Truck Following Distance Laws by State
The gap you must keep, with the truck-specific rule where one exists — a fixed 200 to 500 feet on the open road — versus the general "reasonable and prudent" standard. Covers all 50 states and DC. Reference only, not legal advice.
22Fixed truck gap
24Gap between trucks
200-500Typical gap (ft)
51Jurisdictions
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Two standards
The truck rule and the catch-all
Every state has the general "reasonable and prudent" standard — don't follow closer than is safe for the speed and conditions. On top of that, many states set a specific truck distance on the open road, commonly 200 to 500 feet, or require you to leave room for a passing car to merge in. Those fixed gaps usually drop away in cities and stop-and-go traffic. When in doubt, run the rule of thumb: one second per 10 feet of length, plus one for bad weather.
02
By state
Following-distance rules for all 50 states and DC
Tap a state for the truck rule, the required gap, and the following-too-closely fine.
| State | Truck rule | Required gap |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck or combination when both are 25 feet or longer, outside a business or residence district; separate general rule of 20 feet per 10 mph for all drivers |
| Alaska AK | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge, outside a business or residence district and only when a rig towing follows another rig towing - no fixed feet |
| Arizona AZ | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — behind another truck outside town leave room for a passing car to merge; otherwise reasonable and prudent |
| Arkansas AR | Fixed truck gap | 200 feet behind any vehicle, outside a business or residence district — applies to any motor truck or any vehicle towing another vehicle; does not prevent overtaking and passing |
| California CA | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another big rig, outside a business or residence district - switched off on a highway with two or more lanes in your direction, and never bars passing |
| Colorado CO | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — behind another truck outside town leave room for a passing car to merge; otherwise reasonable and prudent |
| Connecticut CT | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for another vehicle to merge when running in a caravan — no fixed feet |
| Delaware DE | Fixed truck gap | Not less than 300 feet behind the vehicle ahead, outside a business or residence district |
| District of Columbia DC | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for an overtaking car to merge in front of you - no fixed feet; applies only to a combination following another combination |
| Florida FL | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck or towing vehicle, outside a business or residence district; switched off on any lane specially designated for trucks or slow-moving vehicles |
| Georgia GA | Gap between trucks | sufficient space for a passing car to merge — no fixed feet |
| Hawaii HI | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge, outside a business or residence district and behind another motor truck |
| Idaho ID | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — a combination towing another vehicle must leave room for a passing car to merge; behind anyone else, reasonable and prudent |
| Illinois IL | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — behind another truck on the open road |
| Indiana IN | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another motor truck or tractor-trailer, outside a business or residence district and anywhere on the interstate highway system; drops when passing or platooning |
| Iowa IA | Reasonable & prudent | No fixed distance — reasonable and prudent |
| Kansas KS | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing vehicle to merge — behind another truck outside a business or residence district; no fixed feet |
| Kentucky KY | Fixed truck gap | 250 feet behind another truck, bus, or heavy-equipment unit, outside a business or residential district |
| Louisiana LA | Fixed truck gap | 400 feet behind another motor truck, outside a business or residential area; does not prevent overtaking and passing |
| Maine ME | Fixed truck gap | 150 feet behind another truck, outside a business or residential district; does not stop you from overtaking and passing |
| Maryland MD | Gap between trucks | Enough space for a passing car to merge - no fixed feet; outside a business or residential district, behind another truck or a towing vehicle |
| Massachusetts MA | Reasonable & prudent | No fixed distance — reasonable and prudent |
| Michigan MI | Fixed truck gap | 500 feet behind a like vehicle over 5,000 lbs gross weight, outside the corporate limits of a city or village, except when passing; plus a separate 'leave room for a passing car to merge' convoy gap for trucks on the open road |
| Minnesota MN | Fixed truck gap | 500 feet behind ANY vehicle out on the open road for trucks, buses, and rigs towing |
| Mississippi MS | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another motor truck, outside a business or residence district; does not apply on a lane specially designated for trucks; does not prevent overtaking and passing |
| Missouri MO | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck or bus, on a public highway outside a business or residential district, except when passing |
| Montana MT | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — reasonable and prudent, plus leave room for a passing car between vehicles in a line outside town |
| Nebraska NE | Fixed truck gap | 100 feet behind another truck or combination outside a business or residential district |
