Understanding Louisiana Trucking Laws And How They Protect You

A row of semi-trucks in various colors at a truck stop. Trucking laws exist for many reasons, including protecting other drivers.

Across the United States, there are laws to protect people from a variety of potential dangers, including other drivers on the roads we all share. These laws also apply to truck drivers. In fact, commercial truck drivers have even stricter driving laws than the average citizen, in most cases. While the United States government makes laws that apply across the nation, Louisiana also makes laws that apply to trucks that pass through our state or that only operate within the borders of Louisiana. These trucking laws regulate what commercial drivers can do, including the size of their trucks and the hours they can drive, and are meant to protect you when you share the road with them. If you have been involved in a trucking accident and believe the truck driver or their employer may have violated a federal or Louisiana law, let the Louisiana Law Lady review your case in a complimentary consultation. Attorney Lauren Pilie is the first Louisiana lawyer to become board-certified in trucking law, and she may be able to put her knowledge, experience, and truck driver training to work to protect your rights. Call (504) 470-3511 to schedule your appointment and learn what legal rights and options you may have. 

Federal vs. Louisiana State Laws

There are a lot of federal trucking laws that regulate when, where, and how truck drivers can operate. These laws generally only apply to trucks that drive across state lines or carry interstate cargo. However, the federal law that requires truck drivers to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) applies whether a driver operates interstate (across state lines), interstates (within one state), or foreign commerce (crossing national borders into Mexico or Canada). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration developed and shared standards for state testing and licensing of those who wish to obtain a CDL. 

Louisiana state laws apply to trucks that drive in Louisiana and cross state lines to operate in other parts of the country as well as trucks that only travel within the state lines of Louisiana. These state laws may be stricter than federal laws. However, if both a state law and a federal law apply and the federal law is stricter, federal law takes precedence over state law. 

What Kind of Trucking Laws Exist to Protect Other Drivers?

Most trucking laws actually serve the purpose of protecting other drivers, while also protecting the truck driver themselves. Some specific examples of laws that exist to protect other drivers include: 

  • Hours of Service: Hours of service laws regulate the hours truck drivers can operate. These laws keep tired truck drivers off the road, protecting other drivers from accidents caused by truck drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel or are too tired to drive and react properly. 
  • Drugs and Alcohol: Laws that regulate the use of drugs and alcohol when working as a truck driver prevent them from being intoxicated while they work. This protects other drivers from being involved in an accident with a truck much larger than them because the driver is under the influence.
  • Vehicle Maintenance: Trucking laws that regulate how often, under what circumstances, and in some cases who can maintain a commercial truck ensure that these massive vehicles are in good shape and capable of being driven on shared roads. This protects other drivers from dangerous and potentially uncontrollable trucks. 
  • Following Distance: Laws that specify following distances for both commercial trucks and the vehicles that drive near them keep trucks from following other vehicles too closely and not being able to stop when needed. They also help protect other drivers from following commercial trucks too closely and putting themselves in danger by not being able to stop or not being seen by the truck driver because of where they are on the road. 
  • Qualifications, Inspections, Logbooks, and Others: Laws that stipulate the training truck drivers must have, inspections they must undergo, logbooks they must keep, and other similar laws all serve to help protect other drivers. These laws ensure commercial truck drivers are properly trained so they are safe, that their vehicles are maintained, and that the driver or their employer is held accountable if any of the requirements are not met. 

What Are the Hours of Service for Louisiana Truck Drivers?

Most truck drivers are subject to the federal hours of service. These regulations are in place partly to protect the truck driver and ensure they are not overworked and exhausted. They are also in place to ensure that other drivers are not endangered because a truck driver is attempting to drive when they are too tired. A tired driver has slower reaction times and may fall asleep behind the wheel, creating significant dangers for other drivers. If you were involved in a trucking accident and believe the truck driver may have been in violation of the hours of service regulations, the Louisiana Law Lady may be able to assist you in getting the compensation you deserve under the law. 

Federal Hours of Service Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours of Service Regulations stipulate that truck drivers can drive for 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and can spend no more than 14 hours on-duty, including breaks and non-driving work time (such as waiting to be loaded or unloaded, getting fuel, or filling out paperwork). After eight consecutive hours of driving, drivers must take a 30-minute break. Drivers cannot drive more than 60 hours in seven days or 70 hours in eight days. A 34-hour break can reset their driving clock and begin the seven or eight day count fresh. 

Louisiana Law for Drivers Who Transport Railroad Employees

LA R.S. 32:1524 provides that drivers who transport railroad employees have different hours of service. For these drivers, the regulations allow 12 hours of driving after eight uninterrupted hours of rest, and a maximum of 15 hours combined on-duty and drive time after eight hours off-duty. They can have a maximum of 70 hours of combined on-duty and drive time in any seven consecutive days. They can begin a new consecutive day work period and reset their off-duty time to zero with an off-duty period of at least 24 hours. Their off-duty rest period must not be interrupted by their employer contacting them via pager, telephone, or any other communication method that would interrupt the driver’s rest. 

Are There Size Regulations on Commercial Trucks in Louisiana?

