Understanding Georgia’s Trucking Laws and Regulations

• June 9, 2025
• Attorney David Mann
• Truck Accidents

You see them every time you are driving on streets and highways in Georgia — large trucks carrying cargo across the state. Since these trucks can be a danger to other vehicles on the road, there are federal and state laws and regulations in place to ensure the safety of everyone else on the roads. Understanding trucking laws and regulations is important, especially if you have been involved in an accident with these large vehicles.

Federal vs. State Regulations: A Foundational Understanding

Trucking laws are administered by both federal and state agencies, and there are differences between the two. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets the baseline laws and regulations for interstate travel, and Georgia enforces these laws and adds onto them with their own state-specific requirements.

For example, the FMCSA adopts regulations dealing with hours of services, vehicle maintenance, driver qualifications, and the transportation of hazardous materials. Georgia state laws include the issuance of permits or certificates and additional size and weight limits.

Sometimes there is a question of whether federal or state laws apply in the trucking industry. In many cases, state law is preempted by federal law, which means that the federal law will override or invalidate the state laws. For example, if a state passes a law on how many hours a truck driver can operate, it may be preempted by federal law if the two laws conflict.

Key Georgia State-Specific Trucking Regulations

Georgia has enacted specific trucking regulations involving truck size and weight limits, commercial driver’s licenses (CDL), hours of service rules for intrastate commerce, and inspection and maintenance regulations.

Georgia’s truck and weight limits include the following:

• Trucks may not exceed a weight of 80,000 pounds without a special permit.
• Trucks cannot exceed a height of 13 feet, 6 inches.

Trucking companies must obtain permits if they intend to go over these weight and height restrictions. Trucking companies can face fines per pound if they violate these weight and height restrictions without obtaining a permit from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Drivers must have a CDL license in order to drive a truck in Georgia. Qualifications for a CDL include:

• You must be 18 years old for intrastate driving and 21 years old for interstate driving.
• First-time applicants must obtain a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) and hold it for 14 days before taking a CDL test.
• You must be proficient in the English language
• You will need to pass a vision test and a written knowledge test.

These are just general qualifications. There are more qualifications needed to obtain a CDL in Georgia. Also, registration of a commercial vehicle will depend on the weight of the truck and whether it will be used for interstate or intrastate commerce.

There are also limitations on the number of hours truckers can drive for intrastate commerce. Those limitations include:

• Truckers can drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• Truckers must take a 30-minute break with every 8 hours of cumulative driving.
• Truckers cannot drive after accumulating 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days or 70 hours on duty in 8 consecutive days.

Besides having to adhere to the federal laws and regulations, truckers must follow these Georgia laws as well. Georgia is charged with implementing and enforcing both the federal laws for interstate commerce and their own state rules.

Safety Regulations and Compliance in Georgia

Other laws and regulations involving commercial vehicles in Georgia deal with safety issues and compliance with these specific laws.

Georgia adopted and enforces the federal testing rules for drugs and alcohol for those who hold a CDL or a CLP. A pre-employment drug test is administered before a CDL driver can operate a commercial motor vehicle. Also, drug and alcohol testing is mandatory if a truck driver is involved in a crash. Additionally, employers must conduct random drug and alcohol tests on a certain percentage of their drivers.

Cargo securement is another important safety issue that is regulated by the federal government and enforced by the state of Georgia. Federal cargo laws and regulations are in place in order to prevent accidents, protect lives, and avoid spills. Georgia-specific laws include a code section that mandates that commercial vehicles must be loaded, covered, and constructed to prevent any loads from dropping or shifting. One interesting Georgia law involves litter prevention. This law prevents trucks from depositing litter on public or private property.

If a commercial vehicle is in an accident, there are federal and state laws to keep in mind. Georgia requires a commercial vehicle driver to report an accident if anyone is injured or killed or the property damage is more than $500. Federal law states that commercial vehicles must report an accident if there is a fatality, an injury requiring medical treatment away from the scene or if a vehicle is being towed away. Even though these rules are in place, we always tell our clients that all accidents should be reported even if these criteria are not met.

We hope this blog post helped you in understanding Georgia’s trucking laws and regulations. Trucking laws can be very complex. If you are involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, or you were the driver of a commercial vehicle, you should speak to an experienced attorney about your case.

Contact The Trucking Law Attorneys At The Mann Law Firm Today

The attorneys at the Mann Law Firm have been helping clients for the past 30 years to file personal injury claims. We understand the financial and physical hardships you go through after an accident. We will guide you through your claim from start to finish and will speak on your behalf to insurance companies and their lawyers. Give us a call at (478) 742-3381 to set up an appointment.