| Nevada NV | Fixed truck gap | 500 feet behind another truck or combination 80 inches or more in overall width - switched off where there are two or more lanes in your direction, and never bars passing |
| New Hampshire NH | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge when you're behind another truck or combination outside a business or residence district — no fixed feet |
| New Jersey NJ | Fixed truck gap | 100 feet behind another truck, outside a business or residence district; does not stop you from overtaking and passing |
| New Mexico NM | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck outside a business or residence district; otherwise reasonable and prudent |
| New York NY | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge when you're behind another truck or combination outside a business or residence district — no fixed feet |
| North Carolina NC | Gap between trucks | sufficient space for a passing car to merge — no fixed feet; North Carolina's convoy rule binds ANY vehicle outside a business or residential district, not just trucks |
| North Dakota ND | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge — behind another truck outside a business or residence district; no fixed feet |
| Ohio OH | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck only while ascending to the crest of a blind grade outside a municipal corporation; on the rest of the open road, leave sufficient space for a passing car to merge — no everyday fixed-feet gap; not on truck-only lanes, not while passing |
| Oklahoma OK | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck — any vehicle with more than six tires on the road — except when passing; applies everywhere, no business/residence-district limit |
| Oregon OR | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge, on the open road or a city freeway and behind another truck, commercial bus or vehicle in tow - no fixed feet |
| Pennsylvania PA | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge - no fixed feet; outside an urban district, behind another truck or a combination |
| Rhode Island RI | Reasonable & prudent | No fixed distance — reasonable and prudent; leave room for a passing car in a business or residential district |
| South Carolina SC | Gap between trucks | sufficient space for a passing car to merge — no fixed feet |
| South Dakota SD | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing vehicle to merge — behind another truck outside a business or residence district; no fixed feet |
| Tennessee TN | Fixed truck gap | 300 feet behind another truck of equal or greater capacity, outside city limits |
| Texas TX | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge — no fixed feet; only behind another truck, outside a business or residence district |
| Utah UT | Reasonable & prudent | No fixed truck gap — at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle ahead |
| Vermont VT | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing vehicle to merge outside a business or residential district — no fixed feet; applies to any vehicle, not just trucks |
| Virginia VA | Reasonable & prudent | No fixed distance - reasonable and prudent for the speed and conditions |
| Washington WA | Gap between trucks | Sufficient space for a passing car to merge, on a road outside a business or residence district and behind another truck - no fixed feet |
| West Virginia WV | Fixed truck gap | 200 feet behind another truck, bus, or combination, outside a business or residence district |
| Wisconsin WI | Fixed truck gap | 500 feet behind any vehicle ahead, outside a business or residence district, for a truck or combination over 10,000 lbs; not on truck-only lanes, not while passing, and not for platoon followers |
| Wyoming WY | Gap between trucks | No fixed feet — outside town leave room for a passing car to merge; otherwise reasonable and prudent |
Sources: the cited state statutes; AAA Digest of Motor Laws. Last reviewed July 2026. Fixed distances usually apply outside business and residential districts; confirm before you rely on a figure.
Truck Following Distance FAQ
How much following distance must a truck keep?
It depends on the state. Many set a specific gap for trucks on the open road, commonly 200 to 500 feet, or require enough space that a passing car can safely merge in front of you. The rest apply the general "reasonable and prudent" standard, where the safe gap is judged by speed, load, and conditions. The industry rule of thumb is one second per 10 feet of vehicle length, plus one in bad weather.
What is the "reasonable and prudent" following rule?
It is the catch-all standard in every state: you may not follow more closely than is reasonable and prudent, given the speed of traffic and the condition of the road. It gives an officer wide latitude, so a rear-end crash or a close follow in the rain is easy to cite. States that add a fixed truck distance layer it on top of this standard.
Why do some states have a special truck following distance?
Because a loaded truck needs far more room to stop than a car, and a tight gap between big rigs blocks other traffic from merging or exiting. The fixed distances, often 200 to 500 feet outside towns, keep space open for cars to pass and give you room to brake. They usually do not apply in cities or in stop-and-go traffic.
What is the fine for following too closely?
Following too closely is a moving violation everywhere, typically a fine in the low hundreds plus points on your record, and it climbs in a work zone. For a CDL holder it is also a CSA/SMS violation that hurts your carrier's safety score, and a following-too-close conviction tied to a crash carries far more weight than the ticket alone.
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