New NC driving laws focus on heavy trucks in left lanes, tinted windows
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- NC bans heavy trucks 26,001 pounds from left-most lanes on 6+ lane highways.
- Law allows heavy trucks to use left lane only to enter, exit, pass or avoid hazards.
- Drivers must roll down the approached side window when officers approach tinted vehicles.
New laws in effect in North Carolina this week include a limit on heavy trucks traveling in the left lane of highways and requirements to roll down tinted windows.
Those provisions are both part of Senate Bill 391, a Department of Transportation omnibus bill that passed with near-unanimous support and was signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein. Parts of the bill took effect Monday.
A motor vehicle having a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or heavier is banned from driving in the left-most lane of a highway with six or more lanes, unless drivers are entering or exiting the highway, avoiding a hazard or passing another vehicle. Vehicles of that weight require a commercial driver’s license to operate.
Another new part of the law is for drivers with tinted windows. If a police officer approaches a car with tinted windows, the driver must roll down the driver-side window, or if the officer approaches on the passenger side, the driver must roll down the passenger window.
Read more about the new state laws that are now in effect.
