Idaho Transportation Committees Take Aim at Large Highway Truckloads, Real ID Rules
Taking action related to Real ID and allowing 129,000-pound loads on Idaho's interstate highways are two of the top issues for the House and Senate transportation committees this session.
The heavy-loads issue likely will be the more straightforward of the two. Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Bert Brackett (R-Rogerson) said legislation could come forward next week.
The federal government previously prohibited tractor-trailers that carry 129,000-pound loads from traveling on the state's interstate highway system. However, Congress removed that restriction last fall when it approved the latest highway funding bill. The previous limit was 105,500 pounds.
If Idaho conforms with the new law, heavy trucks would immediately be able to travel through the state along Interstate 90 and I-84, Brackett said. Whether they could actually leave the interstate remains a matter of local control.
That dates to 2013, when the Legislature allowed trucking firms to request the 129,000-pound designation on specific sections of state and local roads. A safety analysis and approval by the Idaho Transportation Board is required, as well as approval from the city or local highway district that has jurisdiction over the road.
Brackett said safety and local control still are issues with the interstate loads. However, while he's committed to meeting with stakeholders to discuss the matter, the conformance bill will not require truckers to formally request a heavy-load designation for the interstates.
Brackett and House Transportation Committee Chairman Joe Palmer (R-Meridian) also see a potential this session for action related to the Real ID Act.
The 2005 federal law was intended to make it harder for terrorists and illegal immigrants to obtain false IDs. It requires states to adopt tighter practices for issuing photo identification cards, including verifying Social Security numbers and birth certificates, requiring proof of legal status and making sure applicants don't have multiple cards under different names.
Driver's licenses and other identification from states that don't comply with the act cannot be used for entrance to secure federal facilities, such as military bases, research labs or nonpublic portions of courthouses. Eventually, the restriction will apply to commercial airline flights, although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently pushed back that enforcement date from this year to 2018.
Idaho doesn't comply with the Real ID Act at present. However, it's one of several states that received an extension from Homeland Security, meaning its driver's licenses still can be accepted for entry at the Idaho National Laboratory and other facilities.
"That extension runs out in October," Brackett noted. "To deal with that, we need a bill this session."
Dealing with it means repealing or replacing a 2005 resolution that opposed the federal mandate and prohibited the Idaho Transportation Department from taking any steps to implement it.
One of the primary concerns at the time was the expected cost of compliance, which was estimated to be $20 million. However, Palmer noted Idaho has since taken steps to upgrade its licensing system for reasons that had nothing to do with Real ID.
"We're at a point where [complying with the act] isn't going to cost us any money," he said. "So I'm comfortable with Real ID, but I'm still talking with folks to see where they're at."
Some states, including Washington, have created a dual-license system so people who need Real ID-compliant identification can voluntarily choose that type of license, while others can stick with the old, noncompliant IDs.
That remains an option for Idaho, although neither Palmer nor Brackett prefer that approach.
"At the end of the day, we don't want our citizens to be inconvenienced," Brackett said. "I'm confident that won't happen."
