Door decal and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

[Reddog1]

This subject comes up quite often It is frequently argued (discussed) as to what the door decals (Vehicle Certification Label) means, and how the GVWR is determined.

The purpose of this post is to provide what I see as official information on the Vehicle Certification Label. This is not intended to discuss what is or is not an overloaded truck.

This information is from the 2004 Dodge Ram Service Manual. The photos are from this manual. I will follow with additional photos to further emphasize what inks in this photo.




Note the Vehicle Certification Label (decal) clearly states the GVWR is based on the tires and wheels. This Vehicle Certification Label is not on a truck, but only the data would change if it were for a truck.




Again a clear reference to the tires and rims determining the GVWR.




We can read into this to ignore what it tells us, but I think it is very clear. If you have knowledge of anything that contradicts this 2004 Ram Service Manual, please post.

Wayne

[wnjj]

Kayteg1 wrote:
I am not talking about weights, but fees for the weight.
With any chance could you scan your registration bill, with name blanked out?
I am not only curious, but I plan to move soon to other state and lot of things seems to be different between the states.
My next state is going to be Nevada, so that would be the most interesting.

Same situation with Oregon: No weight distinction here unless you have a "T" (truck) plate and those are only needed for pulling trailers over 8k lbs, RV's excluded. Oregon T-plates are registered by weight and the trailers they pull have permanent plates.

[lc0338]

recycler wrote:

lc0338 wrote:
Cab and chassis vehicles do not have this data on door panel or should I say my dodge ram 3500 in year model 2001 did not.

Must be a Dodge thing my 1999 F550 had one plus the upfitter GVWR sticker on trim panel behind seat.

I suspect if my uplift had been done through the dealer it probably would have had the door panel data. I just drove the cab & chassis off the dealer lot and drove it directly to my haybed dealer who normally installs these type beds on farm vehicles (some on new trucks, some on used trucks). Also suspect cab and chassis dealer was not sharpest crayola in box or they would of at least gave me an "incomplete vehicle" label and told me the scoop on how the process worked when using auto dealer uplifters. More likely all cab and chassis this dealer sells are to farmers that go get their own flatbed uplift, and I as a consumer was also not the sharpest pencil in the box and didn't even notice there was no data.

[recycler]

lc0338 wrote:
Cab and chassis vehicles do not have this data on door panel or should I say my dodge ram 3500 in year model 2001 did not.

Must be a Dodge thing my 1999 F550 had one plus the upfitter GVWR sticker on trim panel behind seat.

[Kayteg1]

I am not talking about weights, but fees for the weight.
With any chance could you scan your registration bill, with name blanked out?
I am not only curious, but I plan to move soon to other state and lot of things seems to be different between the states.
My next state is going to be Nevada, so that would be the most interesting.

[JIMNLIN]

Kayteg1 wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:

My state doesn't have buried weight class registration numbers for non commercial vehicles.

Are you sure your truck registration has no line
"weight fee" ?
This is the fee that pays for the roads and I would believe all states have roads than need to be maintained.

As I said above no weights of any type is offered nor is one required nor any available for a non commercial truck.
Only for a commercial registered truck or truck/trailer combo is a weight required in this state.

[Kayteg1]

JIMNLIN wrote:

My state doesn't have buried weight class registration numbers for non commercial vehicles.

Are you sure your truck registration has no line
"weight fee" ?
This is the fee that pays for the roads and I would believe all states have roads than need to be maintained.

[JIMNLIN]

ah wrote:
My point is that it may be very difficult to find non-commercial weight classes in some states but they might exist even if there isn't a lot of documentation.

My state doesn't have buried weight class registration numbers for non commercial vehicles. I wouldn't guess about other states requirements other than what some members from those states have said.
Non commercial trucks in this state registration is based on vehicle price/vehicle age/number of years registered. No weights/stickers/etc are offered as non are needed.

Now the same truck with a commercial registration will have a registered gross vehicle weight which is then put on the GVWR line on the title.

[AH64ID]

towpro wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
It seems to me it is clear that GVWR is not an absolute in at least some official localities, but yet, still an absolute for some people on RV.NET. 😉

If I was running over weight, I would worry more about the lawyer the other person would hire if I was in an accident.

I can hear it now "your honer, even though my client caused the accident, the person driving the truck was overweight, and should never been on the road in the first place".
Judge says "correct, truck driver is guilty and charged with accident"

What is the definition of overweight? Would it not fall under the statutes for the registered state?

The judge has to look at the laws as they are what is legally enforceable. Even in a gross negligence case there has to be something substantial to prove it. The law states "x, y, and z and doesn't state B" is a good response, but that is my opinion and I am not a judge.

Look at the CFR I posted earlier and make your own sticker if you feel comfortable.

Just asking, not arguing.

