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HB 8149

AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SIZE, WEIGHT, AND LOAD LIMITS

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jon Brien and 8 co-sponsors

Rhode Island updates vehicle weight limits and penalties, requiring registrations show legal weights and overweight fines scaled by GVW, with portions allocated to municipalities a

05/07/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 8149

Summary of HB 8149 (Rhode Island, 2026) — Size, Weight, and Load Limits

Overview

  • Bill: HB 8149
  • Session: 2026
  • Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
  • Subject: Motor and other vehicles — size, weight, and load limits
  • Introduced: February 27, 2026
  • Sponsor(s): Reps. Santucci, Chippendale, Costantino, Nardone, Newberry, Read, Noret, Place, J. Brien; with co-sponsors Mike Chippendale, Tom Noret, Greg Costantino, George Nardone, Earl Read, David Place, Jon Brien, Paul Santucci
  • Committee: House Finance
  • Effective Date: Upon passage

Purpose and Intent

The bill updates and reiterates Rhode Island’s rules around authorized vehicle weights, particularly for commercial carriers, and defines how penalties for overweight violations are calculated and distributed. It aims to:
- Ensure registration-weight limits are clearly documented and enforceable.
- Standardize penalties for overweight violations and specify how those penalties are distributed (municipal vs. state funds and court fees).
- Clarify that overweight penalties are adjudicated in traffic court and are assessed against the vehicle’s legal weight versus actual weight.

Key Provisions

1) Authorized weight on vehicle registrations

  • The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) must insert the vehicle’s gross registered weight on the registration card.
  • For truck tractors that propel semi-trailers, the registration must separately show:
    • The total permissible gross weight of the truck tractor.
    • The total permissible gross weight of the semi-trailers it will propel.
  • Vehicles must not be operated if their gross weight exceeds:
    • The registered maximum weight, or
    • The weight limits set by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (DOT), or
    • Other limits defined in the chapter.

2) Definition of “carrier”

  • The bill defines “carrier” as any company or person that furthers a commercial or private enterprise using a vehicle.

3) Penalties for overweight violations

  • Penalties are based on a comparison between the vehicle’s legal weight and its actual (over)weight.
  • Adjudication: Violations will be heard in the traffic tribunal.
  • Penalty schedule:
    • For vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 10,000 lbs or less: $100 per 1,000 lbs overweight or portion thereof.
    • For GVW over 10,000 lbs: $125 per 500 lbs overweight or portion thereof.
    • For GVW over 104,800 lbs: An additional penalty of $1,025 (in addition to the applicable base penalties).
    • For GVW over 130,000 lbs: An additional penalty of $2,500 (in addition to the applicable base penalties).
  • This creates a tiered penalty system that increases with heavier vehicles and greater overweight amounts.

4) Allocation of penalties (civil penalties)

  • If enforcement occurs on or within the jurisdiction of a municipality by a municipal enforcement officer:
    • The civil penalty is paid to the municipality, with two exceptions:
    • $120 per violation is paid to the General Fund.
    • A $5 court administrative fee is paid to the Traffic Tribunal.
  • This section cross-references and amends the allocation of penalties to municipalities versus state funds.

5) Effective date

  • The act takes effect upon passage.

Affected Parties and Impacts

  • Commercial carriers and drivers: Subject to explicit weight limits and the per-overweight penalties; must ensure registrations reflect permissible gross weights for all vehicle combinations, especially tractor-trailer setups.
  • Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV): Required to print detailed weight information on registration cards.
  • Rhode Island Department of Transportation (DOT): Sets the underlying weight limits referenced in registrations.
  • Municipalities and municipal enforcement officers: A portion of penalties collected for overweight violations may go to municipalities (with specified portions directed to the General Fund and traffic tribunal fees).
  • Traffic Tribunal: Handles adjudication of overweight violations under the new framework.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Refer to Committee: House Finance
  • Hearing/Consideration Schedule: Noted as scheduled for May 7, 2026 (as of the action history)
  • Effective Date: Immediate upon passage (no delayed start date)

Notable Details

  • The penalty framework differentiates based on GVW thresholds and overweight amount, with escalating penalties for heavier vehicles and greater overweight.
  • The bill explicitly links penalties to the “legal weight” vs. actual overweight, emphasizing compliance over mere presence of overweight loads.
  • The allocation of civil penalties introduces a split in revenue between municipalities, the state general fund, and the traffic tribunal fee, with a fixed $120 portion to the general fund per violation.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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