Current law imposes various equipment requirements for vehicles operated on
highways, including certain lighting and marking requirements. Although these
requirements are generally inapplicable to implements of husbandry, farm tractors,
and self-propelled farm implements, current law does impose various specific
requirements with respect to lighting and marking of implements of husbandry and
other agricultural vehicles.

Under current law, during hours of darkness, the following requirements apply
with respect to each described vehicle operated on the highway:

1. A farm tractor or self-propelled farm implement must carry the lighted
headlamps and tail lamps that would be required of other vehicles and the only color
of light that may show to the rear is red.

2. An implement of husbandry must generally be equipped with at least two
lighted lamps or lanterns exhibiting a white light to the front and either two lighted
lamps or lanterns exhibiting a red light to the rear or two red reflectors mounted on
the rear. Also, if the implement of husbandry extends at least four feet to the left of
the center line of a towing vehicle, it must be equipped with an amber reflector
mounted on the left side, facing forward, to mark the extreme width of the implement
of husbandry to drivers of oncoming vehicles.

3. A truck-drawn agricultural train must have mounted on each side of every
vehicle in the train at least one lamp emitting red light visible to the side or at least
one red reflector or one slow moving vehicle (SMV) emblem visible from the side.

4. An implement of husbandry train must have mounted on each side of every
vehicle in the train at least one lamp emitting a red light visible to the side or at least
one red reflector visible from the side.

Certain requirements also apply to a farm tractor, implement of husbandry, or
self-propelled farm implement, whether attended or unattended, parked, or left
standing on the roadway or shoulder of a highway during hours of darkness.

Under current law, at times other than hours of darkness, an implement of
husbandry train operated on a highway must display a red flag at least 12 inches
square on each rear corner of the rearmost vehicle in the train.

Under current law, a person may not operate on a highway, day or night, any
vehicle that usually travels at speeds of less than 25 miles per hour unless an SMV
emblem is displayed on the most practicable visible rear area. However, instead of
the SMV emblem, a vehicle may be equipped with a yellow or amber flashing light
at least four inches in diameter attached to the left rear. The SMV emblem is also
not required if the vehicle is only moving directly across the highway. A towed vehicle
is exempt from this requirement if an SMV emblem on the towing vehicle is visible
from the rear. The SMV emblem must meet standards and specifications for design
and mounting established by rule by DOT, but this rule must conform to standards
and specifications approved by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

In addition to the lighting and marking requirements described above, this bill
creates new lighting and marking requirements for implements of husbandry
operated on the highway that exceed 15 feet in total width or that extend over the
center of the roadway into a lane intended for the opposite direction of travel (wide

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implements of husbandry). With an exception, a person may not operate on a
highway a wide implement of husbandry manufactured before January 1, 2014,
unless it is equipped with all of the following: 1) at least two amber flashing warning
lamps, visible from both the front and rear; 2) red retroreflective conspicuity
material, visible to the rear; 3) at least two strips of yellow retroreflective conspicuity
material, visible to the front; and 4) at least two red tail lamps. Any lamp or light
required above must be lighted and visible when the wide implement of husbandry
is operated on a highway and the lamps or lights, devices, and material described
above must generally meet certain visibility requirements and be mounted so as to
indicate the lateral extremities of the implement of husbandry. The exception allows
daytime operation of a wide implement of husbandry manufactured before January
1, 2014, if the implement of husbandry is accompanied by an escort vehicle and
displays to the rear two orange or red flags. A wide implement of husbandry
manufactured before January 1, 2014, must also display an SMV emblem. An
implement of husbandry manufactured on or after January 1, 2014, may not be
operated on a highway unless it is equipped with all lighting and marking devices
with which the implement of husbandry was originally equipped by the
manufacturer and all such lighting and marking devices are in good working order
and visible at the time of operation.

