What are Class 7 and 8 trucks?

Show a truck to the average person off the street, and all they see is a truck. When a driver or fleet manager sees one however, their brains start computing, cataloging the vehicle into the proper class. How much does it weigh? What’s the payload designation? Is it a heavy-duty truck requiring a special license to drive it? All those elements factor into the truck classification, signifying what the vehicle is built to do.

How Truck Classification Works

In a nutshell, truck classification looks at the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or the GVWR. It’s how manufacturers label trucks based on government guidelines. The GVWR indicates the maximum truck weight plus what it’s able to carry fully loaded. That includes the truck’s own weight plus the fuel, cargo, passengers, and even the trailer tongue, according to the diesel website the TruckStop. Trailer classification regulates safety, but it’s also useful for commercial designation and when registering vehicles.

Why Does It Matter?

In short, a truck’s GVWR is also used to determine things like how long a truck can operate continuously, what kind of permits you need to obtain to operate it, and whether you need to stop at weigh stations.

Here are some of the items impacted by the GVWR:

Permit requirements
If you’re hauling oversized equipment, you may need certain identifying marks (like signs) and permits to proceed.

DOT number regulations
If your vehicle is more than 10,001 pounds, it must have a Department of Transportation (DOT) number on both sides, not just one.

Maintenance needs
A repair shop or mobile technician isn’t going to be able to properly prepare for you if they don’t have the right information about your vehicle. If you say “Class 7,” they’ll know they need certain tools available, or space set aside in a bay.

License levels
It’s not one-license-fits-all for big trucks! A driver needs a CDL to operate anything over 26,000 pounds, but those licensing regulations are further divided into Class A (26,001 pounds or more, provided that you’re towing something over 10,000 pounds); Class B (26,001 pounds or more, towing a vehicle that weighs up to 10,000 pounds); or Class C (passenger transport or hazardous materials).

Hours-of-service (HOS) laws
If you’re driving a vehicle that weighs more than 10,001 pounds, FMCSA’s Interstate Truck Driver’s Hours of Service will apply to you.

Weigh station guidelines
If your truck is over a certain amount of weight, you are required to stop at weigh stations for a check.

The Categories

Categories begin with Class 1 and run through Class 9. Considered “light,” Classes 1 through 3 typically cover non-commercial vehicles. Minivans, cargo vans, SUVs, and pickup trucks, for example.

Medium Trucks

Truck classification for medium trucks involves Classes 4, 5, and 6. That’s where commercial trucks start to show up. Classes 4 and 5 include some full-size trucks used non-commercially. Still, most of the medium-class vehicles are made and used for commercial purposes.

Class 4—The GVWRs for this class range between 14,001 and 16,000 pounds. This class is where you’ll find the Ford E-450 passenger van and F-450 super duty pickup. Box trucks typically fall into this truck classification. So do some large walk-in and city delivery trucks.

Class 5—This class covers trucks with GVWRs from 16,001 to 19,500 pounds. There are still a few vehicles in this class that straddle the line between non-commercial and commercial use such as Ford’s F-550. However, this class is where more commercial vehicles emerge. It includes larger walk-ins and delivery trucks, as well as bucket trucks or cherry pickers.

Class 6—With GVWRs between 19,501 and 26,000, this class covers medium-duty commercial trucks. It’s the category for single-axle and beverage trucks, along with rack trucks. School buses are also in Class 6. What’s more, this is the class where the need for Commercial Driver’s Licenses starts. The requirement depends on the individual vehicle weight. Driving vehicles weighing more than 26,000 requires a CDL. It applies to combined weight, too, like if you’re towing trailers or other vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.

Heavy-Duty Truck Classification

Heavy-duty truck classification covers Classes 7 and 8. It’s where you’ll find the big rigs and other commercial vehicles.

Class 7—The GVWRs for this class range between 26,001 and 33,000 pounds and usually have three axles or more. This class covers city vehicles such as street sweepers,  garbage trucks, and city transit buses. Furniture trucks and smaller semis fit into this category as well.

