Truck Weight FAQs

In 2009, statute wording changed to allow gross weight of 80,000 pounds on properly configured axles on all roads. Correct axle configurations are required. The previous maximum vehicle gross weight of 73,280 pounds for the non-10-ton highways was removed. If there are restricted weights and posted bridges, those restrictions prevail.

Statute: 169.824, Sub 2 (1)

Road authorities have the authority to post roads as needed to prevent unreasonable damage.  The 2009 legislature made all paved roads 10-ton unless otherwise posted and all unpaved roads 9-ton unless otherwise posted.  Either road allows 80,000 pounds as long as the axles are correctly configured and legal.

Statute: 169.87, Sub 1

The difference is mainly the weight on a single axle and wheel weight limits. On a 10-ton road, a single axle can weigh up to 20,000 pounds. On a 9-ton road, it can weigh up to 18,000 pounds.  A “wheel” can weigh up to 10,000 pounds on a 10-ton road (half of the axle weight) and can weigh 9,000 pounds on a 9-ton road. There are also some differences in tandem weights depending on axle spacing (see question #4 for more information).

Statute: 169.823

The distance between axles determines how much weight the axles can haul. The normal rule is the more distance between axles, the greater weight allowed—up to the point where an individual single axle load is reached. For example, on a 10-ton road, two axles spaced 4 feet are allowed a total of 34,000 pounds. If these two axles were spaced at 10 feet, they would be allowed 20,000 pounds each for a total of 40,000 pounds. If the two axles were to be spaced any further than 10 feet, there would be no additional weight allowed as the two axles have already maximized their individual limits for a 10-ton road (20,000 pounds each)—so there is no place to put additional weight without violating a single axle load.

Statute: 169.824

If two axles are spaced too closely, they will only be allowed the weight of a single axle load. The law states that two axles spaced 40 inches or less is a “single axle.” A single axle load on a 10-ton road would be allowed 20,000 pounds. If you added another axle for the purposes of hauling additional weight and located it only 40 inches from the existing axle, it wouldn’t allow any weight advantage as—due to spacing—it is still considered a “single axle” and still only allowed that same 20,000 pounds. A second axle would need to be placed beyond 40 inches to be removed from a “single axle” classification, thus allowing more weight.

Statute: 169.822, Sub 3

The axle weight limits table is a template to determine the maximum gross weight for a truck based on its axle spacing. The axle weight table, without explanation, can give you the impression you can haul more weight than is legal. In order to use the table to achieve the maximum weight, the truck must be properly configured with proper axle spacing and proper tires. The table shows various distances between different axle options. The distance between all of the axles on the vehicle must be considered. Many of the people who attend the Minnesota Truck-Weight Education Program Workshops found that they were using the table incorrectly. It is highly recommended you obtain guidance when using the table for the first time. Understanding this table can assist with maximizing truck loads and configuring truck weight options.

Statute: 169.824, Sub 1 

When you determine your legal axle loads, you need to use tires with the proper rating and size. You never know what a legal tire load is until you know both the weight based on the tire size and the tire rating. The legal weight will always be the lesser of the two weights. Also, note a safety concern: if a truck is found to be operating with a tire weight in excess of the rating, it is considered “out of service” and cannot be operated on the highway. In determining the tire size, the law allows 600 pounds per inch of tire width on a steering tire (foremost and rearmost castering axle) and 500 pounds per inch of tire width on a non-steering tire. Note: the size of the tire is embossed on the tire, so do not measure for the size.

Statute: 169.823, Sub 1 (3) 

Super single or wide-base tires are legal on any axle as long as the tire’s size and rating comply with the weight imposed on the tire. Trucks can reduce their empty weight by switching from dual tires to super single tires. There is ongoing controversy about damage caused by single tire axles. Some local road authorities discourage single tires on flexible pavements and prefer axles with the standard dual tires.

In most cases (see question #13 for some exceptions for spring load restrictions), signs or postings are required to notify reduced load limits. Most road authorities sign roads in advance of restrictive limits such as bridges.

Statutes: 169.84 (bridges) and 169.87 (season limits)

During the time that roads are frozen and road authorities have authorized the winter load limits, the truck weights are allowed to be increased by up to 10 percent when there is adequate axle spacing and tire ratings. These increases could allow up to 88,000 pounds on all roads. Posted roads and bridges will not receive weight increases if the increases violate the posted weights.

Statute: 169.826, Sub 1 and Sub 4 

If there is a physical sign stating 9-ton weight, that sign restricts the road to 9-ton axle limits, so there would not be increases beyond the 9-ton weight limitations. This could limit maximum gross weights to 80,000 pounds if properly configured. Eighty-eight thousand (88,000) pounds is possible as long as the 9-ton axle limits are not exceeded.

