What is a gross vehicle weight rating?

Gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) are critical for fleet managers to understand and utilize for fleet safety, maintenance and compliance.

Ignoring a vehicle GVWR can have dire consequences: The heavier the vehicle, the more likely it is to be in a crash, and overloading is a contributing cause of rollovers.¹

In fact, exceeding the weight rating “will have a dramatic effect on performance. Steering, maneuverability, braking and acceleration”² and can increase the risk of crashes and road accidents. 

Here’s what fleet managers need to know about GVWR’s meaning, so they can protect the integrity of vehicles, maintain compliance with regulations and prioritize the safety of drivers and others on the road.

What is GVWR?

Gross vehicle weight rating 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. One important nuance to note: if you are using a trailer, the full trailer weight does not count your gross vehicle weight rating, but the tongue weight – the downward pressure the trailer applies to the hitch – does count. 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 your vehicle’s GVWR helps curb excessive wear and tear on vehicle parts and reduces the risk and severity of crashes. In addition to safety, gross vehicle weight ratings impact compliance requirements. A GVWR of 26,001 lbs or more triggering commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements,

Fleet managers are increasingly turning to fleet technologies to help manage maintenance and find cost savings—see how much in our Fleet Technology Trends Report.

The difference between GVWR and towing capacity

Gross vehicle weight rating does not tell you how much your vehicle can tow. Towing capacity is determined separately and depends on factors such as engine strength, transmission, axle ratios and hitch type.

To find your vehicle’s towing capacity:

• Check the owner’s manual, which lists maximum trailer weight.
• Look for the towing information label sometimes located near the hitch or inside the door.
• Visit the manufacturer’s website and use your VIN to look up exact towing specifications.

While GVWR represents how much weight the vehicle itself can safely carry, towing capacity represents how much additional weight it can pull. Both must be understood to avoid overloading.

Understanding types of weight for trucks

In addition to gross vehicle weight rating, several other weight-related metrics are essential for fleet management. These help you better understand GVWR meaning, including what it is and is not:

• 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 weight rating (GCWR): 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.³

How GVWR and CDL requirements interact

It’s important that fleet managers understand their vehicles’ weight ratings for compliance as well as safety. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) uses these ratings to determine if a driver requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL).³

Because weight correlates to operational risk, federal law uses GVWR for CDL requirements, based on the following thresholds:

• Class A: Required for combination vehicles (truck and trailer) if the gross combined vehicle weight rating is 26,001 pounds or more, provided the trailer’s gross weight rating exceeds 10,000 pounds.
• Class B: Required for any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more.
• Class C: Required for smaller vehicles that do not meet Class A or B criteria but are designed for 16+ passengers or used to transport hazardous materials.

Crucially, these mandates are based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating, not its actual scale weight at the time of a stop. Operating a vehicle rated at 26,001 pounds without a CDL — even if the truck is currently empty — can result in heavy fines and immediate out-of-service orders.

Operating a vehicle over its rated capacity can trigger immediate out-of-service orders. For a comprehensive strategy on managing these and other regulatory risks, download our guide to compliance management for fleet vehicles.

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 gross vehicle weight rating 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. 

How to find your vehicle’s GVWR

Fleet managers don’t need special tools to locate a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating. In most cases, gross vehicle weight rating information is already listed in several easy-to-access places:

• Safety certification label: Found on the driver’s side doorjamb or pillar and includes key weight specifications.
• Owner’s manual: The GVWR appears in the detailed specifications section provided by the manufacturer.
• Manufacturer website: Enter the vehicle’s VIN to look up GVWR and other weight-related data.

Why is gross vehicle weight rating important?

GVWR is a foundational safety, maintenance and compliance metric for any fleet. Staying within a vehicle’s rated capacity protects both your assets and your drivers while reducing operational risk. Here’s why it matters:

• Safety: Exceeding GVWR significantly reduces braking efficiency, stability and steering response. Heavier loads also raise the risk of rollovers and increase stopping distance, especially when drivers do not adjust following distance or speed for the load.⁴
• Longevity and maintenance costs: Overloading accelerates wear on suspension components, brakes, tires and powertrain systems. Even operating near the upper limit consistently can shorten vehicle lifespan and increase the frequency of unscheduled repairs. Learn how to mitigate this wear-and-tear in our eBook: 4 ways telematics can improve fleet maintenance.
• Legality and liability: Operating a vehicle above its gross vehicle weight rating can result in citations, roadside out-of-service orders and penalties under state or federal regulations.⁵ In the event of a crash, an overloaded vehicle may expose a company to heightened liability if investigators determine that weight contributed to the incident. Additionally, because that 26,001 GVWR carries CDL requirements, it’s important for fleet managers to be aware of all their vehicles’ weight ratings.
• Load planning and operational efficiency: Understanding a vehicle’s GVWR enables accurate load distribution, cargo planning and routing decisions. To find allowable cargo capacity, subtract the vehicle’s actual curb weight—including passengers, fuel and installed equipment — from the gross vehicle weight rating. Additionally, a commercial navigation mobile app like Verizon Connect’s Spotlight can help determine routes based on vehicle height, weight and load type. This helps fleets avoid overweight violations and optimize how vehicles are assigned across jobs.
• Determining tax write-offs for certain fleets: GVWR also plays an important role in determining vehicle eligibility for significant tax incentives. In Section 179 of U.S. tax code,⁶ vehicles with a GVWR over 6,000 lbs are classified as heavy equipment rather than passenger cars. This distinction often allows businesses to deduct up to 100% of the purchase price in the first year. Always consult with a tax professional to see how your fleet's GVWR impacts your bottom line.

By making GVWR part of regular safety checks and load planning practices, fleets can reduce breakdowns, stay compliant and maintain safe operating conditions for every driver and vehicle.

GVWR is just the beginning of a safe fleet. Download our guide on how to create a fleet safety program to integrate load planning and driver coaching into your daily workflow.

Sources

¹ https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2021#A2

² https://www.ntea.com/articles/tech-connections/vehicle-overloading-may-cause-safety-concerns

³ https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license/drivers

⁴ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3256782/

⁵ https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/NewEntrant/Regulations.aspx

⁶ https://www.irs.gov/publications/p946

Disclaimer: Verizon Connect does not provide legal advice and shall have no liability whatsoever for any damages that arise from, or are connected with, your use of this blog. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for legal advice. You should consult your own legal advisors to seek the proper advice with reference to any compliance-related information in this blog.