Guide · Road
EU truck weights, axle loads and dimensions under Directive 96/53/EC.
Council Directive 96/53/EC sets the maximum weights and dimensions of heavy goods vehicles, buses and their trailers in international traffic between EU Member States. Under its Annex I, a five- or six-axle articulated vehicle or road train may weigh 40 tonnes, and a vehicle may be 2.55 m wide and 4.00 m high.
What it is
Council Directive 96/53/EC of 25 July 1996 lays down the maximum authorised dimensions of certain road vehicles in national and international traffic, and their maximum authorised weights in international traffic. The figures are in its Annex I. It has been amended by Directive 2002/7/EC, Directive (EU) 2015/719, Decision (EU) 2019/984 and Regulation (EU) 2019/1242.
The weights are circulation standards: they refer to the laden vehicle, not to how it is built (Article 1(2)). Dimensions are measured with no positive tolerances (Article 2).
Who it applies to
Goods vehicles of categories N2 and N3 with their trailers of categories O3 and O4, and buses of categories M2 and M3 with their trailers (Article 1(1)). A Member State may not reject or prohibit, in international traffic, a vehicle registered or put into circulation in another Member State for reasons of weight or dimensions, provided it complies with the limits in Annex I (Article 3(1)).
International traffic and national limits
The weights in Annex I apply to international traffic between Member States. For national transport of goods, a Member State may allow vehicles that do not conform to the height (point 1.3), the weights (point 2), the axle weights (point 3), the 25 % driving-axle rule (point 4.1) or the wheelbase rule (point 4.3) (Article 4(2)). National weight limits can therefore be different from the EU figures.
Lengths and widths work the other way: a Member State may not authorise the normal circulation of goods vehicles that do not conform to points 1.1 (length) and 1.2 (width), among others (Article 4(1)), except for special permits for indivisible loads, certain national operations and local trials (Article 4(3) to (5)).
Spain, for example, sets its own national limits: see truck axle weights and limits in Spain. Always check the rules of every country the vehicle drives through.
Maximum authorised weights
The most common combinations in international goods transport, as written in Annex I, point 2:
| Vehicle | Maximum weight | Annex I |
|---|---|---|
| Road train with 5 or 6 axles (2-axle motor vehicle + 3-axle trailer, or 3-axle motor vehicle + 2- or 3-axle trailer) | 40 t | 2.2.1 |
| Articulated vehicle with 5 or 6 axles (2-axle motor vehicle + 3-axle semi-trailer, or 3-axle motor vehicle + 2- or 3-axle semi-trailer) | 40 t | 2.2.2(a), (b) |
| 3-axle motor vehicle + 2- or 3-axle semi-trailer carrying containers or swap bodies up to 45 feet in total, in intermodal transport operations | 44 t | 2.2.2(c) |
| 2-axle motor vehicle + 3-axle semi-trailer carrying containers or swap bodies up to 45 feet in total, in intermodal transport operations | 42 t | 2.2.2(d) |
| Road train with 4 axles (2-axle motor vehicle + 2-axle trailer) | 36 t | 2.2.3 |
| Articulated vehicle with 4 axles (2-axle motor vehicle + 2-axle semi-trailer) | 36 t; with the semi-trailer axles more than 1.8 m apart, +2 t margin under the conditions of 2.2.4.2 | 2.2.4 |
| Two-axle trailer / three-axle trailer (in a combination) | 18 t / 24 t | 2.1.1, 2.1.2 |
| Two-axle motor vehicle (other than a bus) | 18 t | 2.3.1 |
| Three-axle motor vehicle | 25 t, or 26 t with twin tyres and air suspension (or equivalent) on the driving axle, or twin tyres and no more than 9.5 t on each driving axle | 2.3.2 |
| Four-axle motor vehicle with two steering axles | 32 t, with the same driving-axle conditions | 2.3.3 |
The 2 t margin of point 2.2.4.2 applies when the maximum authorised weight of the motor vehicle (18 t) and of the semi-trailer’s tandem axle (20 t) are respected and the driving axle has twin tyres and air suspension or equivalent. For combinations that include alternatively fuelled or zero-emission vehicles, the weights in point 2.2 increase by the additional weight of that technology, up to 1 t and 2 t respectively.
