Georgia: Dump Truck Statutes and Rules

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Have you ever driven down a road and looked upon a dump truck that has sand, materials, or worse spilling out of it? There are law which require the covering of dump trucks or restrict the spillage of loads on the highways.

There are laws of varying degrees, broken down into four areas:

A - Laws which require covering
B - Laws which require covering in limited instances
C - Laws which restrict spillage and require the secure fastening of loads and covers
D - Laws which restrict spillage only

Effective enforcement is the key to increased highway safety through dump truck covering. A strict law is sometimes not enough. In Georgia strict enforcement of "C"-type laws has resulted in most dump trucks being covered.

Here's Georgia's law regarding dump trucks and covering:

Securing Loads on Vehicles: No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any public road unless such vehicle is constructed or loaded or covered so as to prevent any of its load from dropping, escaping, or shifting in such a manner as to create a safety hazard; however, this code section shall not prohibit the necessary spreading of any substance in public road maintenance or construction operations.

No person shall operate, or load for operation, on any public road any vehicle with any load unless said load and any covering thereon is securely fastened so as to prevent said covering or load from becoming loose, detached or in any manner becoming a hazard to other users of the public road.

Nothing in this code section nor any regulations based thereon, shall conflict with federal, or Georgia Public Service Commission, or Georgia Board of Public Safety regulations applying to the securing of loads on motor vehicles.

The provisions of subsection (b) of this Code section and regulations based thereon shall not apply to vehicles carrying silage from field to storage and storage to feedlot or vehicles or equipment carrying unginned cotton. 40-6-254 Transport of unsecured load; penaltyNo person shall operate any motor vehicle with a load on or in such vehicle unless the load on or in such vehicle is adequately secured to prevent the dropping or shifting of such load onto the roadway in such a manner as to create a safety hazard.? Any person who operates a vehicle in violation of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.