Crime & Safety
Ask A Trooper: What Lanes Are Semi Trucks Allowed to Use on the Freeway?
Washington State Patrol District 1 spokesperson and recruiter Guy Gill answers your questions about the rules of the road.
Q: Are semi trucks allowed to travel in any lane on the freeway, or are they restricted to the right lanes?
A: On the freeway, commercial vehicles cannot travel in the left lane when there are three or more lanes. They are not required to be in the far right lane and can legally use the right two lanes.
Troopers do see semi trucks traveling in the left lane and we do pull them over. The majority of infractions we give to commercial vehicles are for weight violations and semis account for only a small percentage of highway collisions.
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Passenger vehicles are also prohibited from traveling in the left lane, except for passing. In Pierce and Thurston counties, that message is clearly posted on the left side of the freeway.
The left lane is designed to facilitate good traffic flow, so get out of the far left lane, unless you’re passing another car.
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Trooper Guy Gill is the Washington State Patrol recruiter and spokesman for District 1, covering Pierce and Thurston counties. Follow him at @wspd1pio on Twitter.
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