Host Cascade and suitable truck

This from a commercial haulers website concerning how their truck gvwr is determined. Found this on a haulers website thread which was poking fun at rv website myth about the truck makers gvwr determining how much load a truck can legally/safely carry. These guys and gals are scaled every day so they should know what BC says.

BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations

Weight scales: (1) thru (3) snipped for length

(4) The gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be the sum of the individual gross axle weights of all the axles of the vehicle or combination of vehicles.

Your 3500 DRW won't have any legal or safety issue carrying weight in the bed right up to its 9xxx lbs rawr in BC

If this is the case then yes, I agree, I don't have anything to worry about. This would be great, but I have read that act. I think the sentence in your response after (4) is taken out of context. I believe that sentence is from 19.05 Weight scales of the B.C. act. It is explaining how a vehicles weight is calculated by the peace officer. It is in a section explaining the procedure of weighing a vehicle and such. It is not explaining how much weight you can carry.

Very close to the above explanation about weighing a vehicle is the following under the heading Overload prohibition.

19.11(1) Unless operating under the provisions of an overload permit issued under the Commercial Transport Act, no person shall operate or cause to be operated a vehicle that is loaded in such a manner that the gross weight carried by any axle exceeds the gross weight rating for that axle as specified by the vehicle manufacturer, or the gross vehicle weight exceeds the gross vehicle weight rating for that vehicle as specified by the vehicle manufacturer.

This one pretty much seals the deal. Can't go over GVWR.


I have thought about going to the scales and just asking. Problem with that is you get different answers from different workers there as nobody seems to know what would really happen.
Its a little like going to the border and asking questions there. Depending on the border guard, you get totally different responses to the same question. Been there done that.

Pretty much only two ways to go on this. Just say forget it and overload the truck by a little and take your chances with the possible enforcement issues. Probably things would be alright. After all the majority of campers loaded on pickup trucks are overloaded. Or, get a truck that has a high enough GVWR and don't worry about it ever.

My current camper on my 2500hd is overloaded. Not by much (maybe a few hundred pounds). Never been a problem. Thing is it doesn't look overloaded. My camper is one of the smallest Northern Lites and one would expect that my truck should be able to handle it so it doesn't raise any eyebrows. Its a little different with a camper like the Cascade. That thing looks MASSIVE and just begs the question "what does that thing weigh?" Hence, being looked at a little closer.

I do appreciate every ones input into this. It helps me sort out the right way to handle it.