Kentucky Trucking Laws

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.

There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Lexington may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.

The Kentucky Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382-384 and 390-399 of the federal regulations.

If you want to learn about the federal laws that apply to all over-the-road trucks, click here.

The following provisions are an overview of Kentucky laws that affect trucks operating only in Kentucky:

Driver Qualification:

Kentucky has adopted Part 391 of the Federal Regulations with modifications to the age requirement and medical waivers. Intrastate drivers must be at least 18 years old except for transporters of hazardous materials and school bus drivers who must be 21.

Medical waivers in addition to those allowed in Sec. 391.49 are allowed for drivers exclusively in intrastate commerce.

Hours of Service:

Kentucky has adopted Part 395 of the Federal Regulations with two notable differences. Utility companies while operating in intrastate commerce only are exempt from the maximum and on-duty hours in Sec. 395.3 during an emergency which requires their employees to work to restore service.

The maximum driving and on-duty requirements don’t apply to intrastate drivers transporting agricultural commodities or farm supplies if the transportation is limited to an area within a 100-air-mile radius from the source of the commodities or distribution point for the farm supplies.

Parts and Accessories:

Kentucky has adopted Part 393 of the Federal Regulations with one notable difference. Private carriers engaged in intrastate farm-to-market agricultural operations only aren’t required to comply with the lighting device requirements in Part 393, Subpart B when driving during daylight hours.

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