_____________ bill NO. _____________

INTRODUCED BY _________________________________________________

By Request of the ****

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT REVISING the LOAD SECURING LAW FOR VEHICLES hauling trash ON PUBLIC HIGHWAYS; requiring that a load of trash must be covered and secured; and AMENDING SECTION 61-8-370, MCA.”

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Section 61-8-370, MCA, is amended to read:

"61-8-370. Securing of load -- requirement -- exemptions. (1) A person operating a loaded vehicle on a public highway shall load the vehicle or secure the load sufficiently to prevent littering or creating an obstruction dangerous to the public traveling on the highway. A load of debris, garbage, recyclable material, refuse, or trash of any kind must be covered and secured to prevent any of the load from dropping, shifting, or otherwise escaping from the vehicle.

(2) The following vehicles are exempt from the provisions in subsection (1):

(a) a commercial motor vehicle that is operating in compliance with state and federal laws and requirements governing the securing of loads;

(b) a vehicle transporting processed or unprocessed agricultural products or inputs, including but not limited to fertilizer, manure, and pesticides;

(d) a vehicle in a marked work zone."