Squatted trucks are no longer welcome in Tabor City.
In a memorandum sent to Tabor City Police and shared on social media this week, Major C.G. Hilburn reminded officers that squatted trucks are now illegal in North Carolina, and that TCPD personnel can have vehicles towed if they are deemed a safety hazard.
State law allows for fines and potentially even license suspension for anyone operating a truck with a front fender four inches or more higher than the rear fenders. The “Carolina Squat” law went onto the books in 2021, and while it has produced some tickets, repeat offenders are a continuing problem statewide.
Hilburn’s memo notes that TCPD officers may order a vehicle towed “for repeated violations or if they believe the vehicle is unsafe due to the squat.”
“Vehicles that are disabled, abandoned or pose a hazard on the road” may also be towed at the discretion of the officer, the memo says.
The General Assembly outlawed squatted trucks of four or more inches difference after complaints about visibility for the drivers, as well as the increased angle of high beam headlights blinding oncoming traffic. Braking can also be compromised in some squatted vehicles. Fines for operating a squatted truck begin at $100 plus court costs, and repeated violations can result in a year’s suspension of driving privileges.
The modifications can cost upwards of $1,000.
South Carolina also banned the practice, but it has only been recently that law enforcement in both state began cracking down hard on violators.
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