Squatted Trucks, aka Carolina Squats, Are Against the Law in Several States
"It's not safe; your headlights can't aim down that far, and frankly, Tom Cruise, your short a-- can't see over the hood."
Published May 15 2024, 12:23 p.m. ET
If you're wondering what squatted trucks are, they're modified pickups or SUVs that sort of look like the truck version of a lowrider meets a monster truck. The front of the truck is elevated and the back of the truck is dropped. Sometimes there are larger tires in front. Usually, there’s an adjustable suspension to lift the front of the vehicle.
Squatted trucks, or Carolina squats, are now banned in multiple states with another ban coming later this year. Why are squatted trucks banned in certain states? Keep reading for all of the details.
Safety is the reason squatted trucks are banned in certain states.
On Jan. 3, 2021, Car and Driver published the piece “Three Aftermarket Auto Fads That Are Dumb and Bad.” The first fad covered is the squatted truck. Writer Ezra Dryer explains how the fad works. You need a lift kit on the front of the vehicle and you might need to lower the back end. He offers an anecdote about a driver doing some hardcore damage to his vehicle when a spindle broke.
On Dec. 4, 2021, Car and Driver published the piece “I Made Fun of the Carolina Squat, but I Didn't Want It to Be Made Illegal.” In this piece, Ezra says the fad should have been able to run its course without the law being involved. That’s fine and good but in the original piece, he also writes about the dangers of creating a squatted truck.
Quoting his buddy Keith who runs an off-road shop, Ezra says, “And it's not safe; your headlights can't aim down that far, and frankly, Tom Cruise, your short a-- can't see over the hood.' It jacks up the camber and makes trucks drink fuel.”
It’s that reasoning that led to House Bill 692, which the General Assembly of North Carolina passed in December 2021.
The law reads, “Prohibited Modifications. A private passenger automobile shall not be operated upon any highway or public vehicular area if, by alteration of the suspension, frame, or chassis, the height of the front fender is 4 or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender. For the purposes of this subsection, the height of the fender shall be a vertical measurement from and perpendicular to the ground, through the centerline of the wheel, and to the bottom of the fender."
In other words, you can’t make your truck higher in the front than the back. It’s dangerous. It’s also now also illegal in South Carolina.
In a May 9, 2024, report published by WCNC, Rock Hill Police Lt. Michael Chavis explains the reasoning for the new South Carolina ban. "When the front of the vehicle is lifted so much that the lights are not on the road in front of them or they can't see the distance, pedestrians or animals in front of them, it causes a safety issue."
The squatted truck ban is also the law in Virginia and, starting July 1, 2024, it will be law in Mississippi.
Before you modify your truck, maybe don’t. Just get a lowrider if you want a vehicle that goes up and down.
