(1) A motor carrier may operate a platoon on the highways of this state if the motor carrier complies with this section.
(2) Motor carriers wishing to operate a platoon shall provide notification to the department and the Kentucky State Police, including a plan for general platoon operations. The department shall have thirty (30) days from the date of receipt to review the notification plan submitted and determine whether it will approve or reject the plan. If the department rejects a submitted plan, it shall inform the motor carrier of the reason for the rejection and provide guidance on how to resubmit the notification and plan to meet the standards.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 281.764

  • Department: means the Department of Vehicle Regulation. See Kentucky Statutes 281.010
  • Driver: means the person physically operating the motor vehicle. See Kentucky Statutes 281.010
  • Motor carrier: means any person in either a private or for-hire capacity who owns, controls, operates, manages, or leases, except persons leasing to authorized motor carriers, any motor vehicle for the transportation of passengers or property upon any highway, and any person who engages in the business of automobile utility trailer lessor, vehicle towing, driveaway, or U-Drive-It. See Kentucky Statutes 281.010
  • Motor vehicle: means any motor-propelled vehicle used for the transportation of passengers or property on a public highway, including any such vehicle operated as a unit in combination with other vehicles. See Kentucky Statutes 281.010
  • Platoon: means a group of two (2) individual commercial motor vehicles traveling in a unified manner at electronically coordinated speeds at following distances that are closer than would ordinarily be allowed under KRS §. See Kentucky Statutes 281.010
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) Only commercial motor vehicles shall be eligible to operate in a platoon.
(4) An appropriately endorsed driver who holds a valid commercial driver’s license shall be present behind the wheel of each commercial motor vehicle in a platoon.
(5) A commercial motor vehicle involved in a platoon shall not draw another motor vehicle in the platoon.
(6) Each commercial motor vehicle involved in a platoon shall display a marking warning other motorists and law enforcement that the vehicle may be part of a platoon.
(7) The department shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to set forth procedures for platooning, including required elements of a platooning plan.
Effective: July 14, 2018
History: Created 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 33, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2018.