Statute: 169.826, Sub 4 

The winter load increase is allowed on all Minnesota roads in the winter and does not require a transportation permit unless you operate on an interstate road. The increase comes at various times of the year depending on the ground temperatures. See this website for all seasonal load changes that include the dates of both spring and winter weight changes. You can subscribe to email notifications via this website. There is also a requirement to have adequate registration (license plate) weight to cover any additional weight. Restricted roads and bridges do not allow posted weights to be exceeded.

Statutes: 169.826, Sub 1 (weight) and Sub 3 (permit), also 168.013 (registration)

The 2009 legislature changed the wording of this statute. Effective August 1, 2009, all paved roads that are not otherwise posted (restricted) remain at 10-ton limits during restrictions. All non-paved roads are reduced to 5-ton axle weight limits. In either case, no sign is required. If the road authorities wish to change those default weights, the roads must be posted to reflect the change.

Statute: 169.87, Sub 2 

The maximum weight can vary depending on how the axles are configured on the vehicle. A maximum gross weight of 80,000 pounds is possible as long as the 7-ton axle limits are not exceeded. Due to the different possibilities of axle configurations, the gross weight could vary. Unless a road has specific restrictions (postings) to gross weight, it is the axle limits that are impacted.

Note: These two websites can help identify spring and winter load limit changes. 

• MnDOT Seasonal Load Limits, which includes an email notification option for changes on the trunk highways. 

• County Weight Information from the Truck-Weight Education Program.

License plate weight is registration weight. This weight is indicated on the registration card (also called cab card), which is, in most cases, required to be kept in the vehicle. This is a tax weight and indicates the weight range you have purchased. The law requires you to have enough registered weight to cover the weight the truck hauls, but buying the weight does not authorize you to haul more weight than is legal for the truck configuration or the road limit. Increasing your license plate weight does not, by itself, allow you to haul more weight.

Statutes: 168.013 (weight ranges) and 168.11, Sub 2 (registration card)

Implements of husbandry are generally exempt from weight limits except: an implement of husbandry that is “not self-propelled” and is equipped with pneumatic tires may not be operated on a public highway with the maximum wheel load that exceeds 500 pounds per inch of tire width (taken from the size on the tire). If, for example, you have two 30-inch tires on your grain cart, it would be limited to a weight of 15,000 pounds per tire for a gross weight of 30,000 pounds on the cart.

Statute: 169.801, Sub 1 and 2 (a)

No, the law regulating the pound per inch of tires is directed to a towed unit only, as long as it has pneumatic tires.

Statute: 169.801, Sub2 (a)

The 2008 Minnesota Legislature passed additional language which states that implements of husbandry must comply with posted weight limits on a bridge. This includes all implements, whether they have pneumatic tires or are tracked.

Statute: 169.801, Sub 4

After December 31, 2009, a person operating or towing an implement of husbandry on a bridge must comply with the gross weight limitations provided in statute 169.824 (the Minnesota Axle Weight Limit Table). This means that implements of husbandry must comply with the same gross and axle weight as other vehicles crossing bridges. Unposted bridges assume the crossing vehicles are not exceeding normal legal road weights.

Statute: 169.801, Sub2 (b)

Due to previous statutory wording regarding pneumatic tired vehicles, implements of husbandry that have tracks are exempt in some areas. However, the legislation requires they comply with bridge postings. There are other statutes in traffic law that require a 40 percent reduction in weight. These statutes, however, do not apply to the current implement of husbandry laws.

Statutes: 169.823, Sub 2 and 169.801, sub 2

This is a law that allows, by permit, weights up to 90,000 pounds in the summer and up to 97,000 pounds in the winter on six or more properly spaced axles—or 97,000 pounds in the summer and up to 99,000 pounds in the winter on a vehicle with seven or more properly spaced axles, in accordance with the Minnesota Axle Weight Limits Table. The annual permits are valid only for raw or unprocessed farm products and issued from each road authority where the load is transported. This may, in some cases, include permits from local road authorities (county, city, and township). Vehicles must comply with all bridge and road postings. Each road authority can charge a permit fee. A vehicle or combination of vehicles operating under this permit may only be operated on paved streets and highways, other than interstate highways.

Statute: 169.865

This is a law that allows, by permit, weights up to 90,000 pounds in the summer and up to 97,000 pounds in the winter on six or more properly spaced axles—or 97,000 pounds in the summer and up to 99,000 pounds in the winter on a vehicle with seven or more properly spaced axles, in accordance with the Minnesota Axle Weight Limits Table. The annual permits are valid only for road construction materials and issued from each road authority where the load is transported. This may, in some cases, include permits from local road authorities (county, city, and township). Vehicles must comply with all bridge and road postings. Each road authority can charge a permit fee. A vehicle or combination of vehicles operating under this permit may only be operated on paved or unpaved streets and highways, other than interstate highways.

