FMCSA Changes “Gross Combination Weight Rating” Definition

March 28, 2014

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is changing the definition of weight in single-unit trucks that are towing a trailer. The FMCSA hopes this move will clarify it’s enforcement practices. This action comes in response to a petition from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which stated that enforcement officials have found it difficult to determine the status of these rigs.

The definition of  “Gross Combination Weight Rating” was amended to read as follows:

(1) A value specified by the manufacturer of the power unit, if such value is displayed on the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) certification label required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or

(2) The sum of the gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs) or the gross vehicle weights (GVWs) of the power unit and the towed unit(s), or any combination thereof, that produces the highest value. Exception: the GCWR of the power unit will not be used to define a commercial motor vehicle when the power unit is not towing another vehicle.

For more information on this, click here to read the Federal Register notice: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-03-19/pdf/2014-05502.pdf