Class 8—This class applies to most of the rest. It’s for the really huge trucks with GVWRs over 33,001. The vehicles in this class are more than heavy duty. Typically called “severe duty,” Class 8 applies to cement trucks and dump trucks. It’s also where you’ll find the big rigs like Freightliners, Kenworths, and Peterbilts.

Vehicles That Defy Truck Classification

The gross vehicle weight limit for Class 8 appears open-ended, but it’s not.  The maximum is set on a case-by-case basis using the Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula. Using this equation, it’s possible for longer, heavier loads to safely travel interstate highways. A longer 18-wheeler, for example, can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds.

What’s more, many states allow exceptions to the GVWR and per-axel limits determined by the FBGW Formula. They’re considered “oversized loads.” Trucks fitting unique circumstances are required to obtain special permits. Plus, they must travel along specially designated routes.

If you would like to download the above infographic–you can do that here!

Commercial classifications of trucks

This article is about commercial truck classifications. For passenger car and pickup truck classifications, see Car classifications

Truck classifications are typically based upon the maximum loaded weight of the truck, typically using the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and sometimes also the gross trailer weight rating (GTWR), and can vary among jurisdictions.[1]

United States

[

edit

]

In the United States, commercial truck classification is determined based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The classes are numbered 1 through 8.[2][3] Trucks are also classified more broadly by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which groups classes 1 and 2 as light duty, 3 through 6 as medium duty, and 7 and 8 as heavy duty. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a separate system of emissions classifications for trucks.[2][4] The United States Census Bureau also assigned classifications in its now-discontinued Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) (formerly Truck Inventory and Use Survey (TIUS)).[5]

United States federal law requires drivers to have a commercial driver's license (CDL) to operate heavy-duty vehicles (Class 7 and 8) in commerce, with the exception of emergency vehicles and vehicles strictly used for recreational and/or agricultural purposes, though it allows states to require a CDL for these vehicles under their discretion.[6] A CDL is also required to operate any vehicle that transports at least 16 passengers (including the driver) or hazardous materials requiring placards under federal and state law regardless of the weight of the vehicle.[7] [2][8][9] States may extend CDL requirements for additional vehicles, for example, New York requires a CDL to operate a stretched limousine and California requires a CDL for any vehicle with three or more axles that has a gross vehicle weight rating of over 6,000 pounds.[10][11]

Table of US GVWR classifications

[

edit

]

Notes on weight classes

[

edit

]

"Ton" rating

[

edit

]

When light-duty trucks were first produced in the United States, they were rated by their payload capacity in tons: 1⁄2 (1000 pounds), 3⁄4 (1500 pounds) and 1-ton (2000 pounds). Ford had introduced the "One-Tonner" in 1938 to their line of trucks.[22] The "Three-quarter-tonner" appeared in the Ford truck lineup in 1939.[22] Over time, payload capacities for most domestic pickup trucks have increased while the ton titles have stayed the same. The 1948 Ford F-1 had a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 4700 pounds.[23] The truck was marketed with a "Nominal Tonnage Rating: Half-Ton."[23] The actual cargo capacity had increased to 1450 pounds.[23] Ford adopted this promotional nomenclature in 1948 to assist buyers, sellers, and users.[22] The now-imprecise ton rating has continued since the post World War II era to compare standard sizes, rather than actual capacities.[24][25] In 1975, a change in U.S. emission laws required any vehicle under 6000 pounds GVWR to burn unleaded fuel. U.S. pickup truck manufacturers responded with a "heavy half" pickup of over 6000 pounds GVWR.[22] The F-150 had a capacity of over 2000 pounds, compared to 1500 pounds for the F-100.[26]

This has led to categorizing trucks similarly, even if their payload capacities are different. The Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500, Ford F-150, Nissan Titan, Ram 1500, and Toyota Tundra are called "half-ton" pickups (1⁄2-ton). The Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500, Ford F-250, and Ram 2500 are called "three-quarter-ton" pickups. The Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 3500, Ford F-350, and Ram 3500 are known as "one ton" pickups.[25]

Similar schemes exist for vans and SUVs (e.g. a 1-ton Dodge Van or a 1⁄2-ton GMC Suburban), medium duty trucks (e.g. the 11⁄2-ton Ford F-550) and some military vehicles, like the ubiquitous deuce-and-a-half.

