(A) The Secretary of Transportation in respect to highways which are a part of the state maintained system, by official order, may increase on designated highways or portions thereof, the maximum height, length and gross weight prescribed in § 75.03, if in the opinion of the Secretary, the increased heights, length and weight designated by him or her are justified by the strength, safety and durability of the designated highways, and the highways do not appear susceptible to unreasonable and unusual damage by reason of the increases and the Secretary is authorized to establish reasonable classification of state maintained roads and to fix a different maximum for each classification. Any increase in the height, length or width of any motor truck or tractor semitrailer combinations or any other vehicle combinations including any part of the body or load or designation of highways to be used by the vehicles, shall not, in any way, exceed the federal law or regulations thereunder or jeopardize the allotment or qualification for federal aid funds of the Commonwealth of Kentucky or exceed the following dimensions and weights:
(1) (a) Height, for vehicles transporting motor vehicles, 14 feet;
(b) Height, for all other vehicles, 13½ feet;
(2) Length, semitrailers, 53 feet; trailers, 28 feet; motor trucks, 45 feet not to exceed two trailers per truck tractor;
(3) Weight, 20,000 pounds per single axle, with axles less than 42 inches apart to be considered as a single axle; 34,000 pounds on 2 axles in tandem arrangement which are spaced 42 inches or more apart and less than 96 inches apart; 50,000 pounds on 3 axles which are spaced 42 inches or more apart and less than 120 inches apart. No single axle in any arrangement shall exceed 20,000 pounds or 700 pounds per inch of the aggregate width of all the tires on a single axle, whichever is less. The total gross weight of the vehicle and load shall not exceed 80,000 pounds;
(4) Except on the interstate highway system, a tolerance of not more than 5% per axle load shall be permitted before a carrier is deemed to have violated division (A) (3). The gross weight shall not exceed 82,000 pounds;
(5) Truck tractor, semitrailer and trailer combinations and other vehicle combinations may be operated only on those parts of the federal aid highway system and the state maintained system which have been designated by the Secretary of Transportation by official order as safely allowing this.
(B) In addition to the provisions of this section, vehicles with a gross weight up to 80,000 pounds may travel on any state highway in the Commonwealth without obtaining a special permit, if the weight does not exceed any limits mandated by federal law or regulation, any posted bridge weight, or the weight limits of the size and type of vehicle established under division (A)(3)above, and if the vehicle is transporting any of the following:
(1) Meats or agricultural crop products originating from a farm to first market;
(2) Livestock or poultry from their point of origin to first market. As used in this section “LIVESTOCK” means cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, alpacas, llamas, buffaloes, or any other animals of the bovine, ovine, porcine, caprine, equine, or camelid species;
(3) Primary forest products, including but not limited to sawdust, wood chips, bark, slabs, or logs originating from their points of origin to first market; or
(4) Supplies, materials or equipment necessary to carry out a farming operation engaged in the production of agricultural crop products, meats, livestock or poultry.
(C) The following vehicles registered under KRS 186.050 may exceed the gross weight provisions set forth in division (A)(3) of this section by a weight tolerance of 10%, except on the interstate highway system:
(1) Vehicles that are engaged exclusively in the transportation of items listed in division (B)(1), (2), and (3) of this section; and
(2) Vehicles that are engaged exclusively in the transportation of feed for livestock or poultry.
(D) Vehicles exclusively engaged in the transportation of motor vehicles, unmanufactured tobacco or unmanufactured tobacco products may, on those highways which are a part of the state maintained system and which have been designated by the Secretary of Transportation by official order as safely allowing this, attain the maximum lengths excluding the usual and ordinary bumper overhang of the transported vehicles;
(E) Vehicles engaged exclusively in the transportation of farm or primary forestry products and registered under KRS 186.050(4) or 186.050(9) and vehicles engaged exclusively in the transportation of ready-mixed concrete shall be excluded from the axle weight provisions, except on interstate highways, and subject only to total gross weight provisions.
(F) Vehicles designed for and engaged exclusively in the collection and hauling of refuse and registered under KRS 186.050(3)(b) shall be excluded from the axle weight provisions, except when in operation on the federal interstate system, and subject only to total gross weight provisions.
(G) The Secretary of Transportation may by order increase the weight and height limits prescribed by this traffic code for motor vehicles while being operated exclusively on roads or highways being constructed, reconstructed or repaired under contract with the department of transportation by the contractor or subcontractor, agent or employee thereof.
(H) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this traffic code, the Secretary of Transportation may not authorize the operation of any motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles, upon any part of the federal aid highway system or state parkway system, which exceeds the following dimensions and weights:
(1) Width, 102 inches, including any part of the body or load;
(2) Weight, 20,000 pounds per single axle, with axles less than 42 inches apart to be considered as a single axle; 32,000 pounds on two axles in tandem arrangement which are spaced 42 inches or more apart and less than 96 inches apart; 48,000 pounds on three axles which are spaced 42 inches or more apart and less than 120 inches apart. The total gross weight of the vehicle and load shall not exceed 73,280 pounds. If any federal law or laws or regulations thereunder are hereafter enacted authorizing weights and dimensions in excess of those set out in division (H) (1) and (2), the Secretary of Transportation may by official order increase the maximum weights and dimensions but the increased weights and dimensions shall not exceed those set out in this section.
(I) Except on the interstate highway system, vehicles engaged exclusively in the transportation of crushed stone, fill dirt and rock, soil, bulk sand, coal, phosphate muck, asphalt, concrete, solid waste, tankage or animal residues, livestock, feed for livestock or poultry, and agricultural products shall be permitted a tolerance of 10% of the axle weight provisions before a carrier is deemed to have violated division (A) (3) of this section.
(KRS 189.222) Penalty, see § 70.99 (B), (D), (E), (CC)