The agricultural and forestry trucking industry scored a major victory last week in the waning minutes of the 2023 Georgia legislative session with the passage of a law that increases their freight load capacity.
The bickering between some House and Senate lawmakers over raising the size of truckloads permitted on Georgia’s state and local roads through House Bill 189 was eventually resolved by a joint committee of lawmakers. The compromise came just in time for the bill to meet the Day 40 deadline for bills to clear both chambers. The attention will eventually turn toward finding a long-term solution to the extensive funding needed to maintain the same state roadways and bridges that deteriorate more rapidly as massive tractor trailers bump along them.
Under the new regulations, trucks carrying food, timber and other agricultural and forestry commodities can weigh as much as 88,000 pounds. It’s a 4,000-pound increase from the state maximum that recently reverted back after the expiration of a three-year moratorium that let truckers carrying some of the state’s top agricultural products to be as large as 95,000 pounds without risk of incurring a fine.
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The final version includes a July 1, 2025, sunset date. It also gives local police the authority to enforce the law and cite trucks that exceed the legal limit. But local officials won’t be able to use the money from the fines to purchase truck scales or for road maintenance. Instead, the legislation requires the money to be sent to the state.