Georgia lane use rules for trucks and other vehicles

What the cited provisions say

On roadways divided into two or more clearly marked traffic lanes, O.C.G.A. 40-6-48(1) requires a vehicle to remain as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and requires the driver to ascertain that movement from that lane can be made safely. On roadways divided into two or more clearly marked traffic lanes, O.C.G.A. 40-6-48(5) requires drivers to obey official traffic-control devices prohibiting lane changes on sections of roadway.^[1][2][3]

On roads, streets, or highways with three or more lanes moving in the same direction, O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(b) confines trucks to the two most right-hand lanes, except when preparing for a left turn or as otherwise provided by O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(d). On roads, streets, or highways with two lanes moving in the same direction, O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(c) prohibits truck operation in the left-hand lane except while actually overtaking and passing another vehicle, preparing for a left turn, or as otherwise provided by O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(d). The passing exception appears in O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(c), rather than in O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(b).^[1][2][3]

Who and what the provisions cover

The opening language of O.C.G.A. 40-6-48 applies its rules whenever a roadway has two or more clearly marked traffic lanes, in addition to other rules consistent with that section. O.C.G.A. 40-6-48(4) permits official devices to direct specified traffic, including buses or trucks, into designated lanes or to assign lanes by travel direction regardless of the roadway center, and requires drivers to obey those directions.^[1][2][3]

O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(b) applies on all roadways to vehicles moving below the normal traffic speed at the time and place under existing conditions. O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(b) requires those vehicles to use the available right-hand lane or travel as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or roadway edge, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle moving in the same direction or preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.^[1][2][3]

Conditions and exceptions

O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(a) requires right-half driving on roadways of sufficient width, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing that movement; when an obstruction makes driving left of center necessary, subject to yielding to vehicles traveling in the proper direction on the unobstructed portion within an immediate-hazard distance; on roadways divided into three marked traffic lanes under the applicable rules; or on roadways restricted to one-way traffic. For an obstruction, O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(a)(2) requires yielding to properly approaching vehicles on the unobstructed portion within a distance constituting an immediate hazard.^[1][2][3]

On roadways having four or more lanes for moving traffic and providing two-way movement, O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(c) prohibits driving left of center unless official traffic-control devices designate lanes there for traffic otherwise not permitted to use them, or an obstruction necessitates the movement under O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(a)(2), with its requirement to yield to properly traveling vehicles on the unobstructed portion within an immediate-hazard distance; subsection (c) also preserves crossing the center for left turns into or from an alley, private road, or driveway. O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(c) nevertheless permits crossing the center for a left turn into or from an alley, private road, or driveway.^[1][2][3]

O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(d) prohibits vehicles from impeding normal traffic flow by traveling side by side in adjacent lanes, while preserving side-by-side travel caused by congestion. Under O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(d), the Department of Transportation may designate specific lanes prohibiting or allowing trucks on interstate highways with four or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction; when those designations are indicated by signs erected by the department, trucks may operate only as designated.^[1][2][3]

Related provisions in the saved sources

On a roadway divided into three clearly marked traffic lanes, providing two-way movement with two lanes in one direction, O.C.G.A. 40-6-48(2) gives a vehicle being driven in a continuous or center lane the right of way when overtaking and passing another vehicle traveling in the same direction. On roadways divided into three clearly marked traffic lanes and providing two-way movement, O.C.G.A. 40-6-48(3) prohibits center-lane driving except when overtaking and passing another vehicle traveling in the same direction while the center lane is clear of traffic within a safe distance, preparing for a left turn, or using a center lane allocated at that time exclusively to the vehicle's direction, with that allocation designated by official traffic-control devices or road striping.^[1][2][3]

The reference to O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(a)(2) within O.C.G.A. 40-6-40(c) leads to the saved obstruction rule and its yielding condition. The references to O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(d) within O.C.G.A. 40-6-52(b) and (c) lead to the saved interstate designation rule. These cross-references can be described from the supplied text without assigning content to provisions that were not saved.^[1][2][3]

Source date and limits

The source date for this entry is 2026-11-06. Its authority is limited to the supplied units of O.C.G.A. 40-6-40, O.C.G.A. 40-6-48, and O.C.G.A. 40-6-52 from the Georgia General Assembly's Official Code of Georgia Annotated public access edition published by LexisNexis. That date identifies the saved material; it does not represent verification of today's law.^[1][2][3]

The saved history lines accompany the statutory text but do not supply a separate effective-date rule for this entry. The Code Commission note accompanying O.C.G.A. 40-6-48 records an editorial addition and references O.C.G.A. 28-9-5; the text of that referenced provision is not supplied and is not interpreted here.^[1][2][3]

This is a statute-only reference concerning roadway position and lane use. Judicial interpretation and application to individual driving events are outside its scope. It provides general information about the saved provisions, not legal advice, and does not determine fault, liability, insurance coverage, damages, or filing deadlines.^[1][2][3]

See also

On related publications

• Georgia truck accident statistics (2020-2024) (truckaccidentlawyers.wiki)
• https://truckaccidentlawyer.wiki/topics/georgia-truck-crash-law/ (truckaccidentlawyer.wiki)
• https://caraccidentlawyers.wiki/reference/georgia-fault/ (caraccidentlawyers.wiki)