Article 8. Signs of California Vehicle Code >> Division 12. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 8.

(a) Every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles used to carry the property of others for hire or used to carry passengers for hire, any truck or truck tractor having three or more axles or any truck tractor with a semitrailer, and all commercial motor vehicles, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 34601, shall have displayed on both sides of each vehicle or on both sides of one of the vehicles in each combination of vehicles the name or trademark of the person under whose authority the vehicle or combination of vehicles is being operated.
  (b) A vehicle or combination of vehicles listed in subdivision (a) that is operated under a rental agreement with a term of not more than 30 calendar days shall meet all of the following requirements:
  (1) Have displayed on both sides of each vehicle or on both sides of one of the vehicles in each combination of vehicles the name or trademark of the lessor.
  (2) Have displayed on both sides of each vehicle or on both sides of one of the vehicles in each combination of vehicles any of the following numbers issued to the lessor:
  (A) The carrier identification number issued by the United States Department of Transportation.
  (B) A valid operating authority number.
  (C) A valid motor carrier of property number.
  (3) (A) Have in the vehicle or combination of vehicles a copy of the rental agreement entered into by the lessor and the vehicle operator.
  (B) The rental agreement shall be available for inspection immediately upon the request of any authorized employee of the department or any regularly employed and salaried police officer or deputy sheriff, or any reserve police officer or reserve deputy sheriff listed in Section 830.6 of the Penal Code.
  (C) If the rented vehicle or combination of vehicles is operated in conjunction with a commercial enterprise, the rental agreement shall include the operator's carrier identification number or motor carrier of property permit number.
  (c) A vehicle or combination of vehicles that is in compliance with Section 390.21 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall be deemed to be in compliance with subdivision (b).
  (d) All names, trademarks, and other identifiers for companies no longer in business, no longer operating with the same name, or no longer operating under the same operating authority, shall be removed from or covered over on every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles listed in subdivision (a), within 60 days from the change of company ownership or operation. Those vehicles or combinations of vehicles shall be remarked pursuant to subdivision (a) before they may be operated on the highways.

The display of the name or trademark shall be in letters in sharp contrast to the background and shall be of such size, shape, and color as to be readily legible during daylight hours from a distance of 50 feet. This section does not prohibit additional displays not inconsistent with this article.

Section 27900 does not apply to any motor vehicle having an unladen weight of 6,000 pounds or less or to any vehicle towed by such motor vehicles, or to any motor vehicle operating under manufacturers, dealers, or transporters special plates, or to any motor vehicle operated by a passenger stage corporation subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission.

(a) Subject to Section 114765 of the Health and Safety Code, any vehicle transporting any explosive, blasting agent, flammable liquid, flammable solid, oxidizing material, corrosive, compressed gas, poison, radioactive material, or other hazardous materials, of the type and in quantities that require the display of placards or markings on the vehicle exterior by the United States Department of Transportation regulations (49 C.F.R., Parts 172, 173, and 177), shall display the placards and markings in the manner and under conditions prescribed by those regulations of the United States Department of Transportation.
  (b) This section does not apply to the following:
  (1) Any vehicle transporting not more than 20 pounds of smokeless powder or not more than five pounds of black sporting powder or any combination thereof.
  (2) An authorized emergency vehicle as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 165, operated by a peace officer as defined in Sections 830.1 and 830.2 of the Penal Code, when transportation is required within the scope and course of law enforcement explosives detection or removal duties, provided one of the following conditions applies:
  (A) The law enforcement agency operating the vehicle complies with regulations adopted by the California Highway Patrol pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 34501, notwithstanding Section 34500 and subdivision (a) of Section 34501.
  (B) The peace officer possesses an exemption issued by the commissioner, who may require additional transportation restrictions as deemed appropriate.

There shall be displayed in a conspicuous place on both the right and left sides of a pilot car a sign showing the name of the company which owns or operates the pilot car. The name shall contrast with the background and shall be of a size, shape, and color as to be readily legible during daylight hours from a distance of 50 feet. Additional markings which do not interfere with the legibility of the name may also be displayed.

Subject to Section 35783.5, a pilot car shall display neat, clean, and legible signs containing the word "OVERSIZE." The words "OVERSIZE LOAD," "WIDE LOAD," or "LONG LOAD" may be substituted as applicable. The sign shall be a minimum of 48 inches above the ground and shall be legible at 45 degrees from either side when read from the front or rear. The sign shall have a bright yellow background with a minimum projected area of 440 square inches. The lettering shall be black with a 1-inch minimum brush stroke width and a 6-inch minimum letter height.

