The Safety Issue Concerns From Maxing Vehicle Load
The Safety Issue Concerns From Maxing Vehicle Load
Vehicle manufacturers must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) ensuring they’ve produced a safe vehicle to operate on
all roadways with varying payloads and weight distribution. The analysis looks
for a performance threshold with overloading of gross vehicle weight ratings
(GVWR). When vehicles are loaded beyond their GVWR, it’s considered a safety
and risk violation putting the driver and all other motorists at risk.
Standards for GVWR testing go back to the late 1970s. Vehicle overloading is a considerable problem and is often done by the operator of the vehicle. Manufacturers are not responsible for every situation, especially when
a vehicle has been overloaded by the operator.
It is important to keep in mind that overloading is considered when vehicles are modified to meet commercial needs to maintain safety standards, such as cargo and weight distribution.
Source: NTEA