame of the first semitrailer.
	b. 	The combination of vehicles shall meet all of the following requirements:
	(1)	The length of the combination of vehicles, excluding the length of the truck tractor, shall not exceed 81½ feet.
	(2)	The length of either semitrailer or full trailer shall not exceed 45 feet.
	(3)	The weight of the second semitrailer or full trailer shall not exceed the weight of the first semitrailer by more than 3,000 pounds.
	(4)	The gross weight of the combination of vehicles shall not exceed 80,000 pounds and the combination of vehicles shall not exceed the gross axle weight limits of Iowa Code section 321.463(2).
	(5)	The load on each semitrailer or full trailer in the combination shall be an indivisible load. For the purpose of issuing permits for height or width under Iowa Code chapter 321E, the combination of vehicles shall be considered an indivisible load so long as the load on each semitrailer or full trailer in the combination remains an indivisible load.
	c. 	The length of the frame extension shall not be included when determining the overall length of the first semitrailer in a truck tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination in which the semitrailers are connected by a rigid frame extension including a fifth wheel connection point attached to the rear frame of the first semitrailer.
	d. 	For purposes of this subrule, “full trailer” means as defined in 49 CFR Section 390.5.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 321.457(2)“n.”
[ARC 3193C, IAB 7/5/17, effective 8/9/17; ARC 4985C, IAB 3/11/20, effective 4/15/20; ARC 6061C, IAB 12/1/21, effective 1/5/22; ARC 6405C, IAB 7/13/22, effective 8/17/22; ARC 7079C, IAB 10/4/23, effective 11/8/23]