(a) The gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels on any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed 20,000 pounds and the gross weight upon any one wheel, or wheels, supporting one end of an axle, and resting upon the roadway, shall not exceed 10,500 pounds.

(b) The gross weight limit provided for weight bearing upon any one wheel, or wheels, supporting one end of an axle shall not apply to vehicles the loads of which consist of livestock.

Terms Used In California Vehicle Code 35550

  • axle: is a structure or portion of a structure consisting of one or more shafts, spindles, or bearings in the same vertical transverse plane by means of which, in conjunction with wheels mounted on said shafts, spindles, or bearings, a portion of the weight of a vehicle and its load, if any, is continuously transmitted to the roadway when the vehicle is in motion. See California Vehicle Code 230
  • Highway: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 360
  • vehicle: is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See California Vehicle Code 670

(c) The maximum wheel load is the lesser of the following:

(1) The load limit established by the tire manufacturer, as molded on at least one sidewall of the tire.

(2) A load of 620 pounds per lateral inch of tire width, as determined by the manufacturer’s rated tire width as molded on at least one sidewall of the tire for all axles except the steering axle, in which case paragraph (1) applies.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1154, Sec. 82. Effective September 30, 1996.)

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