Maximum Weights and Dimensions
Legal limits for trucks: gross weight, axle load, width, height and length — Türkiye, the EU and Russia.
Dimension Limits
Türkiye and the EU — measured at the outermost points of the vehicle, load included.
- Width
- 2.55 m
- Width — refrigerated body
- 2.60 m
- Height
- 4.00 m
- Length — rigid truck
- 12.00 m
- Length — trailer
- 12.00 m
- Length — articulated truck (tractor + semi-trailer)
- 16.50 m
Gross Weight
Türkiye and the EU — laden weight, including the vehicle itself.
- 2-axle rigid truck
- 18 t
- 3-axle rigid truck
- 25 t · 26 t*
- 4-axle rigid truck
- 32 t
- 4-axle articulated truck or road train
- 36 t · 38 t*
- Articulated truck or road train with 5 or more axles
- 40 t
- Articulated truck carrying a 40 ft container (three-axle tractor)
- 44 t
* 26 t for a three-axle truck whose driving axle has twin tyres and air suspension; 38 t for a four-axle articulated truck whose semi-trailer axle group carries 20 t.
Axle Load
Türkiye and the EU — the most a single axle or an axle group may carry. Tandem and tri-axle rows are for trailers and semi-trailers.
- Single axle — non-driving
- 10 t
- Single axle — driving
- 11.5 t
- Tandem axle — spacing 1.0–1.3 m
- 16 t
- Tandem axle — spacing 1.3–1.8 m
- 18 t
- Tandem axle — spacing 1.8 m or more
- 20 t
- Tri-axle — spacing up to 1.3 m
- 21 t
- Tri-axle — spacing 1.3–1.4 m
- 24 t
Good to Know at the Weighbridge
Measurement rules in Türkiye and what is left for the load.
Weighing tolerance
At the weighbridge an excess of up to 3.75% of the maximum weight plus 500 kg is tolerated. For a 40 t articulated truck that is 2,000 kg; the overload ratio is calculated on top of this total.
Dimension tolerance
When dimensions are measured, a difference of up to 2% of the limit is tolerated.
What is left for the load
The gross weight limit includes the vehicle’s own weight. On a 40 t articulated truck, once the tractor and semi-trailer are deducted, about 24 t is left for the load. An axle limit can be exceeded before the gross limit is reached; the load must be spread evenly.
Russia
Russia applies its own limits: gross weight is the same for a five-axle articulated truck and higher for six axles.
- 2-axle rigid truck
- 18 t
- 3-axle rigid truck
- 25 t
- 4-axle rigid truck
- 32 t
- Rigid truck with 5 or more axles
- 38 t
- 3-axle articulated truck or road train
- 28 t
- 4-axle articulated truck or road train
- 36 t
- 5-axle articulated truck or road train
- 40 t
- Articulated truck or road train with 6 or more axles
- 44 t
Width 2.55 m (2.60 m for a refrigerated body), height 4.00 m. A single vehicle may be up to 12 m long, an articulated truck or road train up to 20 m.
Axle load depends on the class of the road: 10 t or 11.5 t on a single axle with twin wheels. In spring, during the thaw, temporary axle restrictions apply on regional roads.
!Limits change with legislation and differ from country to country; this page covers only Türkiye, the EU and Russia. Before setting off, confirm the current rule for every country on your route.
Sources: Türkiye — Regulation on the Loading of Vehicles and on Weighing and Dimension Measurement Tolerances; EU — Directive 96/53/EC; Russia — Government Decree No. 2060 of 1 December 2023.
Vehicle inner dimensions: Vehicle and Trailer Types · How many pallets fit: Pallet Dimensions
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