Littering law — Tennessee Permit Test

A vehicle carrying litter or any load likely to fall or blow off onto the highway must have it enclosed or fully covered by a tarp.

Trash or gravel blowing out of a truck bed can hit the windshield behind it. The driver may swerve into another lane.

Tennessee law requires any motor vehicle transporting litter or any material, likely to fall or be blown off onto the highway, to be in an enclosed space or fully covered by a tarpaulin.

Littering is against Tennessee law, and fines start at $50 and can go up to $3,000, based on the amount of litter.

A bag tossed from the window still costs money. The bigger the mess, the bigger the fine.

Fines start at $50 and can be up to $3,000 based upon the amount of litter.

A person convicted of littering is required to spend up to 40 hours of public service picking up litter.

The penalty is to clean the roadside by hand. You see the mess other drivers leave behind.

A person convicted of littering is required to spend up to 40 hours of public service removing litter and at the discretion of the court, spend up to 8 additional hours of working in a waste recycling center.

How must a vehicle carry litter or a load that could blow onto the highway?

Enclosed or fully covered by a tarp. Trash or gravel blowing out of a truck bed can hit the windshield behind it. The driver may swerve into another lane. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.46: “Tennessee law requires any motor vehicle transporting litter or any material, likely to fall or be blown off onto the highway, to be in an enclosed space or fully covered by a tarpaulin.”