A truck loading in the West Midlands for a customer in Düsseldorf passes through three sets of weight rules: the UK’s on the way to the port, France’s or Belgium’s on the transit leg, Germany’s at the destination. The plate on the chassis does not change. The number it is measured against does, at every border, and in the direction most UK planners do not expect: the UK has the lowest top limit of the five countries its fleets run into most.
Top gross-weight limits for the heaviest standard articulated combination in each country, and the drive-axle limit on air suspension:
| Country | 5-axle artic | 6-axle artic | Drive axle | Above the standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 40 t | 44 t | 11.5 t | STGO Categories 1 to 3 for indivisible loads |
| Ireland | 40 t, 42 t on intermodal work | 46 t with EBS and ESC | 11.5 t | 46 t on qualifying drawbar combinations |
| France | 44 t | 44 t | 12 t at 44 t, 13 t below | None for standard freight |
| Germany | 40 t | 40 t, 44 t on combined transport | 11.5 t | Lang-Lkw routes (longer, not heavier) |
| Netherlands | 50 t | 50 t | 11.5 t | LZV, 60 t on designated routes |
Each figure is taken from the country’s own regulations and is explained, with its conditions, on the country page. In international traffic the Directive 96/53/EC limits of 40 tonnes (44 on combined transport) apply regardless of the domestic figure, which is why a Dutch 50-tonne truck drops to 40 at the German border.
Five countries, one plate
The same 6-axle artic has five different legal maximums. The UK’s limit is one of the lowest. Most cross-border overloads on UK fleets are loads that were legal where they were put on.
What HGVs can legally weigh on UK roads has the UK configuration table, the 11.5-tonne drive axle, the STGO categories and how DVSA selects vehicles to weigh.
How Ireland’s HGV weight limits differ from the UK’s covers the 46-tonne ceiling, the two-figure Irish table that depends on suspension and braking equipment, and the return-leg problem at the ferry.
What UK hauliers get wrong about French HGV weight rules covers the 44-tonne five-axle rule in force since 2013, PTAC and PTRA, the 12-tonne drive axle and the gendarmerie and DREAL checks.
How the BAG polices HGV weight in Germany covers the 40-tonne standard, the § 34(6) combined-transport allowance, the Lang-Lkw route network and the toll gantries that feed BALM’s enforcement.
Running 50-tonne HGVs in the Netherlands covers the 50-tonne domestic ceiling, the LZV scheme and the trailer-collection problem at Rotterdam.
The load that was legal where it was put on. An Irish yard loads to 46, a Dutch yard to 50, a French yard with 12 tonnes on the drive axle. All three are inside local limits and all three are over the UK’s when the trailer lands. The UK leg has to be planned to the UK limit, and the check has to happen before the ferry, because there is no weighbridge on the ramp.
The UK load that is over on arrival. A 44-tonne six-axle load is normal in the UK and four tonnes over in Germany unless the movement is combined transport with the terminal paperwork to show it. Mixed routes need a limit per leg, not a limit per trip.
The sub-contractor’s assumption. A Dutch haulier quoting LZV rates, or a German one quoting 44-tonne combined-transport rates, is pricing a movement the UK-registered truck on the other end of the job cannot make. The rate is only right if the whole route is inside the scheme.
The EU is revising Directive 96/53/EC. The Council of the EU set out its position on 4 December 2025 and negotiations with the Parliament opened five days later. Two parts of the revision bear on weight. Member states would have to run automatic weighing on the main road network to pick out overloaded vehicles, instead of relying on random stops. And zero-emission heavy goods vehicles, which get extra weight allowance for their batteries, would have to carry on-board mass-monitoring equipment and transmit weight data remotely from 1 December 2029. The EU on-board mass-monitoring explainer has the detail and the current state of the negotiation.
Every pattern above is a loading-bay problem that gets found at a roadside. An in-cab reading at the point of loading, or at the point a tractor couples to a trailer someone else loaded, shows gross and per-axle weight in 10 kg steps against the limit for the next leg. For cross-border work, where the trailer swap at a port or terminal is routine, iWeigh for Tractor Units / Trailers pairs the tractor with whichever equipped trailer it picks up and reports the combination weight without the driver doing anything. The pillar guide covers the Air-Weigh range for rigids, trailers and tractor units.
For the UK side of the cost, the cost of a UK HGV overload fine sets out what a prohibition costs an operator beyond the fixed penalty, on-board scale accuracy and DVSA covers what an on-board reading is and is not at the roadside, and DVSA roadside weight checks walks through the stop.
For cross-border combinations
Pairs the tractor with whichever iWeigh-equipped trailer it couples to and shows the combination's per-axle and gross weight before it moves, with no driver input. Weight in 10 kg steps, Bluetooth 5.3, SAE J1939 and CAN output for your telematics, air and mechanical suspension, 3-year limited warranty.
For air-suspended trucks and trailers
A hard-wired digital air-pressure gauge that calibrates into an on-board scale, with a backlit IP67 display in the cab and the free QuickWeigh app on iOS or Android. 12 or 24 V, no batteries, single or dual-point calibration, 3-year limited warranty. The quick way to put a weight reading in front of the driver on an air-suspended vehicle.
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