Does Your Truck Have Class?

While many have heard of truck clas­si­fi­ca­tions, few really know what they are, how they are deter­mined, or why they are important. If you drive a truck, it has a clas­si­fi­ca­tion. Trucks are clas­si­fied by Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which includes vehicle curb weight, pas­sen­gers, payload, and trailers.

Trucks range from class 1, which are ½ ton pick-ups such as a Toyota Tacoma or a Dodge Dakota, to Class 8 — tractors & trailers, and every­thing in-between. So… does your truck have class? Yes it does, and here are the classifications.

Light Duty

• Class 1 — 0–6000 pounds – Example: Toyota Tacoma
• Class 2 — 6,001 to 10,000 pounds – Example: Ford F-150
• Class 3 — 10,001 to 14,000 pounds Example: GMC Sierra

Medium Duty

• Class 4 — 14,001 to 16,000 pounds – Example: Dodge Ram 4500
• Class 5 — 16,001 to 19,500 pounds – Example: Inter­na­tional MXT
• Class 6 — 19,501 to 26,000 pounds – Example: Ford F-650

Heavy Duty

• Class 7 — 26,001 to 33,000 pounds – Example: GMC C7500
• Class 8 — 33,000 pounds – Example: all tractor trailers

*compiled from Wikipedia.

Why is it important to know truck clas­si­fi­ca­tions?
Truck clas­si­fi­ca­tions may affect taxes, gov­ern­ment reg­u­la­tions (DOT), drivers license, and road restric­tions. For example, did you know you must be 21 to receive a com­mer­cial driver’s license, or that medical exam­i­na­tions are required for all CMV drivers beginning at class 3? Taxes vary by clas­si­fi­ca­tion, including reg­u­la­tions for over and less than 26,000 pounds. As well, con­sid­er­a­tions such as whether a CMV is leased or owned will affect the Inter­state Motor Fuel Tax.

Does your truck have class? Yes it does, and it’s important you know its class.