According to Diversified Transportation Services, there are over 12 million vehicles in the active goods transportation system.
If you’re currently transporting products via land delivery, you’ll need to be aware of road weight limits.
Failure to observe these weight limits can result in fines, loss of merchandise, and even road accidents.
Although road weight limits and rules differ based on state, city, and country, you should follow a few general guidelines.
Why Should You Adhere To Road Weight Limits?
Following road weight restrictions properly can be a hassle. It can be costly and time-consuming, resulting in a lack of efficiency in your supply chain.
There are plenty of reasons for the existence of road weight limits. Here are a few of the most pertinent ones.
- Avoid road accidents
- Prevent the risk of lost merchandise
- Limit the possibility of fines and lawsuits
- Keep general traffic clear.
- Maintain aesthetic integrity of roads and bridges
- Keeping an even flow of goods to meet demands adequately.
The most apparent reason to strictly follow road weight restrictions is to maximize your drivers’ safety and other drivers on the road.
Critical Factors of Road Weight Limits
Essential elements of adhering to road weight limits include:
- Individual axle weight
- Shipment shape and distribution
- Vehicle length and width
- Combination of the vehicle and the shipment shape
- Tire width
- Axle spacing
What Is Considered Overweight?
A vehicle is considered overweight on various factors, including but not limited to length, width, and weight per axle.
When considering land delivery weight limits, the most crucial factor is the amount of weight that each axle will carry and the distribution with which the weight is maintained.
Generally speaking, a vehicle that weighs more than 80,000 lbs will exceed the most sensitive roads’ weight limit.
There are, however, many roads that will require lighter cargo weights, which will be specified by signs.
What Are The Different Types of Weight Calculations?
Cargo weight limits vary greatly on roads in different neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries.
Here are a few of the best guiding calculations when considering weight limits.
Gross Weight
Gross weight is the total weight of both the vehicle and the cargo. The gross weight is the combined weight of the method of transportation as a whole.
Some general guidelines for gross weight in North America are:
- Do not exceed 20,000 lbs on a single axle.
- Do not exceed 34,000 lbs on a tandem axle.
- Do not exceed 80,000 lbs of gross weight on a single-vehicle.
Gross weight limits also differ based on the length and width of a vehicle.
Axle Weight
Axle weight can be understood as the amount of weight put on a specific axle of the vehicle. This type of weight comes into play when the cargo is distributed unevenly.
Many weight limit violations come from the fact that cargo is not divided evenly across all axles.
Here are the steps to correctly calculating axle weight:
- Add up your cargo’s weight to the vehicle’s weight and the shipping container’s weight (gross weight).
- Divide the gross weight by the number of axles and tandem axles on your vehicle.
- Account for uneven weight distribution proportionately.
If a load is distributed evenly, then the axel weight will be equal throughout.
However, you should take caution and adjust to any irregularities in your cargo weight and shape.
Bridge Weight
The bridge weight limit is calculated through the Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula. The formula is particularly important for bridges that occur in the U.S.A.
Routes that require bridges need to account for outer ad inner bridge weight.
You can use a Federal Bridge Weight Limit Calculator for easy bridge limit numbers.
When maintaining proper cargo weight, don’t forget that cargo insurance is essential for all transportation needs.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Cargo Insurance
Road Weight Limits Internationally
As you might expect, shipping internationally comes with more complications than shipping locally.
Improper weight limit regulation can potentially get your products denied at customs.
When considering road weight limits for international shipments, you’ll need to carefully consider each countries’ jurisdictions.
USA
If you’re shipping within or into the United States, you need to follow each state-based regulation properly.
Arkansaw will have a different cargo weight limit than California or New York will.
The general limit for gross weight in the United States is 80,000 lbs for a 40-foot long container.
Directly following guidelines put forth by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration will give you the best chance of success on the road.
Europe
The EU has put forth its shipping regulations, which include its weight limit restrictions.
Overall, shipments made within Europe will have a maximum weight capacity of 40-44 tonnes (40-foot containers).
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Important Shipping Weight Resources
If you want to be extra clear about your adherence to road weight limits, here are a few helpful resources that you should check out:
The U.S. Department of Transportation has posted their general guidelines for road weight limits. You can do further research on the limits that occur on the routes your merchandise will be traveling.
ZIM International Shipping Lines has everything that you need to know regarding upper weight limits in any country.
Oversize.io will tell you exactly how much you’ll be fined and charged if you are caught shipping overweight cargo.
You should consider using any of these resources to confirm that you are correctly following weight regulations.
Related: West Coast Port Congestion
It is of crucial importance that you adhere to road weight limit rules when transporting your merchandise.
Thoroughly planning your routes to avoid problem areas will be helpful. It can also be beneficial to split up larger shipments into several vehicles.
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