U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Vehicle Technologies Office
Fact #625: May 31, 2010
Distribution of Trucks by On-Road Vehicle Weight
According to weigh-in-motion data collected by fifteen states, the majority of 5-axle tractor-trailers on the road weigh between 33,000 and 73,000 lbs.Eleven percent of the tractor-trailers had weight recorded around 72,800 lbs and 10% around 68,300 lbs. Another 10% of tractor-trailers were on the lighter end of the scale – around 37,500 lbs.These data show that only a small percent of trucks on the road are near the maximum roadway gross vehicle weight of 80,000 lbs.Thus, most trucks are filling the trailer space to capacity (cubing-out) before they reach the maximum weight limit (weighing-out).
Distribution of Five-Axle Tractor-Trailers by On-Road Vehicle Weight, 2008 
Supporting Information
Distribution of Five-Axle Tractor-Trailers by On-Road Weight, 2008
| Truck Weight (Pounds) |
Number of Trucks |
Share of Total |
| 11,000 |
0 |
0% |
| 15,400 |
20 |
0% |
| 19,800 |
80 |
1% |
| 24,300 |
160 |
1% |
| 28,700 |
435 |
4% |
| 33,100 |
875 |
8% |
| 37,500 |
1,090 |
10% |
| 41,900 |
965 |
8% |
| 46,300 |
880 |
8% |
| 50,700 |
845 |
7% |
| 55,100 |
900 |
8% |
| 59,500 |
940 |
8% |
| 63,900 |
965 |
8% |
| 68,300 |
1,085 |
10% |
| 72,800 |
1,245 |
11% |
| 77,200 |
520 |
5% |
| 81,600 |
230 |
2% |
| 86,000 |
80 |
1% |
| 90,400 |
40 |
0% |
| 94,800 |
10 |
0% |
| 99,200 |
0 |
0% |
| 103,600 |
0 |
0% |
|
Note: Data are from these 15 States: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.
Source:National Academy of Sciences, Technologies and Approaches to Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles, prepublication copy, March 2010, p. 5-45.
Original source: Federal Highway Administration, Vehicle Travel Information System, 2008. |
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