Would you call this a left lane violation

Good day all iam more of a reader then poster here, but had an interesting run in with ga dot today and want some opinions. Background am a 5yr safe cdl driver and 10 year safe military cdl driver.

I was traveling EB 20 though atl today right though the middle of downtown. Though here I20 is 5 lanes including an hov lane being number 5. The hov lane is only marked by a double white line. There are signs all over stating no trucks over 6wheels in 2 left lanes.

I was at the time traveling in the 3rd lane from shoulder leaving 2 left hand lanes still open. Dot pulled me over and basically gave me a lane restricted ticket vs a warning and a lesson lol. He told me although the HOV lane is only separated by the solid white line it is not part of the interstate. So he said it is treated as a 4 lane interstate not a 5 lane. The am not stupid just confused. From the rd it looks 5 lane with an hov lane. How am i supposed too know that ga doesnt count that lane when there is only a solid line. So you say that i believed that by the sign trucks where only restricted too the left 2 lanes and not the 3 others.

What do you all think.
Thank you and safe travels

 

lol i know right since i started running the atl route almost 2 years ago. I have many days like that

 

thank you. Now i fully agree with your 1st statement and partly agree with the 2nd. Let me explain. In most situations iam in the 2 right lanes or even the far right on 2 lane interstate. But in this case and the confusing part for the ticket is the sign didn't state trucks use 2 right lanes it just stated trucks not allowed in left 2 lanes. Being what seems like a 5 line from my understanding i was not in the 2 left lanes. After wards i read the ga law and its bured in there if you look but unless you took the ga test. How many drivers are gonna go that deep in the law sun sub sections

 

that is what i did. Dot said lane 1 is the lane next too hov lane which put me in lane 2 by his definition. The only thing that shows the lane as an HOV is a solid line. But 2 me and probably others it looks like a 5 line not 4 and during our time on the off ramp i pulled over on i counted 10 cmv in that lane

 

i know the ones on 85 and 75 are maked toll and Express lanes. But the ones on 20 are really only marked by a line and a couple signs.