House Bill 168 Summary

• Permits vehicles with gross weights between 105,501 and 129,000 pounds to operate on designated routes under annual special route permits with an administrative fee not to exceed $55.00 per vehicle.

• Designates specific state routes throughout Idaho for 129,000-pound vehicle operations, with changes to the designated route map requiring legislative approval.

• Authorizes local authorities to designate additional routes within their jurisdictions using road and bridge structural integrity and public safety engineering standards, with a 150-day decision timeline for requests.

• Establishes the Local Authority Technical Analysis Fund, funded with $5.00 from each permit fee, to provide grants up to $5,000 to local authorities for technical review costs of route designation applications.

• Creates an appeal process allowing permit applicants to request a public hearing before the local governing body within 45 days if their permit is denied; local board must issue final decision within 15 days after hearing concludes.

• Sunsets local authority permitting provisions on June 30, 2021, after which department-designated routes become the primary authorization mechanism.