1. Agriculture Outreach
Office of Motor Vehicle Enforcement
Iowa Department of Transportation

2. DISCLAIMER
This slide module is intended to summarize commercial Vehicle rules
and regulations and is not intended to be used for legal guidance or as
a substitute for applicable local, state, and federal statutes.
While every attempt has been made to ensure the completeness and
accuracy of the information contained in this presentation, it is not a
detailed explanation of all applicable local, state and federal statutes.
The module is part of a larger presentation and as such is only part of a
summary of regulations that may or may not apply to you.
By use of this resource, the user agrees the Iowa Department of
Transportation assumes no liability or responsibility for the user’s
understanding and compliance to the rules and regulations

3. Legal Weights and Tonnage

4. Vehicle weight
What can trucks legally weigh?
More axles = More weight
More length = More weight
Up to the tires’ safe load ratings
and/or statutory maximum weight
limits for single, tandem, group and
gross axles

5. Vehicle weight
Tandems, groups and gross
1 2 3 4
Axles 2-3=Tandem
Axles 2-5 = Four-axle group
Axles 1-5 = Five-axle gross

6. Vehicle weight
Single axle - 20,000 lbs

7. Vehicle weight
Tandem axle - 34,000 lbs
40” - 96”
Obtain exact
measurements
on tandems

8. Vehicle weight
Singles Within A Tandem
14,000 20,000
34,000

9. Vehicle weight
Singles Within A Tandem
22,000 12,000
34,000

10. Vehicle weight
Singles Within A Tandem
19,000 18,000
37,000

11. Vehicle weight
Single axels within a spread
20,000 lbs 20,000 lbs
10’ spread/40,000 lbs

12. Vehicle weight
All six- and seven-axle vehicles
that are long enough can gross
up to 96,000 lbs.
No interstate travel allowed.

13. Vehicle weight
Bridge weight limits
All trucks, including livestock and
construction vehicles legally
weighing more than 80,000 lbs,
must comply with
posted weight
limits on bridges
and highway
structures.

14. License tonnage tolerance
 Iowa law allows for a tolerance on
the registered weight or tonnage
 5 percent for all processed products
 25 percent for all raw ag-products
The license weight tolerance does
not mean a truck can be overloaded.

15. Contact information
Motor Vehicle Enforcement
Information Line
800-925-6469
E-mail: omve@dot.iowa.gov
www.iamvd.com