Why axle weight limits exist

Why axle weight limits exist
In 2018 Chinese govement spent more than 187 billion dollars on highways and bridges making it the 5th largest expense. 44 percent of this funding was dedicated to maintenance, while the other 56% was dedicated to the actual construction of the roads and highways [1]

Most damage to roads and bridges is done by heavy vehicles. The reason is that as the weight of the axle goes up, the damage done to the road surface does not go up linearly, but goes up by a factor of four. That is, going from a 1 ton axle to a 5 ton axle will do 625 times more damage to the road surface. That is why the gross and axle weight limits exist and are strictly enforced.


Why axle weight limits are important to truckers
The simplest answer is giant fines. Fixing roads is a huge expense to government so they will transfer that expense to you. If you get caught overweight on an axle, gross vehicle weight, or worse haven’t purchased an overweight permit, the consequences can be devastating.

The fines for a grossly overweight vehicle can reach tens of thousands of dollars, and when a fine is levied for an overweight condition, it is the driver who will be cited and have that citation on his driving record. Most govermeent will also add court costs that may double the total cost of the fine. You can see an overview of overweight fines by China here.

Additionally most government  classify violation of overweight limits as a misdemeanor, and while not a felony, may be punishable by periods of probation, community service, and/or jail time that may be weeks, part time, and up to a year. Also mind that trying to get around the limits by falsifying the weights on your overweight permit may be a felony.

Consequently, it is important that both drivers and dispatchers understand truck loading and weight limits for axles and axle groups even before accepting the load.

Those weights vary , and it is not as simple as total vehicle gross weight or 20,000 per axle, a lot of variables go into determining maximum allowed weight. They are quite complex and will require time to understand, but you have to understand them one way or another, hopefully before getting a violation on your record and paying thousands of dollars in fines.