An intermodal transport operation is a combined transport operation, or one that uses waterborne transport, carrying one or more containers or swap bodies up to a total length of 45 feet (Article 2). A single 40′ container is within that length. See also maximum authorised weight in the glossary.
Maximum axle loads
| Axle | Maximum weight | Annex I |
|---|---|---|
| Single non-driving axle | 10 t | 3.1 |
| Driving axle | 11.5 t | 3.4.1, 3.4.2 |
| Tandem axle of a trailer or semi-trailer | 11 t (d < 1.0 m) · 16 t (1.0–1.3 m) · 18 t (1.3–1.8 m) · 20 t (1.8 m or more) | 3.2 |
| Tri-axle of a trailer or semi-trailer | 21 t (d ≤ 1.3 m) · 24 t (over 1.3 m and up to 1.4 m) | 3.3 |
| Tandem axle of a motor vehicle | 11.5 t (d < 1.0 m) · 16 t (1.0–1.3 m) · 18 t (1.3–1.8 m), or 19 t with twin tyres and air suspension (or equivalent) on the driving axle, or twin tyres and no more than 9.5 t on each driving axle | 3.5 |
“d” is the distance between the axles; in each range the lower bound is included and the upper bound is not, except where the table says otherwise. In international traffic, the driving axle or axles must carry at least 25 % of the total laden weight of the vehicle or combination (Annex I, 4.1). See axle load in the glossary.
Example: each axle and the total at once
Adding up the axle limits is not enough: the combination has its own maximum weight, and it is usually lower. Take an articulated vehicle made of a two-axle tractor and a three-axle semi-trailer whose axles are between 1.3 m and 1.4 m apart:
- Sum of axle limits: 10 t (single non-driving axle, 3.1) + 11.5 t (driving axle, 3.4.1) + 24 t (tri-axle, 3.3.2) = 45.5 t.
- Maximum weight of the combination: 40 t (2.2.2(a)).
- The limit that applies: 40 t, even though the axles “allow” 45.5 t.
- Minimum on the driving axle: 40 × 0.25 = 10 t (4.1).
The payload of that combination is the maximum weight minus the tare of the tractor and of the semi-trailer. The curtainsider trailer page lists a typical tare.
Maximum dimensions
| Dimension | Maximum | Annex I |
|---|---|---|
| Length: motor vehicle other than a bus | 12.00 m | 1.1 |
| Length: trailer | 12.00 m | 1.1 |
| Length: articulated vehicle | 16.50 m | 1.1 |
| Length: road train | 18.75 m | 1.1 |
| Width: all vehicles | 2.55 m | 1.2(a) |
| Width: superstructures of conditioned vehicles, or conditioned containers or swap bodies carried by vehicles | 2.60 m | 1.2(b) |
| Height (any vehicle) | 4.00 m | 1.3 |
| Fifth-wheel king pin to the rear of a semi-trailer | 12.00 m | 1.6 |
Removable superstructures and standardised freight items such as containers are included in these dimensions (1.4). A moving vehicle or combination must be able to turn within a swept circle with an outer radius of 12.50 m and an inner radius of 5.30 m (1.5). See clearance gauge in the glossary.
Common mistakes
- Taking the EU weights as the limit everywhere: they apply to international traffic, and national transport may follow other limits (Article 4(2)).
- Respecting the total weight but overloading one axle: each axle and axle group has its own limit (Annex I, point 3).
- Forgetting the container in the height or width: containers count in the dimensions (Annex I, 1.4).
- Leaving the load free to shift: on the road, securing follows EN 12195-1 (see the CTU Code guide).
Sources
- Council Directive 96/53/EC, consolidated text of 14 August 2019 (EUR-Lex, CELEX 01996L0053-20190814): Articles 1 to 4 and Annex I
- Council Directive 96/53/EC, original text (EUR-Lex, OJ L 235, 17.9.1996)
- Directive (EU) 2015/719, amending Directive 96/53/EC (EUR-Lex)
Consolidated version of 14 August 2019, consulted on 28 October 2026. Consolidated texts are documentation only; the authentic texts are those published in the Official Journal.
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