State weight limits · LoadLegit

Georgia truck weight limits

On Interstate highways in Georgia, federal weight limits apply. Four checks decide whether your truck is legal — and the one that surprises most drivers is the Federal Bridge Formula, which can fail a truck that passes every other limit.

Federal limits on Georgia Interstates

The bridge formula check

L is the spacing in feet between the outer axles of a group, N the number of axles. A standard 5-axle rig at 51 ft is capped at 79,500 lb by this formula — under the 80,000 lb gross limit. Full explanation with worked examples.

Georgia-specific rules

Georgia is a state where the road you're on changes the numbers. On the Interstate system, federal limits govern: 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem, 80,000 lb gross, plus the Federal Bridge Formula. On Georgia state routes and local roads, the state's own limits in O.C.G.A. § 32-6-26 apply — and they're different: a higher single-axle allowance of 20,340 lb, a conditional tandem limit that can reach 40,680 lb, an 80,000 lb gross on five axles, and a much lower 56,000 lb cap on county roads. Georgia also carves out generous agricultural and forest-products variances that don't exist in most states. The gotcha is the tandem rule — it flips to 34,000 lb the moment your gross or length crosses a threshold.

Verified against the official source. Official source.

Georgia exceptions to the federal limits

On non-Interstate state highways, Georgia's limits (O.C.G.A. § 32-6-26, enforced per the Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division) are:

• Certain-commodity axles — for statutorily listed commodities, § 32-6-26 permits up to 23,000 lb single / 46,000 lb tandem, with gross still capped at 80,000 lb.
• On Interstates, federal limits govern — 20,000 lb single / 34,000 lb tandem / 80,000 lb gross, plus the bridge formula; lift axles cannot be counted.

Seasonal & designated-route rules in Georgia

Georgia does not impose statewide seasonal "frost law" weight reductions the way northern states do — its climate doesn't produce the spring thaw damage those rules address. What does bite in Georgia is posted bridge weight limits: individual bridges are signed with their own maximums, and after the state raised certain truck weights, hundreds of additional bridges were posted. A load legal on the open road can still be illegal — and unsafe — crossing a posted structure, so route around low-rated bridges.

Overweight permits in Georgia

Loads exceeding the legal limits need an oversize/overweight permit from GDOT (O.C.G.A. § 32-6-28), issued single-trip or annual and route-specific because bridge ratings vary.

• Commodity variances without a permit — hauling forest products, live poultry, cotton, feed, granite, poultry waste, or unhardened concrete on non-Interstate routes carries a statutory variance (historically a 5% variance within a 100-mile radius, farm/forest to first point of marketing or processing).
• Heavy-haul agricultural/forest variance (verify current status): Georgia's 2023 HB 189 temporarily raised the variance to 10% (up to 88,000 lb) for certain agricultural and forest commodities on state and local roads — within a 150-mile radius, excluding 13 metro-Atlanta counties, not on Interstates — but that provision carried a July 1, 2025 sunset. Confirm with GDOT whether it was renewed before relying on the 88,000 lb figure.

Fines & enforcement in Georgia

Enforced by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, Motor Carrier Compliance Division at fixed scales and with portable enforcement. Overweight penalties escalate on a per-pound-over-the-limit basis, with the per-pound rate stepping up as the overage grows (e.g. gross-weight penalties rise from 5¢ to 10¢ to 15¢ per pound over as weight climbs past 93,000 and 100,000 lb). Large overages get expensive fast.

What dispatchers should check in Georgia

1. Interstate vs. state route — the two rule sets differ. On any Interstate mileage you're on federal numbers (34,000 lb tandem); Georgia's higher state-route figures don't apply there.
2. The tandem threshold — the 40,680 lb combo tandem only holds while gross < 73,280 lb and length ≤ 55 ft; cross either and your tandem limit drops to 34,000 lb.
3. County roads — 56,000 lb gross unless you're making a pickup or delivery on that road.
4. Commodity variance — confirm your commodity qualifies (forest/poultry/cotton/feed/granite/waste/concrete) and that you're off the Interstate before relying on it.
5. Posted bridges — check for signed bridge weight limits on your route; Georgia posts many.

Reviewed on: Aug 14, 2026 · Next review due: Aug 14, 2027

Georgia truck weight — frequently asked questions

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