Utah Trucking Laws
Large commercial trucks transport goods and services into and out of Utah, playing a critical role in the nation’s supply chain. Unfortunately, they are also immense, difficult to maneuver through traffic, and have large blind spots. For these reasons, both federal and state governments regulate the trucking industry by requiring trucking companies, drivers, freight loaders, and mechanics to minimize the risk to vulnerable motorists with much smaller vehicles who share the roadway with trucks.
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What are the Federal Laws That Regulate Trucking In Utah?
Because commercial trucks cross state and international borders, they are subject to federal regulation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). There are many laws regulating the following aspects of commercial trucking in Utah and elsewhere in the U.S., covering the following key aspects of safe trucking:
- Limiting driving hours and requiring breaks during driving shifts and between work weeks
- Requiring drivers to accurately log their hours and breaks for the trucking company to monitor
- Placing requirements on hiring, training, and drug testing drivers
- Requiring routine maintenance, regular truck inspections, and repairs
- Logging all truck maintenance and repairs
- Regulating the way that different types of freight must be carefully balanced and secured in place during loading and transport, and the proper load securing devices for various materials
- Setting weight limits for loaded trucks
- Requiring regular weigh-ins
- Requiring special training and additional requirements for transporting hazardous materials
Although there are other regulations, sub-regulations, and exceptions, these are the primary categories of FMCSA regulations. Failing to adhere to federal laws results in fines for the driver and/or the trucking company, and the possible loss of a driver’s commercial driver’s license (CDL), with additional legal consequences for trucking company violations. Violations of federal trucking regulations also leave a truck driver or trucking company liable for damages to injury or wrongful death victims if the violation causes an accident.
What Trucking Laws are Specific to Utah?
Like most states, Utah has state-specific laws that truck drivers, trucking companies, and other entities associated with the commercial trucking industry must follow. Some primary examples of Utah’s trucking laws include the following:
- Requirements for obtaining a CDL license, including having held a Utah driver’s license for at least a year, earning a DOT medical training certificate in addition to required driver training, and being at least 18 years old
- Requiring covers for hauling loads of loose dirt or gravel if the load’s height at the highest point is above the walls of the cargo compartment or the edges of the load are more than six inches below the top edge of the compartment walls
- Trucks must follow the state’s requirements for snow tires and chains when appropriate under Utah Department of Transportation advisories
- Trucks must remain within the height, width, and length limits for various types of trucks, such as semi-trailers, vehicle transports, and single-vehicle or box trucks
- Trucks are prohibited from using the left-most lane on six-lane highways with three lanes in each direction, except when passing
Both Utah-based trucking companies and drivers, and truck drivers passing through Utah, must carefully follow the state’s truck-related laws or face fines, civil liability, and other legal measures used to enforce critical Utah safety regulations.
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