(1) The provisions of this chapter, except where specifically otherwise provided, and except the provisions providing for licenses, shall not apply to:

(a) Motor vehicles when operated in transportation exclusively within the corporate limits of any city or town of less than ten thousand population unless contiguous to a city or town of ten thousand population or over, nor between contiguous cities or towns both or all of which are less than ten thousand population;

(b) Motor vehicles when operated in transportation wholly within the corporate limits of cities or towns of ten thousand or more but less than thirty thousand population, or between such cities or towns when contiguous, as to which the commission, after investigation and the issuance of an order thereon, has determined that no substantial public interest exists which requires that such transportation be subject to regulation under this chapter;

(c) Motor vehicles when transporting exclusively the United States mail or in the transportation of newspapers or periodicals;

(d) Motor vehicles owned and operated by the United States, the state of Washington, or any county, city, town, or municipality therein, or by any department of them, or either of them;

(e) Motor vehicles specially constructed for towing not more than two disabled, unauthorized, or repossessed motor vehicles, wrecking, or exchanging an operable vehicle for a disabled vehicle and not otherwise used in transporting goods for compensation. For the purposes of this subsection (1)(e), a vehicle is considered to be repossessed only from the time of its actual repossession through the end of its initial tow;

(f) Motor vehicles normally owned and operated by farmers in the transportation of their own farm, orchard, or dairy products, including livestock and plant or animal wastes, from point of production to market, or in the infrequent or seasonal transportation by one farmer for another farmer, if their farms are located within twenty miles of each other, of products of the farm, orchard, or dairy, including livestock and plant or animal wastes, or of supplies or commodities to be used on the farm, orchard, or dairy;

(g) Motor vehicles when transporting exclusively water in connection with construction projects only;

(h) Motor vehicles of less than 8,000 pounds gross vehicle weight when transporting exclusively legal documents, pleadings, process, correspondence, depositions, briefs, medical records, photographs, books or papers, cash or checks, when moving shipments of the documents described at the direction of an attorney as part of providing legal services.

(2) The exemptions set forth in subsection (1)(a) and (b) of this section do not apply to household goods carriers.