Data On Class 8 Tractor-Trailer Combination Weights

Oct. 17, 2013 4:05 PM ET14 Comments

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Long-Term Horizon, Alternative Energy

Contributor Since 2008

I'm a lawyer and accountant who's devoted the last four decades to advising entrepreneurs on corporate finance, SEC registration and reporting, and corporate governance matters. All of my client projects have involved high levels of uncertainty, compressed timelines, and urgent financial needs that demanded unparalleled responsiveness. I know how to get major projects completed on time and within budget.

I'm a 1979 graduate of the Notre Dame Law School and a 1976 graduate of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. I was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1980 and subsequently licensed to practice as a CPA in 1981. While I don't hold myself out as a practicing accountant, I regularly use my in-depth knowledge of accounting methods, processes, and procedures to offer nuts and bolts counsel to clients who need integrated advice on finance-driven legal matters.

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I've had a number of readers ask me what the typical tractor-trailer combination truck weighs. The easy answer is "there is no easy answer" because the variability is huge. Luckily I recently found data from Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a 2008 survey of 11,365 trucks in 15 states. ORNL graphed the weight distribution as follows.

The EPA estimates the typical weight of an unladen Class 8 tractor-trailer combination is on the order of 35,000 pounds while payloads typically max out at about 40,000 pounds. So while 80,000 pounds is the load limit for Class 8 trucks, well over 90% of the tractor-trailers weigh in at less than 73,000 pounds.

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