Iowa transportation laws

What it would do: Prohibits driverless-capable vehicles transporting hazardous material from operating without a conventional human driver. Makes vehicle owners liable for personal injury, death, property damage, and traffic violations while the automated driving system is engaged.

What it would do: Requires the Iowa Department of Transportation to examine English language proficiency of commercial driver's license applicants and prohibits issuance unless proficiency is demonstrated. Prohibits commercial motor carriers from employing drivers lacking English proficiency and imposes civil penalties of $3,000 to $10,000 for violations.

What it would do: Requires the Iowa Department of Transportation to examine English language proficiency for commercial driver's license applicants and prohibits issuance without demonstrated proficiency. Imposes civil penalties on carriers employing non-proficient drivers and on drivers operating commercial vehicles without sufficient English proficiency.

What it would do: Requires a conventional human driver to be physically present in driverless-capable vehicles operating for commercial purposes, with ability to monitor and manually intervene, and holding required driver's license and endorsements.

What it would do: Allows motor vehicles powered primarily by natural gas or electric battery to exceed applicable maximum gross weight limits up to 82,000 pounds, with excess weight equal to the difference between the alternative fuel system and a comparable diesel fuel tank and system.

What it would do: Requires railway corporations to notify the governmental entity with jurisdiction over a crossing at least 30 days before closing it for repairs or upgrades, unless the closure could not reasonably be anticipated or is an emergency, and to provide an estimated completion date and updates if delayed. Violations are subject to a schedule one penalty.

What it would do: Requires class I and class II rail carriers to operate locomotives and railroad trains with a crew of at least two qualified railroad employees. Establishes penalties of schedule three for first offense and schedule five for subsequent offenses within three years.

What it would do: Urges Congress to amend federal law to increase the maximum gross weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 96,000 pounds for commercial motor vehicles with seven axles on interstate roads in Iowa and bordering states.

What it would do: Modifies all-systems permit rules for oversize/overweight vehicles to allow travel on primary and secondary roads subject to local authority review, increases allowable weight variance to 12.5 percent, removes raw forest product requirement for international containers, and establishes four dollar per ton single-trip registration fees.

What it would do: Prohibits considering a motor carrier's deployment, implementation, or use of safety improvements when determining whether a person is an employee, independent contractor, or jointly employed employee under any state law.

What it would do: Regulates delivery network companies and drivers by requiring financial liability insurance coverage of at least $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 during delivery periods, mandating written disclosures to drivers, and allowing personal auto insurers to exclude coverage during delivery activities.

What it would do: Allows motor vehicles powered primarily by natural gas or electric battery to exceed applicable maximum gross weight limits up to 82,000 pounds, with the excess weight equal to the difference between the alternative fuel system and a comparable diesel fuel system.

What it would do: Removes the age qualification exemption for drivers transporting placarded hazardous materials in intrastate commerce, making federal age requirements apply. Also removes the exemption for retail dealers of fertilizers, petroleum products, and pesticides delivering within 100 miles of their business.

What it would do: Reduces the maximum closure period for railway crossing repairs from 30 to 20 consecutive days, requires railroad corporations to notify county boards or city councils before closure, allows extensions of up to 20 additional days with approval, and increases penalties to a schedule four penalty for each day of unauthorized closure.

What it would do: Prohibits considering a motor carrier's deployment, implementation, or use of safety improvements when determining whether a person is an employee, independent contractor, or jointly employed employee under Iowa state law.

What it would do: Requires railroad companies to install and maintain at least one defect detector on every railway branch line they operate, with additional detectors every 15 miles on longer lines. Imposes schedule five penalties for non-compliance or detector failures.

What it would do: Removes the age exemption for intrastate commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting hazardous materials requiring placarding, making the minimum age 21 instead of 18 for such operations.

What it would do: Requires applicants for class A, B, or C commercial driver's licenses to certify completion of approved human trafficking prevention training. Requires commercial driver training courses to include at least 30 minutes of such training in English.

What it would do: Prohibits driverless-capable vehicles transporting hazardous material from operating without a conventional human driver physically present, while allowing other driverless-capable vehicles to operate under specified conditions. Violations constitute simple misdemeanor offenses.

What it would do: Requires commercial drivers to demonstrate English language proficiency and authorizes state patrol to conduct assessments during inspections. Imposes $100,000 civil penalties on carriers employing non-compliant drivers and creates a private right of action for persons injured by violations.

What it would do: Prohibits the department of transportation, third-party test examiners, and third-party testers from using any language other than English to examine applicants for commercial driver's licenses.

What it would do: Prohibits the department of transportation, third-party test examiners, and third-party testers from using any language other than English when examining applicants for class C commercial driver's licenses.

What it would do: Prohibits railway corporations from leaving stationary railroad train engines running for more than one hour if the train is within one-half mile of a residential zone in a city. Violations result in fines of $500 to $5,000 per violation.

What it would do: Regulates delivery network companies and drivers by requiring financial liability insurance coverage of at least $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 during delivery service periods, mandating disclosure of insurance terms to drivers, and establishing that drivers are independent contractors exempt from motor carrier regulations.

What it would do: Removes the age exemption for intrastate hazardous material drivers, making DPS driver age qualification rules apply to all commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting placarded hazardous materials. Eliminates the exemption for retail fertilizer, petroleum, and pesticide dealers delivering within 100 miles of their business.