It is unlawful to display on a vehicle any sign with the words "fire" or "fire department" thereon, except on vehicles owned and operated by a regularly organized fire department, fire district, forestry service, or the State Fire Marshal's Office, and on the privately owned vehicles of any regular member of any such fire departments.

(a) Every schoolbus, while being used for the transportation of school pupils at or below the 12th-grade level shall bear upon the front and rear of the bus a plainly visible sign containing the word "schoolbus" in letters not less than eight inches in height. The letters on schoolbus signs shall be of proportionate width. Except as provided in subdivision (b), no other vehicle shall display a sign containing the word "schoolbus."
  (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a schoolbus which is also used to transport persons of any age who are developmentally disabled, as defined by the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500) of the Welfare and Institutions Code), may display a sign containing the word "schoolbus" while transporting those persons to or from vocational, prevocational, or work training centers sponsored by the State Department of Developmental Services.
  (c) Every schoolbus, when operated for the transportation of school pupils at or below the 12th-grade level, shall bear upon the rear of the bus, below the rear windows, a plainly visible sign containing the words "Stop When Red Lights Flash" in letters not less than six inches in height. The letters on schoolbus signs shall be of proportionate width.

Every youth bus, when operated for the transportation of school pupils, shall bear, upon the front and rear of the youth bus, a plainly visible sign containing the words "YOUTH BUS" in letters not less than eight inches in height. The letters on youth bus signs shall be of proportionate width and the letters shall be in sharp contrast to the background.

There shall be displayed in a conspicuous place on both the right and left side of a tow truck, a repossessor's tow vehicle, or an automobile dismantler's tow vehicle used to tow or carry vehicles a sign showing the name of the company or the owner or operator of the tow truck or tow vehicle. The sign shall also contain the business address and telephone number of the owner or driver. The letters and numbers of the sign shall not be less than 2 inches in height and shall be in contrast to the color of the background upon which they are placed. A person licensed as a repossession agency pursuant to Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 7500) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code, or a registrant of the agency, may use the license number issued to the agency by the Department of Consumer Affairs in lieu of a name, business address, and telephone number.

(a) In every taxicab operated in this state there shall be a sign of heavy material, not smaller than 6 inches by 4 inches, or such other size as the agency regulating the operation of the taxicab provides for other notices or signs required to be in every taxicab, securely attached and clearly displayed in view of the passenger at all times, providing in letters as large as the size of the sign will reasonably allow, all of the following information:
  (1) The name, address, and telephone number of the agency regulating the operation of the taxicab.
  (2) The name, address, and telephone number of the firm licensed or controlled by the agency regulating the operation of the taxicab.
  (b) In the event more than one local regulatory agency has jurisdiction over the operation of the taxicab, the notice required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall provide the name, address, and telephone number of the agency having jurisdiction in the area where the taxicab operator conducts its greatest volume of business; or, if this cannot readily be ascertained, the agency having jurisdiction in the area where the taxicab operator maintains its offices or primary place of business, provided that the operator conducts a substantial volume of business in such area; or, if neither of the foregoing provisions apply, any agency having jurisdiction of an area where the taxicab operator conducts a substantial volume of business.
  (c) As used in this section, "taxicab" means a passenger vehicle designed for carrying not more than eight persons, excluding the driver, and used to carry passengers for hire. "Taxicab" shall not include a charter-party carrier of passengers within the meaning of the Passenger Charter-party Carriers' Act, Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 5351) of Division 2 of the Public Utilities Code.

Any vehicle which carries liquefied petroleum gas fuel or natural gas, in a tank attached to a vehicle, in any concealed area, including trunks, compartments, or under the vehicle, shall display on the exterior of the vehicle the letters "CNG," "LNG," or "LPG," whichever type fuel is utilized, in block letters at least one inch high. The letters shall be of contrasting color and shall be placed as near as possible to the area of the location of the tank. Any vehicle fueled by liquefied petroleum gas fuel or by natural gas may also comply with this section by displaying on each side of the vehicle words or letters at least 0.25 inch high indicating that the vehicle is fueled by liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas. It is unlawful to dispense liquefied petroleum gas fuel or natural gas into any tank in a concealed area of any vehicle registered in California, unless the vehicle complies with the requirements of this section.

The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall initiate a 12-month study to determine an effective means to enforce the provisions of the Commercial Vehicle Registration Act of 2001. The Department of the California Highway Patrol, after consultation with representatives from the Department of Transportation, the Board of Equalization, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the commercial vehicle industry, shall provide, on or before July 1, 2003, recommendations to the Legislature for actions to be taken to ensure compliance with that act.