A regional delivery fleet operates a three-axle straight truck across interstate highways.… — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) General Knowledge Exam

A regional delivery fleet operates a three-axle straight truck across interstate highways. The truck has an unladen (tare) weight of $18,200\text{ lb}$ and displays the following manufacturer and regulatory specifications:

Specification	Weight Rating / Legal Limit
Manufacturer Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)	$52,000\text{ lb}$
Front Steer Axle Rating (GAWR)	$14,000\text{ lb}$
Rear Tandem Axle Rating (GAWR)	$40,000\text{ lb}$
Federal Interstate Single Axle Limit	$20,000\text{ lb}$
Federal Interstate Tandem Axle Limit	$34,000\text{ lb}$

What is the maximum allowable cargo payload, in pounds ( $\text{lb}$ ), that this truck can legally carry on the interstate highway system?

Answer: 29800 lb

Answer

The maximum allowable cargo payload is

29,800\text{ lb}

The correct cargo payload of

29,800\text{ lb}

is determined by finding the most restrictive legal gross weight ceiling and subtracting the vehicle's unladen tare weight. The steer axle is limited to its GAWR of

14,000\text{ lb}

(below the

20,000\text{ lb}

statutory single axle limit), while the tandem drive axle is capped by the federal statutory limit of

34,000\text{ lb}

(below its

40,000\text{ lb}

GAWR). Adding these binding axle limits gives a total gross weight limit of

48,000\text{ lb}

, which is more restrictive than the vehicle's

52,000\text{ lb}

GVWR. Subtracting the tare weight of

18,200\text{ lb}

from

48,000\text{ lb}

yields

29,800\text{ lb}

Step-by-Step Solution

Determine the governing legal limit for each axle group.

Steer axle limit is

14,000\text{ lb}

; tandem axle limit is

34,000\text{ lb}

An axle cannot legally exceed either its manufacturer Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) or the statutory federal limit. The front steer axle is restricted by its GAWR of

14,000\text{ lb}

(since

14,000\text{ lb} < 20,000\text{ lb}

), while the rear tandem axle is restricted by the federal statutory limit of

34,000\text{ lb}

(since

34,000\text{ lb} < 40,000\text{ lb}

Determine the maximum legal gross vehicle weight.

48,000\text{ lb}

Summing the legal axle maximums yields

14,000\text{ lb} + 34,000\text{ lb} = 48,000\text{ lb}

. Because this combined axle ceiling is lower than the manufacturer Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of

52,000\text{ lb}

, the legal gross weight is governed by the

48,000\text{ lb}

sum.

Calculate the maximum allowable cargo payload by subtracting empty tare weight from maximum legal gross weight.

29,800\text{ lb}

Cargo payload is calculated as

\text{Maximum Legal Gross Weight} - \text{Tare Weight} = 48,000\text{ lb} - 18,200\text{ lb} = 29,800\text{ lb}

Key Concept

Allowable cargo payload is governed by the most restrictive ceiling among manufacturer ratings (GVWR and GAWR) and statutory limits (single and tandem axle federal caps).

Estimated Time:1m 30s

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