How much weight can my lorry carry?

Sounds like a simple question, right? Wrong! As news reports often show, many drivers still misplace their vehicle’s weight, meaning the vehicle could end up damaged and putting others at risk. If you’re looking into buying a truck with planned goods to move but you aren’t sure on the weight each vehicle type can carry, look no longer! We have developed a guide to help you, so you know which vehicle you need and exactly how much weight it can carry.



First thing, what is a maximum gross weight? A maximum growth weight is the weight specified by the vehicle’s manufacturer which is the maximum limit that the vehicles can carry on the road as anything over has been deemed unsafe.

The maximum gross weight available would be 44” (Tonnes) for this, you would need a 6 axles arctic, or 6 axles drawbar. While an arctic is one trailer a draw-bar attaches 2 smaller trailers to your vehicle. These are the most common truck types on UK roads.
  
The weight your vehicle can take depends on the amount of axles it has. Most 6 axle vehicles allow for 44 tonnes as long as it also follows conditions set forward by the government. These are described below:

Conditions:

- each vehicle must have at least 3 axles.

- drive axle has twin tyre and road
friendly suspension and maximum of
10.5 tonnes, or each driving axle is
fitted with twin tyres and has a
maximum of 8.5 tonnes

- trailer has road friendly suspension

- Powered by a low pollution engine.

Taking on slightly less weight, 5 axle vehicles take 40” whether it’s artic or draw-bar. There are also different guidelines for these vehicles, described below:

5 axles or more artic and the 5 axles or
more drawbar could alternatively have a
3 axle motor vehicle and a 2 axle trailer

Next we have 4 axle arctics, these vehicles can carry a maximum gross weight of 36” (38” in some cases depending on the weight capacity of individual axles of the truck)

A 4 axles rigid can carry around 30”-32” depending on the full details of the individual truck. This vehicle is used for moving bulk goods.