Georgia Bridge Law: Axle Limits and the 73,280-Pound Rule

Georgia's limits are federal on the Interstate — 80,000 gross with the bridge formula — but its state statute uses odd numbers: 20,340 lb on a single axle and a 73,280-lb gross threshold above which the state bridge formula decides your maximum. No kingpin-to-rear-axle limit was found for a 53-foot trailer.

By Avery Schwartz · Former CDL-A driver, 3 years OTR · Updated 2026-09-15

The numbers at a glance

Limit	GA	Where it comes from
Gross weight	80,000 lb	O.C.G.A. 32-6-26; Interstate cap even where formula is higher
Single axle	20,340 lb	Georgia DPS summary of 32-6-26; federal 20,000 on the Interstate
Tandem axle	34,000 lb on the Interstate at 80,000 gross	DPS lists 37,340–40,680 on state routes depending on vehicle type — verify with DPS
KPRA / wheelbase	No statutory KPRA limit found	53-ft semitrailer is the standard under O.C.G.A. 32-6-24; verify with Georgia DPS
Bridge formula applies?	Yes	Federal formula on the Interstate; state formula for gross between 73,280 and 80,000

Legal limits change and enforcement varies by road. Confirm anything you're betting a ticket on with Georgia DPS Motor Carrier Compliance.

How Georgia applies the bridge law

Georgia's weight law, O.C.G.A. 32-6-26, was written around older federal numbers and never fully rounded. The single-axle limit is 20,340 lb, the general tandem limit on state routes is 37,340 lb, and Georgia DPS lists 40,680 lb for tractor-semitrailer tandems on state highways under 32-6-26(j). Above a total gross of 73,280 lb, the state bridge formula — the same W = 500(LN/(N−1) + 12N + 36) applied to the first and last axles of the combination — sets the maximum, with 80,000 lb as the hard ceiling.

On the Interstate, federal law controls and the numbers you should plan on are the familiar 20,000 / 34,000 / 80,000 with the federal bridge formula. The DPS summary is not perfectly clear about when the higher state tandem figures give way to 34,000 on Interstate routes for a five-axle combination at 80,000 gross; our reading is that a standard tractor-trailer at full gross should assume 34,000 per tandem on I-75, I-85, I-20, I-16, and I-95. Verify with Georgia DPS if you are counting on more.

On geometry, Georgia is easy. O.C.G.A. 32-6-24 makes the 53-foot semitrailer the standard unit, and neither the statute nor the DPS regulations page sets a kingpin-to-rear-axle distance for it. Georgia does not appear in J.J. Keller's KPRA table either. Slide for weight, not for kingpin — but remember that Florida (41 ft to center) is next door.

How to slide your tandems for Georgia

Treat Georgia as a weight-only state: put the tandems where the axle groups clear 34,000 each on the Interstate and check the 36-foot span. If you are headed south on I-75 or I-95, set the tandems for Florida's 41-foot rule before you cross, since it is the tighter constraint.

Worked example. You scale at the first CAT after the shipper: steer 11,800, drives 35,300, trailer tandems 31,900, gross 79,000. Gross is legal; the drives are 1,300 over. Sliding the tandems forward (toward the cab) moves weight from the drives to the trailer axles. On a trailer with 4-inch hole spacing, a hole is worth roughly 250 lb, so 1,300 lb needs six holes: drives about 33,800, tandems about 33,400. Both groups are under 34,000 with a few hundred pounds of margin, and the gross hasn't changed. Now check the geometry for Georgia using the row in the table above — and if you'll cross into a stricter state, set for that one instead. The Tandem Slide Calculator does the hole math for your trailer's actual rail spacing and tells you which direction to move.

Common tickets in Georgia

Based on the statutes above and what drivers commonly report; citation practice varies by officer and county, so treat this as a watch list, not a fine schedule.

Tandem or gross overweight — Georgia DPS Motor Carrier Compliance Division runs inspection stations on every major Interstate corridor; overweight fines are assessed per pound over and verified schedules are published by DPS.
County-road overweight — DPS lists a 56,000-lb county-road gross limit unless making a pickup or delivery; verify current rules with DPS.
Non-designated route with a 53-ft trailer where signs post a shorter trailer limit.

Georgia bridge law FAQ

Does Georgia have a kingpin-to-rear-axle law?

We could not find a KPRA limit in O.C.G.A. 32-6-24, on the Georgia DPS regulations page, or in J.J. Keller's KPRA table. Georgia allows 53-foot semitrailers as standard. Verify with Georgia DPS if you have a specialty trailer.

Why is Georgia's axle limit 20,340 instead of 20,000?

The state statute was written with its own figures (20,340 single, 37,340 tandem, 73,280 threshold) rather than the federal round numbers. On the Interstate, federal 20,000 / 34,000 / 80,000 still control.

What is the 73,280-pound rule?

Under 32-6-26, a vehicle grossing between 73,280 and 80,000 lb has its maximum determined by the state bridge formula applied to the whole combination. Below 73,280, axle-count limits apply; 80,000 is the ceiling in all cases.

Is Georgia's tandem limit 34,000 or 40,680?

It depends on the road and the vehicle. DPS lists 40,680 for tractor-semitrailer tandems on state highways under 32-6-26(j). For a five-axle combination at 80,000 gross on the Interstate, assume the federal 34,000 unless DPS tells you otherwise.

Sources

This page is a driver's summary, not legal advice. Statutes are quoted or paraphrased from the sources listed; where we couldn't verify a figure from an official source we've said so.