Commercial Vehicle Weights & Loads Definitions

Gross Vehicle Mass/ Gross Vehicle Weight (GVM/ GVW):

The maximum permitted mass of the vehicle including the driver, passengers, fluids and loads and the load cargo. It is the GVM that will determine which category of commercial vehicle the vehicle falls in to (light commercial vehicle, medium commercial vehicle, heavy commercial vehicle)

Kerb Mass:

Unladen weight (i.e. not carrying a load) of the vehicle, with fluids, 90% fuel, standard and any optional equipment, but excludes load/cargo weight and weight of the driver. Higher series vehicles will be heavier due to higher spec.

Kerb Mass in Running Order:

Kerb Mass + 75kg (industry standard figure used for the driver)

Gross Payload:

Gross Vehicle Mass less the Kerb Mass. In other words the difference between the maximum weight a vehicle is permitted to be and what it actually weighs shows the weight of the cargo you can have in the vehicle

Net Payload:

Gross vehicle mass less the kerb mass in running order. This creates an allowance of the 75kg for the driver, showing the actual payload available for load cargo after the driver’s weight has been accounted for.

Gross Train Mass:

The maximum permitted combined mass of the vehicle and attached trailer. It is the GVM + the mass of the trailer being used + the mass of any load cargo in/on the trailer.

Cargo Volume:

The volume inside the cubic dimension of the vehicle made up of the length, width and height.