(a) 
Weight limitations; weighing of vehicles.
Except as otherwise provided by law, no commercial motor vehicle, truck-trailer, trailer, or semi-trailer, nor combination of such vehicles, shall be operated over, on, or upon the public streets and highways within the corporate limits of the city having a weight in excess of one (1) or more of the following limitations:
(1) 
No such vehicle nor combination of vehicles shall have a greater weight than twenty thousand (20,000) pounds carried on any one axle, including all enforcement tolerances; or with a tandem axle weight in excess of thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds, including all enforcement tolerances; or with an overall gross weight on a group of two (2) or more consecutive axles produced by application of the following formula:
W = 500 X (LN/N-1 + 12N +36)
where W = overall gross weight on any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles to the nearest five hundred (500) pounds, L = distance in feet between the extreme of any group of two (2) or more consecutive axles, and N = number of axles in the group under consideration, except that two (2) consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand (34,000) pounds each providing the overall distance between the first and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem axles is thirty-six (36) feet or more, provided that such overall gross weight may not exceed eighty thousand (80,000) pounds, including all enforcement tolerances.
(2) 
No such vehicles nor combination of vehicles shall have a greater weight than six hundred (600) pounds per inch width of tire upon any wheel concentrated upon the surface of the highway and using high-pressure tires, and a greater weight than six hundred fifty (650) pounds per inch width of tire upon any wheel concentrated upon the surface of the highway and using low-pressure tires, and no wheel shall carry a load in excess of eight thousand (8,000) pounds on high-pressure tires and ten thousand (10,000) pounds on low-pressure tires, nor any axle a load in excess of sixteen thousand (16,000) pounds on high-pressure tires and twenty thousand (20,000) pounds on low-pressure tires.
(3) 
Nothing in this section shall be construed as permitting size or weight limits on the national system of interstate and defense highways within the corporate limits of the city in excess of those permitted under 23 U.S.C. section 127. If the federal government prescribes or adopts vehicle size or weight limits greater than those prescribed by 23 U.S.C. section 127 for the national system of interstate and defense highways, the increased limits shall become effective on the national system of interstate and defense highways within the corporate limits of the city.
(4) 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to deny the operation of any vehicle or combination of vehicles that could be lawfully operated upon the highways and roads within the corporate limits of the city on February 14, 1980.
(5) 
In this section, an axle load is defined as the total load transmitted to the road by all wheels whose centers may be included between two (2) parallel transverse vertical planes forty (40) inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle. Tandem axle group is defined as two (2) or more axles spaced forty (40) inches or more apart from center to center having at least one (1) common point of weight suspension.
(6) 
(A) 
Any police officer having reason to believe that the gross weight or axle load of a loaded motor vehicle is unlawful is authorized to weigh the same by means of portable or stationary scales approved by the police department of the city for such use, or the police officer may cause the loaded motor vehicle to be weighed by any public weigher and may require such vehicle to be driven to the nearest available scales for the purpose of weighing.
(B) 
In the event that the gross weight of a vehicle weighed pursuant to subsection (A) above is found to exceed the maximum gross weight authorized by law, plus a tolerance allowance of five percent (5%) of the gross weight authorized by law, such police officer shall demand and require the operator or owner of the motor vehicle to unload, or cause to be unloaded, such portion of the load as is necessary to decrease the gross weight of such vehicle to the maximum permitted by law plus such tolerance allowance. Such vehicle may not be operated further over the public streets and highways within the city until the gross weight of the vehicle has been reduced to a weight not in excess of the maximum authorized by law plus such tolerance allowance, except as authorized under subsection (D) or (E) below.
(C) 
In the event that the axle load of a vehicle weighed pursuant to subsection (A) above is found to exceed the maximum authorized by law, plus a tolerance allowance of five percent (5%) of the axle load authorized by law, such police officer shall demand and require the operator or owner of the motor vehicle to decrease the axle load to the maximum authorized by law plus such tolerance allowance. The owner or operator may reduce such load by rearranging the cargo, if possible, or by unloading or having others unload such portion of the cargo as is necessary to decrease the axle load to the maximum authorized by law plus such tolerance allowance. Such vehicle may not be operated further over the public streets and highways within the city so long as any axle load exceeds the maximum authorized by law plus such tolerance allowance, except as authorized under subsection (D) or (E) below.
(D) 
If the load of a motor vehicle consists of livestock, the operator shall be permitted to proceed to the destination without unloading, providing the destination is within the state.
(E) 
If the gross weight of a motor vehicle or an axle load exceeds the maximum permitted by law plus a tolerance allowance of five percent (5%) of the gross weight authorized by law, but the police officer believes that the cargo cannot be unloaded or rearranged safely at the place where such vehicle was weighed, or the police officer believes that the unloading or rearranging of the cargo at such place would create an unreasonable disruption of traffic, he shall require the operator to proceed to a location where the cargo can be unloaded or rearranged safely without causing disruption to traffic. Such location shall be the nearest such place on city property, on property under the control of the driver or his principal, or on property where consent has been given for such loading and where it is feasible to unload or rearrange such cargo.
(b) 
Special permit.
Any person desiring to operate a vehicle on city streets in excess of the load limit set out herein shall first obtain a special permit from the city council, and such permit shall not be issued unless reasonably necessary.
(c) 
Exemption for road making or road repairing machinery.
