Le Truck?

RobertRyan wrote:

European and Australian.ratings do not give US Pickups the same ratings as in the U.S., cuts both ways.

Most do like the Land Rovers, Jeeps, Nissans, and other identical for the most part even down to their GAWR. What is not the same are the trucks for the most part. Many of the midsize trucks over there that have a GVWR of 7,000 or more over there are less over here due to regulation.

The only trucks that are less over there from the US for the most part are the full size conversions. However, that mostly has to do with licensing from to what the guys over at Performax(one of Australia's leading converter of US imports) told me in an email. They purposely downgrade the trucks to fit in the class C licence for their customers who don't want to have to buy a LR licence. They said since the GVM is downgraded then so is the tare (payload) since the tare weight is determined by subtracting the trucks curb weight from the GVM. If you downgrade the GVM then you will automatically downgrade the tare(payload) as well. They even led me to their website where it says:


"GVM and licensing
In Australia, a car driver licence is limited to driving vehicles up to a maximum GVM of 4495 kg (9900 lb). Beyond this, a different class of licence is required. A vehicle with a GVM under 4495 kg is termed a light vehicle, while those over 4495 kg are termed heavy vehicles.

Many models of truck, for example F-Trucks, Silverado or GMC Sierra Denali, are manufactured to have a GVM rating of 5000 to 7000 kg (11,000 to 15,400 lb) but sold with the option of a GVM of just under 4495 kg so that they can be driven on a car licence. This is called a GVM downgrade.

As a government-approved provider, Performax International and its dealers may be able to assist with GVM downgrades on some vehicles to allow driving on a car licence. This is covered under state legislation, therefore differs from state-to-state."

Performax Towing Guide