North Carolina counts what you actually weigh, not just the sticker.
North Carolina adopts the federal safety parts for intrastate carriers above a 26,001 lb line — but writes that line four ways: gross vehicle weight rating, gross combination weight rating, gross vehicle weight and gross combination weight. A truck rated below the line that runs loaded above it is covered.
Free: see your roadside record and MCS-150 due date from FMCSA’s public data.
What North Carolina adopted
North Carolina takes the federal safety regulations into state law and applies them to carriers that never leave the state. The instrument is 14B NCAC 07C .0101 (recodified from 19A NCAC 03D .0801).
- Parts adopted
- 49 CFR Parts 390 through 397
- What the rule provides
- Parts 390 through 397 apply to for-hire and private motor carriers in intrastate commerce at 26,001 pounds or more by GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW, to vehicles designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, and to vehicles transporting placardable quantities of hazardous materials.14B NCAC 07C .0101 (recodified from 19A NCAC 03D .0801)
When it reaches you
North Carolina intrastate threshold
26,001 lbs
The rule reaches a vehicle at 26,001 pounds or more measured by gross vehicle weight rating, gross combination weight rating, gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight — whichever of those applies to the trip.
Covered regardless of weight
- Designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver
- Transporting a hazardous material in a quantity requiring placards
Cross a state line — or run an in-state leg of trade that starts or ends out of state — and the federal definition applies instead, at 10,001 lbs (49 CFR 390.5). The state threshold only ever helps a carrier whose work is entirely inside North Carolina.
Actual weight is in the test
Most states in the region set the intrastate line by rating alone. North Carolina includes gross vehicle weight and gross combination weight, so a truck-and-trailer rated at 25,000 lbs that regularly scales over 26,001 falls inside the rule on those trips. Ratings alone are not a safe answer here.
The rule moved, the citation didn't die
14B NCAC 07C .0101 was recodified from 19A NCAC 03D .0801. Older compliance manuals and vendor checklists still cite the 19A number — same rule, current citation is 14B.
What every driver file must hold
Once the rules apply, the contents are federal and identical in every state: 11 records per driver across two separate files, plus related obligations. A missing or incomplete required record is a recordkeeping violation — up to $1,584 per day and $15,846 per violation (49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B).
Driver Qualification File
49 CFR 391.51
- Application for employment · At hire
- Motor vehicle record — at hire · At hire
- Road test certificate or equivalent · Once
- Motor vehicle record — annual inquiry · Every 12 months
- Note of annual review of driving record · Every 12 months
- Medical examiner's certificate · Expires — up to 24 months
Driver Investigation History File
49 CFR 391.53
- Driver's written authorization · At hire
- Previous employer responses · Within 30 days of hire
Related obligations
49 CFR Parts 380 & 382
- Pre-employment drug & alcohol test result · At hire
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse query · Pre-employment, then annually
- Entry-level driver training certificate · Once
We build the files for you
$999 one-time Audit-Ready Setup for North Carolina carriers with up to 30 drivers, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Then $8 per driver per month ($79 minimum) to track every expiry date.
Our trucks are rated at 25,500 lbs. Are we outside the rule?
Only if you also stay under 26,001 pounds of actual gross vehicle or combination weight. 14B NCAC 07C .0101 applies at 26,001 pounds or more by GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW, so a loaded run over the line is covered even when the rating is under it.
We haul 18 people in a shuttle. Does weight matter?
No. A vehicle designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver is covered regardless of weight.
Which parts are adopted?
49 CFR Parts 390 through 397, which includes Part 391 and the driver qualification file requirements in 391.51.
Other states
- Georgia · 10,001 lbs
- Florida · 26,001 lbs
- Alabama · 26,001 lbs
- Tennessee · over 26,000 lbs
- South Carolina · no weight carve-out in the rule
General information, not legal advice. State rules are amended; verify 14B NCAC 07C .0101 (recodified from 19A NCAC 03D .0801) in its current form before relying on it for your operation. Federal citations are to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.