The limitation as to weight prescribed by this section shall not apply to road rollers or other road making or road repairing machinery being moved or used on a street by the United States, the state, the city, or any contractor moving or using such road machinery in the performance of or preparatory to the performance of a contract with either the United States, the state, or the city, but in the event of any such road making or road repairing machinery of a weight in excess of the limit set out herein being moved over the streets or bridges in the city, the person in charge thereof shall first obtain from the director of public works and engineering a permit for such movement, which permit shall designate the route or streets and also the bridges over which such movement shall take place, and such machinery may then be moved, but not elsewhere than over such designated routes.
(d) 
Liability for damage.
Any person moving or causing to be moved a load which, together with the weight of the vehicle, exceeds the limit as set out herein, shall be liable to the city for any damage done by any such excessively loaded vehicle to the streets, bridges, or culverts in the city, and the acceptance of either of the permits provided for in this section shall be conclusive evidence that the person to whom such permit is issued agrees to make good and pay all such damages upon demand thereof made by the city.
(e) 
Compliance with state law.
The driver, owner, operator, or other person operating or driving any commercial motor vehicle, truck, tractor, trailer, or semi-trailer or combination of such vehicles over, on, or upon city streets or public highways within the limits of the city shall comply with the provisions of V.T.C.A., Transportation Code, chapter 621.
(f) 
Penalty.
The driver, owner, operator, or other person operating or driving any commercial motor vehicle, truck, tractor, trailer, or semi-trailer or combination of such vehicles over, on, or upon city streets or public highways within the limits of the city who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined in accordance with the general penalty provision found in section 1.01.009 of this code.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1101)
(a) 
Weight limits specified by signs.
When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall operate any vehicle with a gross weight in excess of the amounts specified on such signs at any time upon any of the streets or parts of streets so signed. Under this section, as vehicle weight is indicated by the number of axles supporting such vehicles, signs limiting the number of axles on through vehicles shall be official.
(b) 
Use of truck routes.
No person shall operate any commercial vehicle exceeding ten thousand (10,000) pounds gross weight at any time upon any streets or parts of streets within the city except those streets designated and marked “truck routes,” except that such vehicles may be operated thereon for the purpose of delivering or picking up materials or merchandise or for vehicle storage and then only by entering such street at the intersection nearest the destination of the vehicle and proceeding thereon no farther than the nearest intersection thereafter.
(c) 
Parking restrictions.
No person shall park or leave standing any commercial vehicle exceeding ten thousand (10,000) pounds overall gross weight, whether attended or unattended, upon any street, part of street, or public right-of-way or alley within the corporate limits of the city for longer than one (1) hour. Whenever any peace officer shall find a vehicle standing upon a street, part of a street or public right-of-way or alley within the corporate limits of the city which he has reason to believe is parked in violation of this section, he is authorized to move such vehicle or require the driver or person in charge of such vehicle to move such vehicle to the nearest available scales for the purpose of weighing.
(d) 
Penalty.
The driver, owner, operator, or other person who shall leave any commercial vehicle parked upon a city street, part of a street, public right-of-way, or alley in violation of this provision shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in accordance with the general penalty provision found in section 1.01.009 of this code.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1102)
(a) 
Applicability.
No motor vehicle, commercial motor vehicle, truck-tractor, trailer, or semitrailer shall exceed a length of forty (40) feet, except it shall be lawful for refrigeration equipment installed in a trailer or semi-trailer for the purpose of refrigerating the cargo thereof to overhang the front of such vehicle, even though such overhang would make the total length of such vehicle more than forty (40) feet. When any such truck-tractor and semi-trailer are operated in combination, no such combination of a truck-tractor or semi-trailer coupled together shall exceed a total length of fifty-five (55) feet, and when operated in any other combination of such vehicles coupled together, including but not limited to a truck and semi-trailer, truck and trailer, truck-tractor and semi-trailer and trailer, truck-tractor and two (2) trailers, then no such other combination of such vehicles coupled together shall exceed a length of sixty-five (65) feet. The limit of forty (40) feet on a semi-trailer shall not apply when such semi-trailer is operated in a tractor semi-trailer combination, if such combination does not exceed fifty (50) feet in total length, and unless, in the case of any combination of such vehicles, same be operated by municipal corporations in adjoining suburbs wherein such municipal corporation has heretofore been using such or like equipment in connection with an established service to such suburbs of the city. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any disabled vehicle being towed by another vehicle to the nearest intake place for repairs.
(b) 
Mobile homes.
The above limitations shall not apply to any mobile home or to any combination of a mobile home and a motor vehicle, but no mobile home or motor vehicle combination shall exceed a total length of fifty-five (55) feet. “Mobile home” as used herein means living quarters equipped and used for sleeping and eating and which may be moved from one location to another over a public highway by being pulled behind a motor vehicle.
(c) 
Special permit.
Upon application therefor, the city council may, in its discretion, issue a permit authorizing any such applicant to operate in the outskirts of the city a string of vehicles of greater length than herein limited, but in no event longer than eighty-five (85) feet overall, and such permit shall be limited to a specific job or definite period of time to be therein indicated.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1103)
Any ready-mix concrete truck or other vehicle transporting ready-mixed concrete upon the streets and highways within the limits of the city shall have a gross weight of not more than 58,000 pounds, being the total weight of the ready-mixed concrete and transporting vehicle.
(1999 Code, art. 10.800)