6 Things Georgia Truck Drivers Wish Commuters Understood About I-75
A Georgia commute on I-75 often means sharing the road with big rigs.
From the cab of a truck, that same stretch of road can look very different.
Here’s what truckers wish commuters understood.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Traffic laws are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
1. Truck Lane Limits
Trucks on I-75 can use only the two right-hand lanes wherever the interstate has three or more lanes going the same direction.
The main exception is a truck preparing for a left turn.
Where a road has only two lanes in your direction, the left lane is off limits to trucks unless they’re passing another vehicle or preparing for a left turn.
Georgia’s Department of Driver Services tells you to pass trucks on the left side and to do it quickly.
Don’t pass on the right or linger beside a truck.
You pass on the left, then you keep moving.
2. Atlanta’s I-285 Truck Route
Georgia’s Department of Public Safety says truck traffic isn’t allowed inside the perimeter of Atlanta.
Trucks traveling on I-75, I-85 or I-20 must take I-285 around the city.
Four exceptions apply.
They cover a pickup or delivery inside I-285, a carrier terminal inside it, a repair facility inside it and a driver’s residence within the perimeter.
3. Express Lane Truck Ban
Peach Pass bars tractor-trailer trucks from the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes.
The lanes cover 12 miles of the median, from McDonough Road in Henry County to Stockbridge Highway in Clayton County.
Trailers are barred too.
If you tow a trailer, you can’t use these lanes.
What Counts as a Truck on I-75
Georgia’s lane law defines a truck as any vehicle with more than six wheels, except buses and motorcoaches.
The South Metro Express Lanes use a different test.
They keep out vehicles with more than two axles or six wheels, except over-the-road buses.
4. Inspection Stations
Georgia’s Department of Public Safety runs 20 inspection stations for commercial vehicles like trucks, and 19 of them sit on interstates.
Six of them are on I-75, a pair at each of mile markers 343, 190 and 23.
If you drive I-75 from end to end, you’ll pass all three of those sites.
Inspectors check the truck, its driver and its load.
The goal is that none of those vehicles poses an identifiable risk to the motoring public, including you.
A driver who refuses to stop when ordered for weighing or inspection is guilty of a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $200.
5. Truck Parking and Hours Limits
The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to add 59 spaces of truck parking on I-75 in Monroe County.
Of those, 23 would be at the northbound weigh station and 36 at Rest Area 22 southbound.
The department lists nine rest areas along I-75 in Georgia.
A freight driver you share I-75 with may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
A driver also can’t drive past the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty.
A 30-minute break is required once a driver has driven 8 cumulative hours without a 30-minute interruption.
Psst! How much do you know about Georgia’s roads and freight? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Georgia Roads and Freight IQ
Answer these questions on Georgia’s roads, ports and road safety. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
How many truck gate moves does the Georgia Ports Authority say its Garden City Terminal handles every day?
6. Blind Spots and Stopping Room
A truck driver can't see you if you can't see the driver's face in the side-view mirror, Georgia's driver's manual says.
Huge No-Zones sit directly behind a truck, where the driver cannot see your car.
It isn't safe to cut in front of a truck and then slow down.
A fully loaded tractor-trailer traveling 55 mph needs 3 times the distance a car needs to stop.
Federal safety officials say large trucks need the length of up to two football fields to stop safely.
You should see the truck in your rearview mirror before you merge in front of it.
A 2020 Georgia Department of Transportation study of I-75 from Monroe County through Henry County found crash rates in both directions above statewide averages for 2014 through 2018.
Planned Truck-Only Lanes
The Georgia Department of Transportation wants to build 41 miles of toll-free, truck-only lanes on northbound I-75, from Monroe County to Henry County.
FreightWaves reports that truck traffic through that stretch of I-75 is approaching 30% of average daily traffic.
The plan calls for two barrier-separated northbound lanes.
Trucks with more than six wheels would have to use them unless they're headed for a local exit.
The department projects that between 73% and 100% of trucks in the project area would move out of the general purpose lanes you drive in now.
Design work is expected to be finalized and construction to begin in 2027, with completion by the end of 2032.
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