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Ocean Container
Characteristics		 Air Container
Characteristics		 US Legal
Cargo Weight		 Government and
Industry Links
LEGAL CARGO WEIGHT

Summary and Guideline of:
Legal Cargo per each State within the U.S. of 20' and 40' dry van containers
issued: 03-01-2002

STATES ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY

A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M / N / O / P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / X / Y / Z
MEXICO
 
State/Province
Legal Cargo
Weight (lbs)
Legal Cargo
Weight (kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight
(lbs)
Gross
Vehicle
Weight
w/permit
(lbs)
Route specific
Addtl. Permit Payload weight*

20'
40'
20'
40'
(see b)
ALABAMA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
100,000
n/a
Various for all states and provinces
ALASKA
./.
./.
./.
./.
80,000
n/a
n/a
ALBERTA
./.
./.
./.
./.
86,000
n/a
n/a

ARIZONA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a
a.) We suggest not to exceed 2,000 lbs additional weight over legal payload,
in case of no and/or missing overweight permit(s)
ARKANSAS
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a
BRITISH COLUMBIA
./.
./.
./.
./.
86,000
n/a
n/a
CALIFORNIA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a

COLORADO
39,000
44,000
17,690
19,950
80,000
n/a
n/a
CONNECTICUT
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a
b.) In the states where overweight permits are available, see all considerations as indicated below.

In general:
range from 2,000 lbs to 5,000 lbs above legal pay-load.
DELAWARE
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
90,000
n/a
FLORIDA
39,000
44,000
17,690
19,950
80,000
95,000
n/a
GEORGIA
39,000
44,000
17,690
19,950
80,000
100,000
n/a
IDAHO
27,500
41,000
12,470
19,590
80,000
105,000
FED BRIDG
ILLINOIS
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
INDIANA
38,000
43,000
17,235
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
IOWA
38,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
KANSAS
38,000
43,000
17,235
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
KENTUCKY
38,000
44,000
17,235
19,950
80,000
n/a
n/a
LOUISIANA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000*
95,000*
n/a
MAINE
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
99,000
n/a
MANITOBA
./.
./.
./.
./.
82,700
n/a
n/a
MARYLAND
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
90,000
n/a
MASSACHUSETTS
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
99,000
n/a
MICHIGAN
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
Plate req.
MINNESOTA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
MISSISSIPPI
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
95,000
n/a
MISSOURI
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
MONTANA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
105,000
n/a
NEBRASKA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
NEVADA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
FED BRIDG
NEW BRUNSWICK
./.
./.
./.
./.
97,000
n/a
n/a
NEWFOUNDLAND
./.
./.
./.
./.
97,000
n/a
n/a
NEW HAMPSHIRE
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
99,000
n/a
NEW JERSEY
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
88,000
n/a
NEW MEXICO
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
NEW YORK
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
20,000
88,000
n/a
NORTH CAROLINA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
94,000
n/a
NORTH DAKOTA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
NOVA SCOTIA
./.
./.
./.
./.
97,000
n/a
n/a
OHIO
38,000
44,000
17,235
19,950
80,000
n/a
n/a
OKLAHOMA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
OREGON
38,000
45,000
17,235
20,410
80,000
105,000
FED BRIDG
PENNSYLVANIA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a
RHODE ISLAND
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
99,000
n/a
SOUTH CAROLINA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
90,000
n/a
SOUTH DAKOTA
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
TENNESSEE
39,000
44,000
17,690
19,950
80,000
90,000
Yes
TEXAS
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
n/a
UTAH
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
n/a
FED BRIDG
VIRGINIA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
88,000
n/a
VERMONT
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
88,000
n/a
WASHINGTON
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
105,500
n/a
WISCONSIN
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
WEST VIRGINIA
39,000
45,000
17,690
20,410
80,000
88,000
n/a
WYOMING
39,000
43,000
17,690
19,500
80,000
n/a
n/a
MEXICO
35,000
45,000
15,875
20,410
./.
./.
./.

This summary is a guideline (not a legal binding table) comprised of information received from various resources.
Please provide all necessary payload details prior to shipping for proper evaluation.

a.) *50 mile radius of port
within 50 miles radius of the ports you can run heavier but outside the 50 mile radius 80,000

b.) Since the GVW includes the variable of different kind of tractors, chassis and containers, the payload can vary from shipment to shipment.

c.) The GVW with or without permit does not exclude the shipment weight limitations per each axel. This means that the payload must be distributed equally onto all axels.

d.) As a general rule, please calculate 35,000 lbs for the combination of tractor, empty container and chassis (20,000 + 6,500 + 8,500 = 35,000 lbs), (ranging from 32,000 to 35,000 lbs) also = 20,000 lbs per axel, with permit. Considering 2 x twin axels and one single axel for a regular tractor-trailer combination (5 axels x 20,000 lbs = total GVW = 100,000 lbs). But this applies for non-container transportations.

* For 40 foot container the rule by thumb is with overweight permit between 85,000 and 100,000lbs, or 47,000 to 50,000 lbs pay load, depending on the actual weight of the tractor - empty container - chassis weight = ranging 32,000 to 35,000 lbs.