Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
The total permissible weight of a vehicle including its own weight, fuel, crew and payload.
Gross Vehicle Weight is the maximum a vehicle is permitted to weigh when fully loaded — the chassis, body, fuel, driver, crew and cargo combined. It is stamped on the registration certificate and is the figure enforcement checks against at a weighbridge.
GVW is set by the vehicle's axle configuration rather than by its body size. A two-axle rigid truck, a three-axle rigid and a multi-axle articulated combination each have different permissible limits, and those limits were revised upward for several categories in 2018. Because the figures are set by notification and differ by configuration, the authoritative number for any given vehicle is the one on its own RC.
The practical relationship worth remembering is simple: GVW minus kerb weight equals the payload you can legally carry. Fleets that quote capacity from the body size rather than from this calculation routinely dispatch overloaded and pay for it at the first check.
This entry describes statutory requirements, which change by notification and can differ between states. Treat it as orientation, not legal advice, and confirm the current position for your own operation before relying on it.
Weights & measures
How load is measured, charged and legally limited.
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