Statute: 169.869

This is a law that allows, by permit, weights up to 90,000 pounds in the summer and 99,000 pounds in the winter for six or more axle vehicles to haul raw or unfinished forest products by the most direct route to the nearest paved roadway, in accordance with the Minnesota Axle Weight Limits Table. The annual permits are valid only for raw or unfinished forest products and issued from each road authority where the load is being transported. This may, in some cases, include permits from local road authorities (county, city, and township). With this permit, a six-or-more-axle vehicle may also haul loads with an outside width not to exceed 114 inches (9 feet, 6 inches), display red or orange flags, 18 inches square when exceeding 108 inches (9 feet), at the front and rear and on both sides of the load, and does not operate on any road in a metropolitan county (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington). Vehicles hauling under the over-width portion of this permit may only be operated on an interstate highway on a small portion of Interstate 35 in the Duluth area from mileposts 235.4 to 259.552, or if the gross weight does not exceed 80,000 pounds. Vehicles must comply with all bridge and road postings. Each road authority can charge a permit fee.

Statutes: 169.8261 and US Code, Title 23, section 127 (q)

Forest products in excess of 80,000 pounds are allowed on interstate roads in two instances. First, during the winter load increase, loads (by winter increase permit) can be hauled on interstate roads with weights up to 88,000 pounds. Second, changes by the federal FAST Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) allows raw and unprocessed forest products to be hauled by vehicles having six or more axles on a small portion of Interstate 35 in the Duluth area from mileposts 235.4 to 259.552 with weights up to 90,000 pounds in the summer and 99,000 pounds in the winter (as mentioned in question #22).

Statute: 169.86 and FHWA Memorandum HOFM-1 (dated February 24, 2016)

Yes, additional axles can be added to the truck or trailer; however, you must comply with the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) on each unit. Be careful not to add axles that add weight that goes beyond the GVWR on each unit. Refer to the Minnesota Axle Weight Limits Table to make certain you have the length required for the weight you wish to haul. In some cases, you may have a weight increase more than 80,000 pounds but less than the maximum of 90,000- or 97,000-pound weights. This usually happens because of the inability of the truck configuration to meet the distance requirements in the weight table. Also, make sure you use axles and tires with ratings that allow the additional weight.

Statute: 169.865, Sub 3 (a) (1 and 5)

You can obtain a copy of the statute on the website for the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Or you can download a table from the MnLTAP website.

The GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is a safety standard used to prevent overloading. The most common definition says it is “how much weight a vehicle is designed to carry. It includes the net weight of the vehicle plus its load, fuel, and any additional accessories.” In Minnesota law, it’s the weight value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum gross vehicle weight, and it's located on the line assembly plate (or vehicle identification plate) on each unit. Do not confuse this rating with GAWR (gross axle weight rating) or GCWR (gross combination weight rating), which could also be on the same plate.  Federal regulation says GVWR is “the value specified as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.”

Statute: 49 CFR 571.3

Federal regulations referencing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) allow dealers or an authorized vendor to make changes to the factory GVWR only prior to the sale of the vehicle to the first customer. This means that if you find a new vehicle that has inadequate GVWR, you can have that rating changed by an authorized person prior to purchasing the vehicle. When this is done, the person making the change must apply a new certification stating who made the changes and identity the new ratings. Normally these changes are done with the approval and knowledge of the factory that originally built the equipment. If you have older or existing vehicles with inadequate GVWR, the GVWR cannot be altered or changed.

Statutes: 169.865, Sub 3 (5) and 49 CFR 567.7

Yes, in all cases you must have registration to cover the gross weight. Registration is a tax issue and does not authorize weight where it would not be legal. Also, to only increase registration and not obtain a permit would be unauthorized transportation.

The permits mentioned earlier are valid within Minnesota and within jurisdictions of the road authorities issuing the permits. There is no reciprocity between Minnesota and other states on these permits at this time.

No, having farm plates on a vehicle does not make the vehicle an implement of husbandry. 

By statute, “implement of husbandry” means a self-propelled or towed vehicle designed or adapted to be used exclusively for timber-harvesting, agricultural, horticultural, or livestock-raising operations.  

“Farm truck” means all single-unit trucks, truck-tractors, tractors, semitrailers, and trailers used by the owner thereof to transport agricultural, horticultural, dairy, and other farm products—including livestock produced, or finished by the owner of the truck—and any other personal property owned by the farmer to whom the license for the truck is issued, from the farm to market, and to transport property and supplies to the farm of the owner.

Registering a vehicle as a farm truck does not exempt the vehicle from weight laws; however, it would reduce the amount of registration tax collected on the vehicle.

Statutes: 169.011 Subd. 35, 168.002 Subd. 8, and 168.013 Subd. 1c.