Under the bill, a person may not operate on a highway any self-propelled
implement of husbandry manufactured before January 1, 2014, that exceeds 12 feet
in total width, unless it is equipped with a yellow or amber rotating strobe or beacon
light mounted at the highest practicable point, or two flashing amber lights visible
to the front and rear, and the light or lights are activated. If an implement of
husbandry exceeds 22 feet in total width, in addition to the applicable foregoing
requirements, it must be accompanied by an escort vehicle operating with hazard
lights activated unless it is traveling between fields or between a farm and a field and
is operated on the highway for a distance of 0.5 miles or less.

The bill also eliminates the requirement that an implement of husbandry train
operated on a highway during the day must display a red flag on each rear corner of
the rearmost vehicle in the train.

Under current law, on all roadways of sufficient width, the operator of a vehicle
must generally drive on the right half of the roadway and in the right-hand lane of
a three-lane highway, subject to various exceptions, such as when the operator is
making a left turn or U-turn or is overtaking and passing another vehicle. A vehicle
operator must also drive as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and,
on a three-lane highway, may not drive in the center lane, subject to exceptions like
those discussed above. With an exception, a vehicle operator may not drive in a lane
when signs or signals indicate that the lane is allocated exclusively to vehicles
moving in the opposite direction.

Also under current law, on a two-way roadway: 1) operators of vehicles
proceeding in opposite directions must pass each other to the right and give to the
other at least one-half of the main traveled portion of the roadway as nearly as
possible; and 2) a vehicle operator may not drive on the left side of the center of the

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roadway on a grade or curve where the operator's view is obstructed or, with an
exception, in an area designated by signs or pavement marking it as a no-passing
zone. In general, a person may not drive a motor vehicle so slowly as to impede the
normal movement of traffic and the operator of a slow-moving vehicle must, if
practicable, yield the roadway to an overtaking vehicle.

This bill creates an exception allowing a wide implement of husbandry that
satisfies applicable lighting and marking requirements and that is operated as much
as practicable on the right half of the roadway and within a single lane to: 1) extend
over the center of the roadway into a lane intended for travel in the opposite
direction; 2) extend into the passing lane of a three-lane highway; and 3) extend into
another lane intended for travel in the same direction if it does not impede other
vehicles approaching from the rear. However, this exception does not exempt the
operator of the wide implement of husbandry from the requirements and
prohibitions above, specifying that a vehicle operator must pass a vehicle proceeding
in the opposite direction on the right and yield half of the roadway if possible; a
vehicle operator may not drive on the left side of the roadway on a grade or curve
where the operator's view is obstructed or in an area designated as a no-passing
zone; and a vehicle operator may not drive so slowly as to impede the normal
movement of traffic and must, if practicable, yield the roadway to an overtaking
vehicle.

Under current law, a vehicle operator may not drive on the left side of the center
of a roadway designated, by signs or a solid yellow line, as a no-passing zone.
However, under an exception, a vehicle operator may cross to the left of the center
of the roadway in such a no-passing zone to overtake and pass, with care, any vehicle
traveling at a speed less than half of the applicable speed limit. Under this bill, this
exception does not apply with respect to overtaking and passing an implement of
husbandry or an agricultural CMV.

Under current law, no person in the business of selling a tractor or other
machinery used in the business of farming (farm equipment) may sell farm
equipment unless, at the time of sale, the farm equipment is equipped with specified
safety equipment, including lights, reflectors, and an SMV emblem meeting
applicable vehicle equipment requirements, if the farm equipment can be operated
on a highway. However, this requirement does not apply to sales of farm equipment
to another person in the business of selling farm equipment for the purpose of resale,
sales of farm equipment for the purpose of salvage, and most sales by auction. A
person who violates this requirement may be required to forfeit not more than $500
for each violation.

Under this bill, no person in the business of selling farm equipment may sell
farm equipment that can be operated on a highway unless, at the time of sale, the
person who sells the farm equipment discloses to the buyer the gross vehicle weight
of the farm equipment. The exceptions and penalty described above also apply with
respect to this requirement. The bill also specifies that lights, reflectors, and other
marking devices with which farm equipment is required to be equipped at the time

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of sale are those meeting applicable vehicle equipment requirements at the time the
farm equipment was manufactured.