GVW Stickers on Trucks: Door Decals vs the GVWR Label

GVW stickers mean two different things. One is the rating label the manufacturer puts on the vehicle, which states the GVWR. The other is a decal on the door or side showing a weight, and only a few places are verified to require one: New Jersey asks for the GVWR on commercial vehicles of 26,001 pounds or more, and California requires the DMV's weight decals on commercial vehicles registered by weight. For every other state we could not confirm either way, so check with yours. The federal marking rule, 49 CFR 390.21, asks for the legal name and USDOT number and lists no weight.

The manufacturer's label versus a decal on the door

The rating label carries the manufacturer's maximum loaded weight for the vehicle. The federal definition reads: GVWR is "the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single motor vehicle" (49 CFR 390.5T). It is a rating, not what your truck weighs today.

A decal is different: someone chose the number and stuck it on. That someone is you, a sign shop or, in California, the DMV. A decal you order from us prints the text you type, so it is not a substitute for the manufacturer's label.

How to read a GVWR sticker

Find the line marked GVWR on the manufacturer's label. That is the maximum loaded weight for that single vehicle. Your owner's manual is the place to look for what the other numbers mean, and for payload and tire information.

If you tow, the combination rating matters. The combined rating (GCWR) is the greater of two figures: the manufacturer's power-unit value on its label, or the sum of the GVWRs of the power unit and every towed unit (49 CFR 390.5T). That is why a trailer's own GVWR matters even though it sits on a different vehicle.

Weight is also one test for whether federal safety rules apply. In interstate commerce, a vehicle used to transport property with a gross vehicle or combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more is a commercial motor vehicle under the same section. Our USDOT display rules page covers what that triggers.

Commercial vehicle weight decals: what we verified

New Jersey

New Jersey requires commercial motor vehicles of 26,001 pounds GVWR or more that are registered or principally garaged in New Jersey to display the GVWR in lettering at least 3 in. high (NJ MVC). The statute allows a name plate or a conspicuous display in plain view. For this rule, GVWR means the manufacturer's rating or the registered gross weight, whichever is greater. The sign also carries the owner's, lessee's or lessor's name and the municipality of its principal place of business, with some exceptions (N.J.S.A. 39:4-46).

California

California commercial vehicles registered under the Commercial Vehicle Registration Act must display the DMV's CVRA weight decals on the right and left sides of the vehicle (DMV). The law covers vehicles with a declared weight of 10,001 pounds or more, and the decal must contrast sharply with the background and be readable in daylight from 50 feet (Vehicle Code 9400.1).

The DMV decal shows the highest weight at which the vehicle may be operated, in weight codes 15 through 80. Pickup trucks and electric vehicles are not weighed under the CVRA schedule. These are the DMV's decals, so ask the DMV before adding a weight decal of your own. The CA carrier number is a separate marking: see our CA number guide.

Weight lines that are not weight display rules

Some rules mention weight without asking you to show one. Do not read these as display rules:

• California: Vehicle Code 27902 exempts vehicles with an unladen weight of 6,000 pounds or less from the company-name rule (27902). We found no California page requiring unladen weight on a truck, which is not proof that none exists.
• Nevada: private intrastate carriers show the carrier name on the power unit, except single-unit vehicles with an unladen weight of 10,000 pounds or less (NAC 706.170).
• Illinois: licensed intrastate carriers with vehicles under 9,000 pounds GVW may use smaller identification readable at 25 feet (Illinois Vehicle Code 18c-4701). That is a size option, not a weight sign.
• Kansas: a farm truck used above 54,000 pounds gross weight must carry lettering identifying it as a farm vehicle not for hire (Kansas Highway Patrol). The lettering is keyed to weight but is not a weight.

Other states: unknown, not "not required"

In the official pages we read for Texas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Washington, New York, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Oregon, we found no rule telling you to display a weight on the truck. That means unknown. It does not mean "not required." We did not read every statute, and rules change. Texas DPS's marking table, for example, lists no weights (DPS).

Ask your state's commercial vehicle office one question: do I need to show a weight on my truck or trailer, and in what form? Then get the answer in writing.

Ordering a GVW decal

If you decide to add a weight line, our GVW weight decal prints the text you type on a rectangle in the background color you choose. The USDOT / MC / CA / GVW four-line decal puts a weight line under your numbers. Copy the figure from the manufacturer's label or your registration. Decals are priced per decal, so order 2 for both sides. Hauling a trailer? See DOT requirements for trailers, and USDOT number requirements by state.