{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-281.600","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 281.600","heading":"Administrative functions and powers of department -- Farm equipment","body":"exempt from federal regulation -- Other motor vehicles exempt from federal\nregulation -- Department of Kentucky State Police to administer motor carrier\nsafety management audit program.\n(1) The Department of Vehicle Regulation shall exercise all administrative functions of\nthe state in relation to motor carrier transportation as defined in this chapter, and\nshall apply, as far as practicable, the administrative and judicial interpret ations of\nacts administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other\nfederal agencies under the United States Department of Transportation. It shall have\nthe right to regulate motor carriers as provided in this chapter and, to that end,  may\nestablish reasonable requirements with respect to continuous and adequate service\nof transportation, systems of accounts, records and reports, preservation of records,\nand safety of operation and equipment. It may issue subpoenas, subpoenas duces\ntecum and orders of personal attendance of witnesses, and production of pertinent\nrecords for any proceeding before it, and permit the taking of depositions, all in\naccord with the Rules of Civil Procedure, and it shall have the power to promulgate\nadministrative regulations as it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of\nthis chapter. The department shall have the authority to promulgate regulations\nregarding safety requirements for motor vehicles and the method of operation,\nincluding the adoption of any of the federal motor carrier safety regulations and any\nmotor vehicle operating contrary to safety regulations shall be in violation of this\nsection.\n(2) The provisions established by the Federal Highway Administration in Title 49, Part\n393 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations shall not apply to:\n(a) A motor vehicle or its towed unit having a fertilizer spreader attachment\npermanently mounted thereon, having a gross weight not to exceed thirty -six\nthousand (36,000) pounds, and used only for the transportation of bulk\nfertilizer; or\n(b) A farm-wagon-type tank trailer of not more than two thousand (2,000) gallon\ncapacity used during liquid fertilizer season as a field storage tank supplying\nfertilizer to a field applicator, and moved on a publi c highway for the purpose\nof bringing fertilizer from a local source of supply to a farm or field, or from\none (1) farm or field to another, provided that the vehicle is being operated\nsolely in intrastate transportation.\n(3) The provisions established by the Federal Highway Administration in 49 C.F.R. sec.\n390.21 and 49 C.F.R. pts. 391, 393, 395, and 396 shall not apply to a motor vehicle\nregistered under KRS 186.050(4)(a)1., or its towed unit, if:\n(a) The vehicle is not engaged in interstate commerce;\n(b) The vehicle is engaged in farming or agricultural related activities; and\n(c) The gross vehicle weight, gross vehicle weight rating, gross vehicle\ncombination weight, or gross vehicle combination weight rating of the vehicle\nand its towed unit is twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds or less.\n(4) The provisions established by the Federal Highway Administration in 49 C.F.R.\nsecs. 391.41 to 391.49 and 49 C.F.R. pt. 395 shall not apply to a motor vehicle\nregistered under KRS 186.050(3)(b), or its towed unit, if:\n(a) The vehicle is not engaged in interstate commerce;\n(b) The vehicle is not transporting hazardous materials required to be placarded in\naccordance with 49 C.F.R. pt. 172;\n(c) The vehicle is not designed or used to transport sixteen (16) or more\npassengers, including the driver; and\n(d) The gross vehicle weight, gross vehicle weight rating, gross vehicle\ncombination weight, or gross vehicle combination weight rating of the vehicle\nand its towed unit is twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds or less.\n(5) The Department of Kentucky State Police shall exercise all administrative functions\nof the state pertaining to the motor carrier safety management audit program. This\nprogram shall be administered according to the provisions of the Federal Motor\nCarriers Safety Act and the federal regulations promulgated under that Act.","path":["KRS Chapter 281"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=44152","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:53:33Z","sha256":"d41ffbdda72cac40aefc2a0bf7bc93714afcfbaacdb713b40b519743ae6ebcf5","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-281.596","next":"us-ky/krs-281.602"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}