Left lane warning and level 3

I'd contest rickets written there as it says "Trucks use Right 2 lanes" but doesn't specifically state "No Trucks Left Lane" or "Trucks use Right 2 Lanes only", meaning trucks can pass but not travel in the leftmost lane.

 

Maryland does at least have explicit signs that say "No Trucks in Left Lane over XX Tons" so there's no "grey area"

 

Back around 2000 I took a friend of mine to court in the Atlanta area so he could fight a lane usage ticket he got from a State Trooper. He lost of course but I had a chance to hear the judge say something interesting about this passing issue. There is no provision in the law allowing a trucker to use a prohibited lane for passing. Im not a lawyer and I have no training in the law, but if this also applies in states that use trucks use 2 right lanes only signs there is no grey area and the signs carry the full weight of the law!

 

Georgia has signs stating "No Trucks in Left Lane/2 left lanes" as well as signs stating Trucks Use Right Lane/Right 2 Lanes", etc. As far as Georgia goes, yes there is no grey area there, any use is prohibited. Arkansas has no signs stating "No Trucks in Left Lane". One could argue that trucks passing in the left lane is allowed, but continued travel is prohibited.

If any truck access to the left lane is prohibited in Arkansas, the signs should say either "Ttucks use Right 2 Lanes only" or "No Trucks Left Lane". Using that argument I think any reasonable judge would dismiss the citation if you were indeed passing traffic.

 

As I stated in my post. I am not an attorney and I don't give out legal advice. All I know is what I heard. My point was and still is simple. If the other states that prohibit trucks in the left lanes also have no provisions in the underlying law for passing there is no grey area. If this is true and I suspect it might be, if your caught in those prohibited lanes your subject to being cited and the ticket will hold up.

Just FYI on this prohibited lane topic and I will also add the law in Georgia prohibiting trucks from being inside the I-285 loop law. From roughly 1985 till around 2000 I have seen if my memory is right 8 court cases where truckers took these tickets to court. 5 had attorneys. ALL 8 LOST! There is a myth out there that if you fight these tickets they will get tossed. This is pure bull. Just so you know I seen it in the courts of Cobb, Fulton (both north and south),DeKalb county and the city of Atlanta. There is another myth that you an drive a truck on I-20 through Atlanta. The city of Atlanta Case was in 1997 and the trucker was found guilty of this and got a very stiff fine. I remember that case very well because it was about 2 months before my father passed away.




https://dps.georgia.gov/sites/dps.g...age/07 - Trucks Using Multi-Lane Highways.pdf

 

Yes but those cases are of drivers violating laws that are VERY specific. Most states who completely prohibit trucks from using the far left lane are VERY specific about that and post as such. I wouldn't expect a ticket from those states to get tossed, the law is explicit and very well posted.

The only one who expects you to know that without them posting that is freakin' California.

 

Exactly !!

 

So should I not bother to fight my California Out Of Lane infraction from last week? If I'm going to lose, thats almost 2x as much $$ out my pocket...

 

You can fight it but the law is very explicit, and if you were breaking it there really is no wiggle room.