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
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Supporting Information
| 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. |