[towpro]

jimh425 wrote:
It seems to me it is clear that GVWR is not an absolute in at least some official localities, but yet, still an absolute for some people on RV.NET. 😉

If I was running over weight, I would worry more about the lawyer the other person would hire if I was in an accident.

I can hear it now "your honer, even though my client caused the accident, the person driving the truck was overweight, and should never been on the road in the first place".
Judge says "correct, truck driver is guilty and charged with accident"

[AH64ID]

JIMNLIN wrote:
Our private use vehicle titles have a line for registered weights but its blank in this state.

It is also blank in Idaho but there are 3 classes. Even if you pay for 26K it isn't always printed for a non-commercial vehicle. Mine has only been printed on the registration 2 or 3 times in the last 7 years. I have never seen it printed on my cars with the 0-8,000 rating.

Idaho also doesn't advertise that there are multiple weight classes for non-commercial, but they do ticket for it.

Anything with an RV sticker (5er, TT, etc) doesn't count towards your weight thou. So a 6,500 lb pickup with 400 lbs of people, 1,000 lbs of TW can be legal with the 0-8,000 lb registration even if his GCW is 12,000 as long as his trailer has an RV sticker. Change out the camper for a dump trailer and the same weights can get you a ticket.

One really easy way cops can tell if you are registered for 0-8,000 or higher is by the date of expiration. If you register for 8,000+ your tags always expire in December and under 8,001 can expire any month.

My point is that it may be very difficult to find non-commercial weight classes in some states but they might exist even if there isn't a lot of documentation.

[Kayteg1]

For private use in CA there is no reason to register the vehicle at its full capacity AND PAY HIGHER FEES as you can just load it and go.
Once you come to vehicles 15k + that you use for towing, that is when GCWR comes in play. You have to declare max combo weight you plan to have and you will get square stickers that you place on the doors visible from outside.
On my F450 I had 30k stickers and those alone cost me about $400 a year.
It is all about tax money.
BTW all my Mercedes do have weight stickers on door pillar, so I wonder if Germans put them only on exported models.

[JIMNLIN]

Kayteg1 wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:


IMO its fruitless trying to figure why or how a truck makers arrives at a GVWR or the GAWRs for a particular truck.

I never had a problem with this part.
Check with DMV what GWVR steps up registration fee, or require special licencing.
In CA pickup is a vehicle with GVWR of no more than 13,400lb and guess what the sticker on my dually says?
In other states 10,000lb is magic number where the fees step up sharply.
That is why you have so many pickups with 9980lb stickers.

Then we have states like mine that have no weight of any kind for vehicle registration purposes (unless the truck is registered for commercial service.) Our private use vehicle titles have a line for registered weights but its blank in this state.

I saw where one poster from a northeast state says his state requires a GCW registration . I've seen others say they have a gross laden weight and others a GVW.

This from CA website Q&A about declaring weights;
California
Declared Operating Weight

What are GVW and CGW?

3. Q - Can I declare an operating weight higher than my vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)?

A-** Yes, but only if you are declaring the weight of your vehicle in combination with a towed vehicle and its load (the Combined Gross Weight). NOTE: A declared Combined Gross Weight does not authorize a truck without another vehicle in tow to exceed the truck's authorized axle weight limits.**

[jimh406]

It seems to me it is clear that GVWR is not an absolute in at least some official localities, but yet, still an absolute for some people on RV.NET. 😉

[AH64ID]

ticki2 wrote:

Some questions for the Californians , I am just trying to understand this .

What , if any is the criteria for registering the GVWR of your truck ?

Could you register a 1500 pickup at 13,300 ?

What is a manufacturers responsibility if you register their 10k GVWR truck at 13k ?

I am not talking about the trucks actual capability , just the legal aspect , which I think is what the original post was about , but I have been wrong before .

In Idaho all the person registering the vehicle has to do is tell the clerk what weight you want. Idaho registers for GCW not GVW thou. There are 3 main categories for non-commercial. 0-8,000 lbs, 8,001-16,000 lbs, and 16,001-26,000. You can go above 26K but it isn't your standard registration.

You could, in theory, register a Ford Fiesta for 26,000lbs.

The manufacturer ratings would really only come into play, for the manufacturer, under warranty claims. Outside of warranty the manufacturer really wouldn't care.

There are other ways you can be illegal even if you are within your registered weight. The most blatant is to exceed tire ratings. Aside from tire ratings there aren't any specific laws in terms of loading and weight. GAWR is not an enforceable number for any axle except a TAG axle. GVWR and GAWR are only listed in the statues under definitions and not again (aside from TAG GAWR).

There is always the unsafe vehicle, or unsafe operation you can get ticketed for. This is where you had better know the laws, and the actual capabilities of your vehicle and why 19.5's on a 1500 don't mean you can run with a 3500 SRW using 19.5's.

GVWR is such a abused number on HD pickups anymore. It is based on marketing and vehicle class and not on actual capabilities.