Truck classification


Truck classifications are typically based upon the maximum loaded weight of the truck, typically using the gross vehicle weight rating and sometimes also the gross trailer weight rating, and can vary among jurisdictions.

United States

In the United States, commercial truck classification is determined based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating. The classes range from 1–8. Trucks are also classified more broadly by the Federal Highway Administration, which groups classes 1–2 as light duty, 3–6 as medium duty, and 7–8 as heavy duty; a commercial driver's license is generally required to operate heavy duty trucks. The Environmental Protection Agency has a separate system of emissions classifications for trucks. The United States Census Bureau also assigned classifications in its now-discontinued Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey .

Table of US GVWR classifications

US truck classDuty classificationWeight limit Examples
Class 1Light truckChevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, Jeep Gladiator, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline FWD
Class 2aLight truckChevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500, Ford F-150, Nissan Titan, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, Dodge Dakota, Honda Ridgeline AWD
Class 2bLight/Medium truckChevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500, Ford F-250, Nissan Titan XD, Ram 2500
Class 3Medium truckIsuzu NPR, Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 3500, Ford F-350, Ram 3500, Ford F-450
Class 4Medium truckIsuzu NPR-HD, Chevrolet Silverado 4500, Ford F-450, Ram 4500
Class 5Medium truckIsuzu NRR, Chevrolet Silverado 5500, Ford F-550, Ram 5500, Kenworth T170, Peterbilt 325, International TerraStar
Class 6Medium truckChevrolet Kodiak C6500, Ford F-650, Kenworth T270, Peterbilt 330, International Durastar
Class 7Heavy truckAutocar ACMD, GMC C7500, Kenworth T470 & T440 & T370, Peterbilt 220 & 337, Ford F-750
Class 8Heavy truck +Autocar ACX, Autocar DC, International WorkStar, Freightliner Cascadia, Kenworth T600, Kenworth T660, Kenworth T680, Kenworth W900, Kenworth W990, Kenworth T880, Kenworth T800 Orange EV T-Series Electric, Mack Granite, Peterbilt 579, Peterbilt 389 - Semi-trailer trucks fall into this category

"Ton" rating

When light-duty trucks were first produced in the United States, they were rated by their payload capacity in tons. Over time, payload capacities for most domestic pickup trucks have increased while the ton titles have stayed the same. The now-imprecise ton rating is presently used to compare standard sizes, rather than actual capacities.
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. 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.
Similar schemes exist for vans and SUVs, medium duty trucks and some military vehicles, like the ubiquitous deuce-and-a-half.

Class 8

The Class 8 truck gross vehicle weight rating is a vehicle with a GVWR exceeding . These include tractor trailer tractors as well as single-unit dump trucks of a GVWR over 33,000 lb; such trucks typically have 3 or more axles. The typical 5-axle tractor-trailer combination, also called a "semi" or "18-wheeler", is a Class 8 vehicle. Standard trailers vary in length from 8' containers to 57' van trailers, with the most common length being the 53' trailer. 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.

Canada

Vehicle classifications vary among provinces in Canada, due to "differences in size and weight regulations, economic activity, physical environment, and other issues". 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. British Columbia and Ontario also distinguish between short- and long-combination trucks. In accident reporting, eight jurisdictions subdivide trucks by GVWR into light and heavy classes at approximately .

European Union

In the European scheme the European driving licence are B for cars, C for trucks, D for buses, and are limited by the GVWR.
Divides into two types:
  1. appending a number to the class denotes the "light" versions of said class.
  2. appending the letter E allows for larger trailers.
This classification is more or less similar to the one of International Driving Permit.

List of truck types