Rhode Island transportation laws

What Rhode Island has enacted on transportation, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. Rhode Island is one of 41 states that enacted a transportation law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

8 new Rhode Island laws take effect in 2027

Bills in scope
10bills in scope
Past committee
5past committee
Most recent action
18 June 2026most recent action

Transportation laws enacted in Rhode Island

4 transportation laws enacted in the Rhode Island Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.

  • HB 7364AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WAREHOUSE WORKER PROTECTION ACTTakes effect 1 January 2027

    What it requires: Employers with 100 or more employees at a single warehouse distribution center or 1,000 or more employees statewide must provide written quota descriptions to employees upon hire and disclose any changes at least two days in advance. Employers must not require quotas that prevent compliance with meal and rest periods or occupational health and safety laws.

    Warehouses and delivery

  • HB 7608AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- OPERATION OF RAILROADS GENERALLYTook effect 1 October 2026

    What it requires: No train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight may be operated unless it has a crew consisting of at least two persons. This requirement does not apply to hostler service or utility employees.

    Freight rail

  • SB 2913AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- OPERATION OF RAILROADS GENERALLYEnacted 18 June 2026

    Freight rail

  • HB 5231AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- RHODE ISLAND UNIFORM COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE ACTEnacted 13 June 2025

    What it requires: Trade schools and education programs offering commercial motor vehicle instruction, and entities employing certified commercial driving instructors, must offer and include industry-specific training on recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking as part of the commercial driver training course curriculum. The postsecondary commissioner shall ensure these instruction requirements are met and annually review and update the training.

    Motor carriers and commercial drivers

Transportation in Rhode Island, by topic

Transportation bills in Rhode Island

The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.

4Enacted

1Past committee

5Introduced or inactive

10 bills in scope

Past committee

1

SB 1058AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WAREHOUSE WORKER PROTECTION ACTPassed chamber

What it would do: Requires warehouse employers with 100+ employees at one location or 1,000+ statewide to disclose quotas in writing to employees upon hire, prohibits quotas that prevent meal breaks or bathroom use, and allows employees to request their own speed data and aggregated comparable employee data.

Introduced or inactive

5

HB 8149AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SIZE, WEIGHT, AND LOAD LIMITSDead

What it would do: Amends overweight vehicle penalties to establish tiered fines based on gross vehicle weight, with additional penalties for vehicles exceeding 104,800 lbs. and 130,000 lbs., and directs penalty revenue to municipalities, the general fund, and traffic tribunal.

HB 7256AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONSDead

What it would do: Amends Rhode Island motor vehicle definitions to allow trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 8,500 pounds or less to be registered as automobiles with passenger plates, and adds definitions for various vehicle types including electric bicycles, low-speed vehicles, and recreational vehicles.

SB 2752AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONSDead

What it would do: Amends Rhode Island motor vehicle definitions to allow trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 8,800 pounds or less to be registered as automobiles and issued passenger plates.

HB 5145AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONSDead

What it would do: Amends vehicle definitions to allow trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 8,000 pounds or less to be registered as automobiles with passenger plates, and adds definitions for various vehicle types including electric bicycles, low-speed vehicles, and recreational vehicles.

HB 5047AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WAREHOUSE WORKER PROTECTION ACTDead

What it would do: Requires warehouse distribution center employers with 100+ employees at one facility or 1,000+ statewide to disclose quotas to employees in writing, prohibits quotas that prevent meal breaks or safety compliance, and allows employees to request their work speed data.

Bill titles link to the Rhode Island Legislature's own page.

What LawSignals covers

What counts as transportation legislation

In scope: Motor carriers and commercial drivers; truck size, weight and road use; truck and fleet emissions; hazardous materials transport; freight rail; ports, maritime and freight corridors; warehouses and delivery; and autonomous trucks and delivery devices.

Questions

Does Rhode Island have a transportation law?

Yes. Rhode Island enacted 4 transportation laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them HB 7364, HB 7608 and SB 2913. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.

When do Rhode Island's transportation laws take effect?

HB 7364 on 1 January 2027 and HB 7608 on 1 October 2026. The others have no single date in their text.

Which transportation bills are moving in Rhode Island?

1 bill not yet law has passed a committee or a chamber, the furthest along SB 1058 (passed chamber).

What does Rhode Island legislate on most in transportation?

Truck size, weight and road use (4 bills), Warehouses and delivery (3 bills) and Freight rail (2 bills).

Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?

No. Which bills count as Transportation bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Other practice areas in Rhode Island

Transportation legislation in other jurisdictions

52 more currently hold bills in this tracker

Know when Rhode Island's transportation law changes

An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.

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