Class 8

[

edit

]

The Class 8 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is a vehicle with a GVWR exceeding 33000 lb (14969 kg).[2][27] These include tractor trailer tractors, single-unit dump trucks of a GVWR over 33,000 lb, as well as non-commercial chassis fire trucks; such trucks typically have 3 or more axles.[28] The typical 5-axle tractor-trailer combination, also called a "semi" or "18-wheeler", is a Class 8 vehicle.[29] Standard trailers vary in length from 8 ft (2.4 m) containers to 57 ft (17 m) van trailers, with the most common length being the 53 ft (16 m) trailer.[30] Specialized trailers for oversized loads can be considerably longer. Commercial operation of a Class 8 vehicle in the United States requires either a Class-B CDL for non-combination vehicles, or a Class-A CDL for combination vehicles (tractor-trailers).

Canada

[

edit

]

Vehicle classifications vary among provinces in Canada, due to "differences in size and weight regulations, economic activity, physical environment, and other issues".[31]: 3  While several provinces use their own classification schemes for traffic monitoring, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan have adopted the 13-class system from the United States' Federal Highway Administration—sometimes with modifications, or in Ontario's case, for limited purposes.[31]: 3–4 [needs update] British Columbia and Ontario also distinguish between short- and long-combination trucks.[31]: 3–4 [needs update] In accident reporting, eight jurisdictions subdivide trucks by GVWR into light and heavy classes at approximately 4500 kg (9921 lb).[31]: 6 

European Union and United Kingdom

[

edit

]

Vehicle categories on a European driving licence include (among others) B for general motor vehicles, C for large goods vehicles, D for large passenger vehicles (buses), and are limited by the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and number of passenger seats.[32]

The general categories are further divided as follows:

1. appending the number 1 to the licence class C or D denotes the "light" versions of said class (e.g., Minibus, or medium truck).
2. appending the letter E allows for trailers of larger Gross Trailer Weight Rating (GTWR) than permitted by the standard licence category.

For the "trailer" categories, a separate driving test is generally required (e.g., "C", and "CE" require separate tests).

The classifications used on the International Driving Permit are similar to the European model.

The licence categories that deal with trucks are B and C:

• Class B permits the use of vehicles with GVWRs of not more than

  3

  500 kg

  plus a trailer with GTWR not exceeding

  750 kg

  ; or, a trailer above this limit so long as the combined gross weight of car and trailer does not exceed

  3

  500 kg

  (in some jurisdictions a higher combined weight limit of

  4

  250 kg

  is permitted after a theoretical and practical course of seven hours, but this permission is not transferable between EU countries). Class B covers both standard passenger cars of all sizes as well as vehicles that are specifically designed for transport of goods. The latter are commonly known as light commercial vehicles (LCVs), and include vans such as the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Fiat Ducato, as well as pickup trucks such as the Ford Ranger or Mitsubishi Triton.
• Class BE allows a trailers of up to

  3

  500 kg

  GTWR to be used while driving a class B vehicle.
• Class C1 raises the GVWR limit to

  7

  500 kg

  and permits a trailer with GTWR not exceeding

  750 kg

  .[33]
• Class C removes the GVWR limit of Class C1, but the GTWR limit for the trailer of

  750 kg

  remains. (This often referred to as a "Rigid Heavy Goods Vehicle" or "Rigid truck" licence)
• Class C1E allows for a class B or C1 vehicle and a trailer of more than

  750 kg

  GTWR, so long as the combined gross weight does not exceed

  12

  000 kg

  .
• Class CE removes all weight limits for a Class C vehicle with trailer. (known as an "Articulated Heavy Goods Vehicle", or often simply "HGV", licence )

List of truck types

[

edit

]

Truck (Lorry) See List of truck types

Gallery

[

edit

]

See also

[

edit

]

References

[

edit

]