New law seeks to keep commercial vehicles off Cullasaja Gorge in North Carolina

North Carolina lawmakers recently passed a bill to increase fines for commercial vehicle drivers caught on Cullasaja Gorge.

On July 8, 2024, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed into law House Bill 593, which strengthens an existing law restricting commercial vehicles from a segment of US Route 64 between State Road 1533 and NC Highway 106 in Macon County, known as Cullasaja Gorge.

While current law already prohibits vehicles longer than 30 feet from Cullasaja Gorge, the fine is “only a monetary penalty of $100 if the semitrailer is less than 50 feet long and $200 if the semitrailer is 50 feet or longer.”

Under HB593, an additional civil penalty is added to try to further discourage truckers from taking the roadway.

“The additional civil penalty would be assessed under G.S. 20-118(e), which provides monetary penalties for violations of vehicle weight limits and would be calculated based on the amount by which the vehicle combination’s gross vehicle weight rating exceeds 20,000 pounds. Penalties are assessed against an owner or registrant of a vehicle in violation of vehicle weight ratings as follows: (four cents per pound for the first 1,000 pounds, six cents per pound for the next 1,000 pounds, and ten cents per pound for each additional pound thereafter,” HB593 states.

The new civil penalty will go into effect on December 1, 2024.

“The frequent incidents of large commercial trucks getting stuck on this road have created hazardous conditions for residents and first responders, while diverting essential resources from the community,” stated Rep. Karl Gillespie, who is the primary sponsor of the bill. “HB593 aims to enhance road safety and ensure that our first responders can focus on serving and protecting our residents.”