Truck weight limits
North Carolina
✓ Sources verifiedEditorial review pending credentialed reviewer3 primary sources
North Carolina allows 20,000 lb on a single axle and — unusually — 38,000 lb on a tandem, above the 34,000 lb federal Interstate figure. Gross weight runs off an axle-group table topping out at 80,000 lb. Legal dimensions are 102 inches wide and 14 feet high.
At a glance
Max gross weight80,000 lb
Max single axle20,000 lb
Max tandem axle38,000 lb
Permit (width)102 in
Permit (height)14 ft
vs. federal gross0 lb
1 Limits and thresholds
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Max gross weight | 80,000 lb[1]Maximum of the axle-group spacing table (38,000–80,000 lb by configuration). | § 20-118(b)(3) |
| Max single axle | 20,000 lb[1] | § 20-118(b)(1) |
| Max tandem axle | 38,000 lb[1]Above the 34,000 lb federal Interstate baseline — federal limits govern on the Interstate System. | § 20-118(b)(2) |
| Oversize permit above (width) | 102 in[2] | § 20-116(a) |
| Oversize permit above (height) | 14 ft[2]Structures need only accommodate 12'6"; taller vehicles bear strict liability for structure damage. | § 20-116(c) |
| CDL disqualification — first major | 1 year for a first conviction while operating a CMV or a non-CMV; 3 years if operating a CMV transporting placarded hazardous materials. Applies to alcohol/controlled-substance influence, 0.04+ BAC in a CMV, test refusal, leaving the scene, using the vehicle in a felony, driving while disqualified, and causing a fatality by negligent operation.[3]Federal floor. A state may impose longer periods but may not go below this; verify state law before relying on it. | § 383.51(b), Table 1 |
| CDL disqualification — lifetime | Life for a second conviction of any combination of the Table 1 major offences in a separate incident. A state MAY reinstate after 10 years following an approved rehabilitation programme — § 383.51(a)(6) — but not after a subsequent disqualifying conviction. Felony manufacture/distribution of a controlled substance, and severe forms of human trafficking, draw life with NO 10-year reinstatement.[3]Federal floor. The 10-year reinstatement is permissive — states are not required to offer it. | § 383.51(a)(6), (b) Table 1 items (9)–(10) |
2 Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-118 — Weight of vehicles and load — North Carolina General Assembly
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-116 — Size of vehicles and loads — North Carolina General Assembly
- 49 CFR § 383.51 — Disqualification of drivers — U.S. Government Publishing Office
Review record
Every figure above was transcribed from the primary source cited beside it and carries a pinpoint locator. Editorial review by a credentialed reviewer is pending.