# Truck restrictions on Garden State Parkway (NJ/US)



## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

I have a truck-specific GPS app (Copilot Truck) on my phone so I can avoid roads/bridges/overpasses that are problematic. In general it works well, especially in NY where there are many road restrictions. But in NJ, I've always believed that the Garden State Parkway north of interchange 105 prohibits "trucks" over 3.5 tons. At most entrances, signs indicate "no trucks over 3.5 tons", while a few simply say "no trucks". With this in mind, my commercially registered can is registered at 6999 pounds. A problem I'm having is that the GPS app thinks that all trucks are prohibited on the Garden State Parkway north of interchange 105.

I want to try to get the developer to correct their maps, but official information I can find indicates that all commercial traffic is prohibited on this section of the road:



> Note that the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the Garden State Parkway, north of Exit 105, are both restricted for all commercial vehicles and are subject to the rules of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission and the New Jersey Highway Authority, now merged with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, respectively.
> 
> N.J.A.C. 16:32, Appx. A


The above reference (the official publication of the NJ Administrative Code) claims to include all all Regulations adopted and published through the New Jersey Register, Vol. 45, No. 5, March 4, 2013.

Does anyone have any official information that might backup the 3.5 ton limit as the "real" rule?


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## administr8tor (Mar 6, 2010)

UncleMike said:


> Does anyone have any official information that might backup the 3.5 ton limit as the "real" rule?


My understanding is that the rated capacity is what those signs mean

My Truck is a w4500 class 4 truck, 1.5 ton rated capacity, unladen weight on title 11,800 lbs, actual weight around 13,500+

I park on a 3 ton no truck street, parking enforcement stopped to check the registration, with no care about the weight:thumbup:

What do you drive?


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

I'm driving a Ford E250 extended van, registered at 6999 pounds. As I understand it here, the registered weight is what they go by. Of course if they find that your actual weight exceeds the registered weight, you have another problem.

Having a truck-specific GPS app may seem like overkill in my case, but the alternative is using something with an RV mode, which assumes a much larger vehicle than I have, and the restrictions can be very different. I got it primarily for use in NY, where all parkways are "passenger vehicles only" (published restrictions agree with signage at entrances), and they WILL ticket you with a commercial vehicle on these roads.

NY identifies very specifically what is a "truck" and what is a "commercial vehicle". A truck is identified primarily by the number of axles, while a commercial vehicle is identified by registration, signage, and number of seats. NJ has no such definitions that I can find, so who knows what they mean by "truck"?


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

I know this is a thoroughly dead thread, but I finally found what I was looking for and thought I would pass it on:

N.J.A.C. 19:9-1.9(b) states that:



> (b) Use of the Parkway and entry thereon by the following is prohibited north of Interchange 105:
> 
> 1. Commercial vehicles with a G.V.W.R. in excess of 10,000 pounds, with the exception of vehicles holding a special permit, New Jersey State Police vehicles, buses, Authority maintenance vehicles, and other Authority authorized vehicles.
> 
> 2. Notwithstanding the limitation in (b)1 above, all vehicles in excess of 10,000 pounds are allowed on the KT Ramp in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County for purposes of accessing the Turnpike from northbound Route 9.


N.J.A.C. 19:9-1.1 defines a commercial vehicle:



> "Commercial vehicles" means every type of motor driven vehicle used for commercial purposes on the Roadway, such as the transportation of goods, wares, and merchandise.


So there you have it, commercial vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs or less are permitted on the Garden State Parkway north of Exit 105. Signs indicating "NO TRUCKS" or "NO TRUCKS OVER 3.5 TONS" are WRONG.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Someday I am gonna live in NJ.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I use the Parkway all the time and never had an issue with my van.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

HackWork said:


> I use the Parkway all the time and never had an issue with my van.


I'll let you know next time I'm in the area.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

sbrn33 said:


> Someday I am gonna live in NJ.


When did you become a masochist? 

Look at the tax rate there before you even think of a move.

The taxes on my old house was close to $14k a year in 2009.


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

HackWork said:


> I use the Parkway all the time and never had an issue with my van.


Me neither. But my old van was registered at 6,999 lbs (just under 3.5 tons). My new van is registered at 8,900 lbs (maximum GVWR per manufacturer).

The inconsistency of signage at parkway entrances really irks me - some say "NO TRUCKS", some say "NO TRUCK OVER 3.5 TONS", some say "NO TRUCKS OVER 5 TONS", and some make no mention of any restrictions. You might remember from another thread that I'm a stickler for details... Today *I took great pains... and gave them to others* at the Turnpike Authority. Actually, the guy I spoke with was very helpful and pleasant, and followed up with multiple emails with quotes and references.

Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

UncleMike said:


> Me neither. But my old van was registered at 6,999 lbs (just under 3.5 tons). My new van is registered at 8,900 lbs (maximum GVWR per manufacturer).
> 
> The inconsistency of signage at parkway entrances really irks me - some say "NO TRUCKS", some say "NO TRUCK OVER 3.5 TONS", some say "NO TRUCKS OVER 5 TONS", and some make no mention of any restrictions. You might remember from another thread that I'm a stickler for details... Today *I took great pains... and gave them to others* at the Turnpike Authority. Actually, the guy I spoke with was very helpful and pleasant, and followed up with multiple emails with quotes and references.
> 
> Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk



Always drove up and down the GSP with work vans and trucks, never had an issue.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

sbrn33 said:


> Someday I am gonna live in NJ.


East coasters and Californians have way to many rules, I don't think I could survive. 

I think our only travel restrictions over here are to make sure you're not over 13' 6" or the nearest bridge overpass will be sure to rake the extra off.

Some places just seem overly complicated to live in....


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

You’d hate it if you had a diesel Mike. They don’t inspect diesel commercial trucks under 10k anymore, no sticker or anything. I keep having to explain it to cops who aren’t aware of that. But the state won’t issue any type of sticker. Even though they issued a letter for inspection exempt gasoline trucks. They are all idiots.


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## Tonedeaf (Nov 26, 2012)

I thought the ban was only on the outside part of the parkway.
I think your good if you in the middle roadway


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

Tonedeaf said:


> I thought the ban was only on the outside part of the parkway.
> I think your good if you in the middle roadway


I think you're thinking of the New Jersey Turnpike, which has an inner roadway and outer roadway between exits 6 and 14, and allows only cars on the inner roadway. The Garden State Parkway has "express lanes" between the Asbury toll plaza and the Raritan toll plaza. These "express lanes" have fewer entrances and exits than the "normal lanes", but have the same vehicle restrictions as the "normal lanes".

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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

HackWork said:


> You’d hate it if you had a diesel Mike. They don’t inspect diesel commercial trucks under 10k anymore, no sticker or anything. I keep having to explain it to cops who aren’t aware of that. But the state won’t issue any type of sticker. Even though they issued a letter for inspection exempt gasoline trucks. They are all idiots.


I was in line at the MVC the other day next to a guy with the same problem. The only thing I can find is that:



> All Diesel-fueled motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) 8,501 pounds to 17,999 that are plated commercial. The owner or lessee is required to inspected these vehicles.


are exempt from inspection. There's probably something online that supersedes this, but I didn't find it.

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/inspection/exemptinsp.htm

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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Yeah, that's it. I was wrong about the weight. Mine is registered at like 9,900 or something so it falls into that exempt from inspection thing. 

Here's the thing, they have this letter that I saw in a gasoline van's front window. So why can't they do the same thing for exempt diesels???

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/inspection/tailpipe.htm


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I wave at Hax every time I pass through on the GSP.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

We don't have no stinkin inspections in Florida. You can buy the nastiest piece of garbage off any lot, missing the windshield, no exhaust, no seats, get a temp tag and drive it to South Beach if you want. Now the cops can pull you over and write you a repair order, but you don't need any inspections as a prerequisite to auto registration and there are no recurring inspections to maintain auto registration. 

We don't like rules. If you want to blow your hand off with fireworks, just lie on the form that says they're for sporting or agricultural purposes and they'll sell you as many and as big as you want.

Have fun. It's Florida!


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

MechanicalDVR said:


> When did you become a masochist?
> 
> Look at the tax rate there before you even think of a move.
> 
> The taxes on my old house was close to $14k a year in 2009.


Hax has been begging me to move in with him. We are still in negotiations. 
I need to start a thread with pictures of houses and tax rates.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

MikeFL said:


> We don't have no stinkin inspections in Florida. You can buy the nastiest piece of garbage off any lot, missing the windshield, no exhaust, no seats, get a temp tag and drive it to South Beach if you want. Now the cops can pull you over and write you a repair order, but you don't need any inspections as a prerequisite to auto registration and there are no recurring inspections to maintain auto registration.
> 
> We don't like rules. If you want to blow your hand off with fireworks, just lie on the form that says they're for sporting or agricultural purposes and they'll sell you as many and as big as you want.
> 
> Have fun. It's Florida!


They used to have inspection stations there. They would jack your car up on some racks and test your brakes on a machine. It was highly suppressive in the very least sense of the world. Good on Florida for rejecting the technocratic nightmare society that some idiot official's had tried to impose on the public. Here in la la land safety inspections are a joke. You pay $20 bucks cash to your local mechanic , the guy with all the gold chains and earings and we all know he don't report all that cash, and he slaps a sticker on your rear bumper after hitting your horn once and looking to see if your brake lights are working.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

sbrn33 said:


> Hax has been begging me to move in with him. We are still in negotiations.
> I need to start a thread with pictures of houses and tax rates.


Go for it!

Open some eyes.


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

*Thanks MIke*

I always had questions about the GSP. Now I know i can haul my horses to the beach that way. Did not want to get pulled over with the horses.

Cowboy


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