It’s tempting to overload your work truck so you can make fewer trips to and from job sites. The problem is that overloading any vehicle is dangerous. Every automobile has a maximum load capacity, and if you exceed that capacity, you run the risk of damaging the vehicle and getting into an accident. United Diesel Repair explains why you should keep your work truck’s load capacity in mind at all times.
Payload 101
Payload is your work truck’s weight-bearing capacity, i.e. how much weight it can handle between the passengers and the cargo. If you open the driver’s door and look on the sill, you’ll find a sticker that lists the maximum weight your work truck can handle. Assume for a moment that the weight capacity on the sticker is 1,670 pounds. This means all passengers plus cargo weight in the cab and truck bed must be under this number. Payload capacity does not take into account towing; this is a different capacity.
The Dangers of Overloading a Truck
With respect to payload capacity, loading your work truck over the maximum number will prove to make your drive difficult and, as we’ve mentioned before, dangerous. You don’t have the time to weigh every person and piece of equipment you put into your truck, but you can tell if you’ve overloaded it by one simple sign: steering. An overloaded truck is difficult to handle because there is excess weight bearing down on the suspension system and the wheels that they were not designed to handle.
This excess weight not only makes handling your work truck difficult; it also increases your risk of blowing out a tire. When a maximum load capacity is determined by the vehicle’s manufacturer, the tires are taken into consideration. Your truck’s tires also have a load capacity printed on the sidewalls, and you should never go over that limit. If you do, you risk catastrophic failure of the tires. Excess weight can also damage the transmission and undercarriage, not to mention put you at higher risk for rollovers.
It’s Not Worth the Risk
Simply put: It’s not worth the risk of overloading your work truck. You could not only damage your truck and end up with expensive repairs, but you might also damage your equipment or customer supplies should you get into an automobile accident or roll the vehicle over. Keep you and your passengers, cargo, and equipment safe by staying within the load capacity confines for your work truck and making more trips if necessary. Consider investing in a larger work truck, too, to meet your load capacity needs.
Know, also, that you can count on United Diesel Repair in Flowery Branch, GA, for all of your diesel truck maintenance and repairs.
