1. It is unlawful for any person to operate any commercial motor vehicle as defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 390.5, either singly or in combination with a trailer, as both vehicles are defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 390.5, unless such vehicles are equipped and operated as required by Parts 390 through 397, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as such regulations have been and may periodically be amended, whether intrastate transportation or interstate transportation. Members of the Missouri state highway patrol are authorized to enter the cargo area of a commercial motor vehicle or trailer to inspect the contents when reasonable grounds exist to cause belief that the vehicle is transporting hazardous materials as defined by Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The director of the department of public safety is hereby authorized to further regulate the safety of commercial motor vehicles and trailers as he deems necessary to govern and control their operation on the public highways of this state by promulgating and publishing rules and regulations consistent with this chapter. Any such rules shall, in addition to any other provisions deemed necessary by the director, require:

(1) Every commercial motor vehicle and trailer and all parts thereof to be maintained in a safe condition at all times;

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(2) Accidents arising from or in connection with the operation of commercial motor vehicles and trailers to be reported to the department of public safety in such detail and in such manner as the director may require.

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Except for the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, the provisions of this section shall not apply to any commercial motor vehicle operated in intrastate commerce and licensed for a gross weight of sixty thousand pounds or less when used exclusively for the transportation of solid waste or forty-two thousand pounds or less when the license plate has been designated for farm use by the letter “F” as authorized by the Revised Statutes of Missouri, unless such vehicle is transporting hazardous materials as defined in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.

2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1 of this section to the contrary, Part 391, Subpart E, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, relating to the physical requirements of drivers shall not be applicable to drivers in intrastate commerce, provided such drivers were licensed by this state as chauffeurs to operate commercial motor vehicles on May 13, 1988. Persons who are otherwise qualified and licensed to operate a commercial motor vehicle in this state may operate such vehicle intrastate at the age of eighteen years or older, except that any person transporting hazardous material must be at least twenty-one years of age.

3. Commercial motor vehicles and drivers of such vehicles may be placed out of service if the vehicles are not equipped and operated according to the requirements of this section. Criteria used for placing vehicles and drivers out of service are the North American Uniform Out-of-Service Criteria adopted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the United States Department of Transportation, as such criteria have been and may periodically be amended.

4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1 of this section to the contrary, Part 395, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, relating to the hours of drivers, shall not apply to any vehicle owned or operated by any public utility, rural electric cooperative or other public service organization, or to the driver of such vehicle, while providing restoration of essential utility services during emergencies and operating intrastate. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “essential utility services” means electric, gas, water, telephone and sewer services.

5. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1 of this section to the contrary, Parts 390 through 397, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations shall not apply to commercial motor vehicles operated in intrastate commerce to transport property, which have a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of twenty-six thousand pounds or less. The exception provided by this subsection shall not apply to:

(1) Vehicles transporting hazardous materials and which are not covered farm vehicles as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection;

(2) Vehicles designed to transport sixteen or more passengers including the driver as defined by Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations; or

(3) Vehicles which are defined as covered farm vehicles pursuant to federal laws and regulations and are transporting hazardous materials that require a placard as required by 49 CFR 100-180.

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Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit persons designated by the department of public safety from inspecting vehicles defined in this subsection.

6. Violation of any provision of this section or any rule promulgated as authorized therein is a class B misdemeanor.

7. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2009, shall be invalid and void.