What is gross vehicle weight rating and how does it impact fleet safety?

Gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) are critical for fleet managers to understand and utilise for fleet safety and compliance purposes.

Overloading a truck and not staying compliant with gross vehicle weight ratings can impact fleet safety directly. According to research, “truck overloading of heavy duty trucks causes at least 188 deaths per year in Australia alone. Overloaded trucks are a major safety and legal risk for all drivers and the logistics companies they work for. Heavy loads break down a truck’s mechanical components and cause poor performance(1). 

The signs of an overloaded truck include: “a sagging rear end, unresponsive suspension and steering, poor brake performance and increased stopping distance”(2).

If we dive into safety, vehicles that exceed the weight rating will have a dramatic effect on performance. Steering, manoeuvrability, braking and acceleration are all affected” (3) and can increase the risk of crashes and road accidents. 

Here’s what fleet managers need to know about GVWR to protect the integrity of your vehicles and the safety of your drivers and others on the road.

What is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating?

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable weight a vehicle can safely support, as determined by the vehicle’s manufacturer. 

The gross vehicle weight rating includes the weight of the vehicle itself, passengers, fuel and additional accessories or equipment, such as toolboxes, bed liners, truck racks and cargo slides. The rating is typically found on a truck’s door jamb or the inside of the door and can be labeled as gross vehicle weight rating, GVWR or gross weight.

Adhering to the GVWR helps curb excessive wear and tear on vehicle parts and reduces the risk and severity of crashes. However, this is not the only weight information you need to determine if your vehicle is properly loaded.

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Understanding types of weight for trucks

In addition to GVWR, several other weight-related metrics are essential for fleet management:

• Gross vehicle weight: While you may sometimes see the gross vehicle weight rating written as “gross weight” on the manufacturer’s label, these terms are not technically the same. Gross vehicle weight rating refers to the maximum allowable weight, while “gross vehicle weight” refers to the vehicle's total weight at a given moment in time.
• Curb weight: The vehicle's total weight as it sits on the curb, with a full fuel tank but without any cargo, passengers or accessories.
• Payload capacity: The maximum weight a vehicle can carry without exceeding its GVWR. This is different from trailer capacity.
• Gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR): The combined weight limit of a truck and any trailers it may be towing. This includes the truck’s curb weight, passengers, cargo and accessories, as well as a trailer’s tongue weight and its passengers, cargo and accessories.
• Tongue weight: The downward force exerted by the trailer hitch on the vehicle.
• Gross axle weight rating (GAWR): The maximum weight that can be placed on each axle.

These classifications are essential for ensuring that fleet vehicles operate within safe weight limits, which can help reduce the possibility of breakdowns and meet compliance with federal and state regulations, particularly new emissions regulations whose rules are based around GVWR.

How is the gross vehicle weight rating calculated?

Years ago, adding the gross axle weight rating together for all axles was a common way of calculating GVWR, but that’s no longer the case and is now an inaccurate way of determining gross vehicle weight ratings. 

Today, establishing a vehicle’s GVWR is more complicated because manufacturers cannot just consider component parts, but also safety system standards and how vehicles meet those standards. That is why you may see gross vehicle weight ratings that are lower than the sum of the axle ratings. 

Why is GVWR important for fleet safety?

Adhering to GVWR is critical for fleet safety. Overloaded vehicles can encounter drivability issues, reduced reliability and heightened maintenance problems. Even if you are not exceeding the weight limits, drivers should be aware of their vehicle’s gross weight limit and how close it is to the maximum rate so they can adjust their driving accordingly.

Adhering to gross vehicle weight rate can potentially reduce the following:

• Crash risk: Overloaded vehicles face a higher risk of accidents. According to research, “an overloaded truck is more likely to be involved in an accident, and have more severe consequences, than a legally loaded truck. The heavier the vehicle, the higher its kinetic energy, resulting in greater impact forces and damage – to other vehicles or to the infrastructure – in the event of a crash (4).
• Wear and tear leading to mechanical failure: The heavier the load, the harder it is on your vehicle. Exceeding GVWR means exceeding any recommended load your vehicle is designed to carry. Because heavier and overloaded vehicles are harder to steer and slower to brake and accelerate, they wear down parts faster, leading to a higher risk of breakdowns such as brake overheating or tire blowouts on the road. These types of mechanical failures can impact the safety of drivers and those around them.

Understanding and adhering to GVWR can also reduce your potential liability in a crash and demonstrate commitment to compliance because you have followed the manufacturer's recommendations and met your legal obligation regarding load limits. 

If you’ve got fleet safety on your mind, fleet management software like GPS tracking and dashcam video can also help you drive a safer tomorrow through vehicle tracking, maintenance and driver coaching.

If you want to see how fleet management can help you achieve safety goals, set up a demo today.

Sources: 

• (1-2)Truck overloading
• (3-4)Science direct
  
  
  

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