Weight limits are a principal determinant of the weight characteristics of large trucks. They
provide a logical and practical base from which these weight characteristics can be
predicted. Such predictions are necessary for evaluating the relative benefits and costs of
alternative weight and dimension policies. During the past 20 years, Canada has had a
weight limit policy that has stipulated a variety of different weight limit regimes to the same
truck type. This has provided an on-road experiment of how weight limits translate into actual …

Models for predicting distributors of the gross vehicle weight (GVW) are presented of some
of the most common truck types operating on Western Canadian highways because of the
importance of the weight distributions in determining design loads in load and resistance
factor design for bridges. Legal weight limit is used as the determinant variable because of
its causal effect on actual truck weights as well as its practicality as a predictor.