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The first truck weight limits were enacted in 1913 by Maine, Pennsylvania, and Washington. They passed these laws to limit damage to the dirt and gravel-surfaced roads caused by the iron and solid rubber wheels of heavy trucks. Limits on length, width, and height were adopted somewhat later in most states. Ultimately, direct Federal involvement in the regulation of truck size and weight limits did not occur until the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.
Throughout the years, the States and the Federal Government have fought over who should have the right to set the standards for the size and weight of commercial vehicles. In the end, we have a system where the Federal Government issues legal minimums that the states must allow on Interstates and a set of highways commonly referred to as the "National Network", but the states also have the power to set their own standards to some degree. Hence, we have a mix of Federal and State laws to contend with.
There are four basic weight limits: single axle, tandem axle, bridge formula, and gross vehicle. The Federal Standards are as follows:
There are a long list of critical safety issues which require putting limitations on the gross weight, axle weights, the weight distribution across the length of a vehicle, and the weight distribution across a minimum number of axles.
So as you can see, it's critical in so many ways to make sure that we follow the weight limits in strict accordance with the law. It is incredibly dangerous to overload a vehicle or to have the weight improperly distributed across the axles.
What can be the result of too much weight on the back of the trailer?
What are the Federal standards for the gross vehicle weight of a 5 axle commercial vehicle?
What is the Federal standard for the weight limit on a single axle?
What are the four basic weight limits?
What is the Federal Standard for maximum weight on a tandem axle vehicle?
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