Payload "capacity/rating" - not even the OEM's agree?

We used to purchase the next size up license for our dump trucks. The licensing system had ranges that were either too low or too high for our equipment. This had nothing to do with whether the trucks were overloaded mechanically or not. Simply better to have a 50,000 pound license when loaded to 48,000 pounds than one for 46,000 pounds. Licensing requirements are not necessarily tied to equipment capability. Heck, they used to be based on engine size.