GVW #'s on peoples trucks

[Cummins Cowboy]

I can't tell you how many times I have seen commercial dodge cummins trucks that have a DOT and the GVW in sticker letters on the side of the truck, The funny thing is its never the right # the most common # I see is GVW 30k I have even seen some as GVW 34k, for one thing no dodge cummins has ever had a GVW of more than 11,500 as for GCVW these guys are still way off, my question is where is everyone getting the #'s do they pull them from their butt??

 

[Dieselnerd]

My SRW 3500 says 15,000# on the license plate. The Motor Vehicle Dept. gave me a choice, 12K or 15K, same price. Had to be at least 12K because anything over 9K gets 12K plates. I could have gone higher if I wanted to pay more. For the same price I chose the 15K plate. It doesn't make a lot of sense since there is no way I'll ever be that heavy, but if I was I'd be "legal".

 

[HBarlow]

The GVWR number you see displayed on trucks used in commercial transportation is the weight the owner has registered his truck for in his home state. The figure is whatever weight the owner has decided to pay for.



As far as I know, no state cares what the manufacturer has rated the truck at, most will register the truck for whatever the owner claims and pays for. My own truck is registered for 26,000 pounds in my home state of Texas. Weight enforcement will depend on whether the owner/driver has a CDL and tire capacity of the truck and the trailer being pulled.



Harvey

 

[jelag]

Harvey has it right.....



Part of the GVW of a vehicle is the ability of the trailer to carry a load... A semi for example might be 80K for the 50 state licence... . a basic 18 wheeler... but you add an additional axle under the trailer. . so the trailer has 3 axles and now your at 105K.



As you look as some straight trucks. . you might see 19K, you can do that with (6) 19. 5" wheels like my F550...



But at the scale house they sort this out very quickly... . they actuall have several formula's but for me... its been based on the size and footprint of the tires...



My trailer has (2) 12K lb axles, and the weight that the truck can handle... . with the proper licence, insurance, and IFTA tags I've had my 04 3500 dually close to 30K... ... . I've had the weight masters crawl under the trailer and look at each tire for its load carring ability... .



Hope this helps.....

 

[GFrance]

My tanker with 4 axle truck & 4 axle trailer is licenced for 105,500 & I'm loaded to that every trip. Glad I have the mighty Cummins to get it up & over these little hills here. (23mph) Oo. Oo.

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

I always thought due to law and accident liablity that the factory ratings for the truck could not be exceeded

 

[Dieselnerd]

I believe the factory pickup truck ratings are designed by the engineers and legal people to include a large safety margin since so many people exceed it. As far as the DOT is concerned you cannot exceed the capacity of your axles, wheels or tires and this is what they look at to determine if you are overloaded. This is normally quite a bit higher than the factory GVW. Unlike our trucks, most trailers have a GVW that is the total that can be carried by the axles, tires and hitch without exceeding the ratings of either.

 

[jnelson]

I register my truck for 11,500#, thats whats on the door. On my trailer I take the dual load rating of my tires and multiply by 8 (the number of tires-2 10K duals). that figure is around 22,200lbs. So my unit combined is 33,700lbs GCVWR.



You can register for more weight but, a smart DOT man will get you for going over your tire weight rating. I have a friend of mine that hauls super heavy (16-18,000 lb loads)

all the time. Not only is this dangerous but it wears a truck out fast. The most I'll put on is 15,000. That is only on rare occasions.