UPDATE: 2015 Silverado Double Cab 4x4

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If you're involved in an accident with bodily injury or a fatality, you can be assured the weight will be thoroughly investigated.


I have personal friends in my business that were sued out of existence for running 3/4 ton vans overweight. A savvy lawyer WILL find out and your liability is then no longer covered by your insurances!!

Smart folks who want to keep their biz know this...


I'm assuming this is commercial which is very strict.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If you're involved in an accident with bodily injury or a fatality, you can be assured the weight will be thoroughly investigated.


Agreed Dishdude. The following I address to Nate-

A savvy Lawyer will look at the payload. If it goes to court, then you can explain to the judge how you as the operator thought you were safe by putting airbags on, overload springs, whatever to increase the payload. You can explain to the judge what your qualifications are; and how you know more than the engineers who designed the truck. It would be fun to sit in the courtroom and observe this.

Being sued for negligence if your over payload is not a scare tactic. Do you have any question in our litigious society this wouldn't happen? I can tell you Nate that if you were over payload and plowed in to me (your fault)-I would sue. That's a fact. Now you can flame me for saying this is what's wrong with society, etc., etc. I don't care.

Also, the CHP sitting outside Glamis, CA with scales and pulling over 5th wheels is also a fact. Maybe they don''t care in Oregon, but they care in California about weight.

And when your over payload and going over the design capabilities of the truck-how do you rationalize this isn't at the least illegal and at the most negligent? Again, you know more than the engineers? Please tell us your line of work or occupation that makes you this qualified? I will tell you I'm retired. I spent twenty years as an outside Industrial salesperson, drove well over a million miles and have seen all kind of nonsense on the road.



The CHP isn't weighing to see if they are over on payload. They are checking for severely overweight (meaning a driving hazard) including over axle and tire weights which are legal requirements. There are some Ram 1/2 trucks that have so low payload that you could load up 4 fat people and be over.

RAWR/FAWR and tire ratings are much more important that payload.

 

[dwcopple]

So, was driving the truck on Thursday and ALL of the sound went out. No blinkers, No Onstar, no stereo, no phone. Shut it off at a 4-way stop and restarted, nothing. Drove up to my wife's work and checked the amp and radio fuse in the passenger side panel, both fine. Started it back up and everything worked again....ugh

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979
OK, lets state it like this. In almost every state no LEO will even care. Whether or not you are negligent is much more than just being over the payload. Especially when many payloads are not actual design payloads but artificial number you can select when buying the truck (more for 1ton trucks). You can be over payload and driving perfectly safe. And you can drive under payload but be driving reckless with the weight not properly loaded. But when people come onto the forums and scare people about it being illegal that's [censored].


If you get into a bad accident and their is a somewhat sharp attorney involved payload will be checked. If your over, good luck.

With commercial trucks you get whats on your door plate, if your over you pay. CDL drivers have to deal with weigh ins all the time. Certain trucks like Mack's for instance are always over, their axles are to close together.

Private trucks get away with a lot more, but like all things you can get away with it forever until something happens. I have seen the DOT scaling private trucks when they get board, so YMMV.

I personally think the macho truck thing is absurd marketing [censored]. Half tons are light duty trucks, put a half ton frame next to a 1 ton, or a real truck's frame and see the differences.

 

[userfriendly]

You got that right hatteresguy;
The best deals right now are on 3500 DRWs, but look at the curb weight.
Unless you actually need one, there is a lot of extra mass to start and stop when used as a grocery getter.
Overloading or using 1500s for what they were not intended, is at the other end of the spectrum.
As you implied, all fun and games until someone looses an eye.