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Virginia Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 10, 2017) |
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Title 24. Transportation and Motor Vehicles |
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Agency 20. Department of Motor Vehicles |
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Chapter 80. Overload Permit Regulations |
Section 10. Definitions
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Part I. General Provisions
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
"Group of axles" means all of the axles located under a vehicle or combination of vehicles.
"Gross weight limitation" means the maximum gross weight permitted for a vehicle or combination. The maximum permitted weight depends on the number of axles and on the distance between the center of the steering axle and the center of the extreme axle of the vehicle or combination. Permissible gross weights for vehicles without overload permits are set out in the table under 24VAC20-80-50 of this chapter.
"Overload permit" means a permit issued by representatives of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the State Corporation Commission and other authorized agents to allow Virginia and foreign based vehicles or combinations of vehicles to exceed the weight limitations otherwise applicable to such vehicles by a certain percentage specified in the permit.
"Registered gross weight" means the weight for which a vehicle or combination of vehicles is registered or licensed.
"Single axle" means an assembly of two or more wheels whose centers are in one transverse vertical plane or may be included between two parallel transverse vertical planes 40 inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.
"Single axle weight" means the total weight transmitted to the road by all wheels whose centers may be included between two parallel transverse vertical planes 40 inches apart extending across the full width of the vehicle. The maximum single axle weight permitted for any vehicle or combination is 20,000 pounds, or 650 pounds per inch width of tire, measured in contact with the surface of the highway except where an overload permit has been obtained.
"Tandem axle" means any two or more consecutive axles whose centers are more than 40 inches apart but not more than 96 inches apart, and are individually attached to or articulated, or both, from a common attachment to the vehicle including a connection mechanism designed to equalize the load between axles.
"Tandem axle weight" means the total weight transmitted to the road by two or more consecutive axles whose centers may be included between parallel transverse vertical planes spaced more than 40 inches apart and not more than 96 inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle. The maximum tandem axle weight permitted for any vehicle or combination is 34,000 pounds (provided that no one axle of such tandem unit may exceed the weight permitted for a single axle), except where an overload permit has been obtained.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR485-60-8301 § 1.1, eff. October 12, 1988.