Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-1909 – Gross weight limits for vehicles; exceptions; safety of certain vehicles for operation

(a) No vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be moved or operated on any highway when the gross weight on two or more consecutive axles exceeds the limitations prescribed in the following table:
1. (1) The gross weight on any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed the limits prescribed in K.S.A. 8-1908, and amendments thereto.
2. (2) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (e), for vehicles and combinations of vehicles on the interstate system the table in this section shall not authorize a maximum gross weight of more than 80,000 pounds.
3. (3) The table in this section shall not apply to truck tractor and dump semitrailer or truck trailer combination when such are used as a combination unit exclusively for the transportation of sand, salt for highway maintenance operations, gravel, slag stone, limestone, crushed stone, cinders, coal, blacktop, dirt or fill material, when such vehicles are used for transportation to a construction site, highway maintenance or construction project or other storage facility, except that such vehicles or combination of vehicles shall not be exempted from any application of the table as may be required to determine applicable axle weights for triple and quad axles as defined in K.S.A. 8-1908, and amendments thereto. As used in this paragraph (3), the term "dump semitrailer" means any semitrailer designed in such a way as to divest itself of the load carried thereon.
Distance in feet between the Maximum load in pounds carried
extremes of any group of 2 or on any group of 2 or more
more consecutive axles consecutive axles
2 axles 3 axles 4 axles 5 axles 6 axles 7 axles 8 axles
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4 34,000
5 34,000
6 34,000
7 34,000
8 and less 34,000 34,000
More than 8 38,000 42,000
9 39,000 42,500
10 40,000 43,500
11 44,000
12 45,000 50,000
13 45,500 50,500
14 46,500 51,500
15 47,000 52,000
16 48,000 52,500 58,000
17 48,500 53,500 58,500
18 49,500 54,000 59,000
19 50,000 54,500 60,000
20 51,000 55,500 60,500 66,000
21 51,500 56,000 61,000 66,500
22 52,500 56,500 61,500 67,000
23 53,000 57,500 62,500 68,000
24 54,000 58,000 63,000 68,500 74,000
25 54,500 58,500 63,500 69,000 74,500
26 55,500 59,500 64,000 69,500 75,000
27 56,000 60,000 65,000 70,000 75,500
28 57,000 60,500 65,500 71,000 76,500 82,000
29 57,500 61,500 66,000 71,500 77,000 82,500
30 58,500 62,000 66,500 72,000 77,500 83,000
31 59,000 62,500 67,500 72,500 78,000 83,500
32 60,000 63,500 68,000 73,000 78,500 84,500
33 64,000 68,500 74,000 79,000 85,000
34 64,500 69,000 74,500 80,000 85,500
35 65,500 70,000 75,000 80,500
36 66,000 70,500 75,500 81,000
37 66,500 71,000 76,000 81,500
38 67,500 72,000 77,000 82,000
39 68,000 72,500 77,500 82,500
40 68,500 73,000 78,000 83,500
41 69,500 73,500 78,500 84,000
42 70,000 74,000 79,000 84,500
43 70,500 75,000 80,000 85,000
44 71,500 75,500 80,500 85,500
45 72,000 76,000 81,000
46 72,500 76,500 81,500
47 73,500 77,500 82,000
48 74,000 78,000 83,000
49 74,500 78,500 83,500
50 75,500 79,000 84,000
51 76,000 80,000 84,500
52 76,500 80,500 85,000
53 77,500 81,000 85,500
54 78,000 81,500
55 78,500 82,500
56 79,500 83,000
57 80,000 83,500
58 84,000
59 85,000
60 85,500
except that two consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of 34,000 pounds each if the overall distance between the first and last axles is 36 feet or more.
(b) Any vehicle registered under the laws of this state which vehicle is designed and used primarily for the transportation of property or for the transportation of 10 or more persons may, at the time of its registration, be subjected by the director of vehicles to investigation or test as may be necessary to enable such director to determine whether such vehicle may safely be operated upon the highways in compliance with all provisions of this act. Every such vehicle shall meet the following requirements:
1. (1) It shall be equipped with brakes as required in K.S.A. 8-1734, and amendments thereto.
2. (2) Every motor vehicle to be operated outside of business and residence districts shall have motive power adequate to propel such vehicle and any load thereon or to be drawn thereby, at a speed which will not impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic. Exception to this requirement shall be recognized when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or when a vehicle or combination of vehicles is necessarily or in compliance with law or police direction proceeding at reduced speed.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross weight in excess of the limitations set forth in article 19 of chapter 8 of * Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto, except as provided in K.S.A. 8-1911, and amendments thereto.
(d) As used in this section, "interstate system" means the national system of interstate and defense highways.
(e) A vehicle, if operated by an engine fueled primarily by natural gas, may exceed any vehicle weight limit under this section, up to a maximum gross vehicle weight of 82,000 pounds, by an amount that is equal to the difference between:
1. (1) The weight of the vehicle attributable to the natural gas tank and fueling system carried by that vehicle; and
2. (2) the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system.

L. 1974, ch. 33, § 8-1909; L. 1975, ch. 427, § 48; L. 1980, ch. 45, § 1; L. 1981, ch. 46, § 3; L. 1983, ch. 41, § 4; L. 1986, ch. 45, § 2; L. 2016, ch. 44, § 3; April 14.