Truck drivers require specialized training because commercial vehicles are much larger and heavier than the cars, trucks, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that most people drive. The size and weight of these trucks makes them more difficult to control and requires different driving tactics and skills due to the inability to see certain areas around the truck and in the way the truck handles. Trucking laws that provide size regulations protect other drivers by ensuring that trucks are not improperly loaded or overloaded, increasing the risk of a trucking accident. This protects other drivers from facing catastrophic injuries due to a truck being too heavy or having its load shift because it is not properly secured or the weight is unevenly distributed. Additionally, these size restrictions prevent trucks from having loads that are too tall, wide, or long to safely navigate Louisiana roads. Trucks or loads that are too tall, wide, or long present a danger to other drivers by encroaching on their space when they drive in the same space, damaging infrastructures such as bridges and asphalt with heavy weights or sharp, high-speed impacts. This damage can weaken the infrastructure, causing bridges to eventually collapse or asphalt to disintegrate, leaving potholes that can damage cars or even potentially a sinkhole. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) outlines the weight, width, height, and length restrictions of trucks in their 2013 manual, Regulations for Trucks, Vehicles, and Loads, beginning on page 17. 

Truck Weight

Truck weights are regulated based on legal gross weight and axle weights. Legal gross weight is the weight of the entire truck, including the load. Axle weights are the amount of weight on each axle and depend on whether the axle is a single (one axle), tandem (two axles together), tridum (three axles together), or quadrum (four axles together) axle. The weights are also regulated based on whether the truck is on interstate highways or non-interstate highways. 

These weights range from 20,000 pounds for a single axle to 50,000 pounds for a quadrum axle on interstate highways. On non-interstate highways, the range is 22,000 pounds for a single axle to 53,000 pounds for a quadrum axle. The legal gross weight, which is the sum of the legal axle weights, is 80,000 pounds for single or tandem axles, 83,000 pounds for tridum axles, and 84,000 pounds for quadrum axles. The regulations also stipulate a maximum weight on each tire, which is 650 pounds per inch of tire width. 

Truck Width

Truck width is important to ensure that commercial trucks can drive on the roads without infringing on another driver’s lane. Because of the concern that a too-wide truck may encroach on another driver’s space, and the fact that some loads may exceed the width of the trailer on which they are loaded, Louisiana’s trucking laws include the load in the maximum width allowed for trucks. 

Trucks may be a maximum of 102 inches wide, or eight and a half feet, including their load, but excluding any safety devices. The law also provides that the truck’s load cannot project more than 12 inches beyond the width of the truck’s body. 

Truck Height

If a truck is too tall, it will not pass under bridges or traffic signals without causing damage to both the infrastructure and the truck itself. This can result in an accident in the moment the truck hits the bridge or traffic signal, or after the fact while the infrastructure awaits or undergoes repairs. Therefore, Louisiana’s trucking laws limit how tall a truck can be to decrease the chances of such an accident occurring. 

Like truck weights, truck height is limited differently on interstate highways and non-interstate highways. On interstate highways, the truck can be a maximum of 14 feet. On non-interstate highways, the maximum truck height is 13 feet 6 inches. Additionally, there may be lower bridges or other infrastructure on some roads throughout the state, making truck drivers responsible for evaluating the height of their truck compared to the height of the infrastructure to ensure they can pass safely beneath it without causing damage or an accident. 

With technology advances, there are now separate GPS apps that truck drivers can use to plan their routes with their loads in mind.  A route that appears for a driver of a regular vehicle may not always work for an 18-wheeler, or even a smaller truck that is carrying an over wide or extra tall load.  

Truck Length 

Truck lengths are regulated based on the type of truck (single vehicle vs. combination of vehicles) and whether the truck is driven on the Designated Truck Route or not. Single vehicles are trucks that are all one piece, such as dump trucks, straight trucks, or buses. Combination vehicles are multi-part, such as tractor-trailers or other vehicles towing trailers. 

Single vehicle truck length is a maximum of 45 feet. Combination vehicles on highways other than the Designated Truck Route are limited to a maximum of 65 feet. A semi-trailer on the Designated Truck Route can be a maximum of 59 feet 6 inches. 

Size Exceptions

Like most things, Louisiana trucking laws do offer some exceptions for weight, width, height, and length restrictions on commercial vehicles. However, while truck drivers may be expected to know these exceptions, the average daily driver does not know them nor are they expected to. If an individual has been involved in a trucking accident, they may want to consult with an attorney to determine whether the truck may have been in violation of size restrictions or failed to obtain the proper permits or escorts. 

How a Louisiana Truck Accident Attorney May Benefit You

Trucking laws exist to protect truck drivers from being taken advantage of by their employers and to give consistency across the country. They also exist to protect you, another driver on the road, from truck drivers that violate those laws. If you have been involved in a trucking accident and believe that the truck driver or their employer may have violated either Louisiana state or federal laws, contributing to the accident, the Louisiana Law Lady may be able to assist you in confirming which law was violated, how it was violated, and gathering the evidence to prove it. Call (504) 470-3511 to schedule a complimentary consultation and explore your legal rights and options. 

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