Can You Legally Ride In A Truck Bed In North Dakota?

We've all probably seen it at least a time or two.  A group of people riding outside in a truck bed.

In fact, there's an old-school song by Daryle Singletary called "Too Much Fun" that's even about this very topic. In the video, the singer has 14 people in the back of his pickup truck.  The sheriff pulls him over and tells him "He's having too much fun."  Here's that 90s throwback.

I recently came across a similar situation on I94 near Menoken.  A group of people were piled into the bed of a Ford F-150 and they looked like they were having the time of their life.  No judgment on my part, as I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of doing that back in the day.

It got me thinking, is it even legal to have people ride in the back of a pickup bed in North Dakota?

I figured it had to be illegal right?  Then again, I thought that would be the case with a dog riding unrestrained in the back of a pickup truck too, but it's not.

So, I sat down with one of Bismarck's finest to see if you can get into trouble for having "Too Much Fun" with people in the back of a pickup truck.

As it turns out, it's actually LEGAL to have people ride in the back of pickup trucks in North Dakota.

Kind of.  There are several scenarios where you could still get pulled over for it and ticketed.  For one, juveniles need a child restraint of some kind (a seatbelt or child seat).  There's no specific law prohibiting the specific riding in the truck bed, but you can be pulled over for other reasons.  Placing children 17 and under in the bed of a pickup will get you stopped quickly because you're not providing a child safety restraint and placing them in potential danger.

Keep in mind, depending on the officer, you could be stopped for other reasons.  They could cite you for reckless or careless driving if you are swerving or committing some other type of driving maneuver that may endanger the passengers in the bed of the truck.

So, there you have it.  It's clear as mud.  It's legal, but it would still be pretty easy to get pulled over for it.  Proceed with caution my friends, and remember, I ain't ever had too much fun.

Video courtesy of the Country Back Channel on YouTube.