Payload Check
The tongue comes out of payload before a single passenger boards.
The tire placard states what the vehicle may carry — occupants and cargo together, as it was built. Enter that figure and your real loads, and see the margin the brochure conversation never mentions.
- The placard's own figure
- Tongue weight counted first
- The margin, or the overage, in pounds
The placard, and the load
Payload is per-vehicle: options, cab and bed all move it, so the number lives on the door-opening placard, not in a brochure. The registry’s GVWR entry is a class range — context, never the number.
Before you buy
Check any VIN — free, instant, no sign-up
Decode the year, model, trim, plant and engine, then check NMVTIS for title brands and NHTSA for open recalls. The repair does not show on the paint. It shows in the record.
The placard is the number
Payload moves with options, cab, bed and driveline, so it belongs to the placard in the door opening — per vehicle, as built. The registry’s GVWR entry is a class range: context, never the number.
The tongue goes first
A trailer’s tongue weight rides on the truck and comes out of payload before a single passenger is counted — which is how a truck that tows fine empty runs out of placard with the family aboard.
Weigh, don’t guess
Guessed weights flatter the load. A public scale settles the truck and the trailer’s tongue both — and on a used truck, the inspection decides whether the rated hardware is still the hardware you have.
