NDLTAP
North Dakota Truck Weight Calculator Launched

Posted: Sep 8, 2015

A convenient online calculator is now available to help the motor carrier industry, agricultural producers and others determine how to comply with legal gross and axle weight limits in North Dakota. The calculator will show the carrier what a vehicle or vehicle combination can legally weigh based on axle configuration, number of axles, number of tires per axle, the distance between axles and tire width.

The free calculator, developed by specialists with North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI), is specific to North Dakota with clickable options for selecting state highways and interstates. The calculator generates quick output with printable data and features simple picture explanations for intuitive use. Access the calculator through NDLTAP's ND Truck-Weight Education Resources page.

"Based on feedback from training classes and contacts across the state, we saw that there was a need for a resource like this," said Dale Heglund, director of UGPTI's North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program (NDLTAP). "Truckers and suppliers needed a tool to help them select the equipment that best matches their hauling needs and the road system they use."

Heglund said the calculator is designed to help ag producers, shippers and operators make the most efficient use of their equipment while complying with legal weight limits. "Our goal is to help them operate legally while saving the state's roads. To do that, we're helping them to better understand the capabilities of their trucks."

The calculator was developed by Brad Wentz, director of UGPTI's Department of Transportation Support Center, and Megan Bouret and Sravan Narra, IT specialists in the center. Leanna Emmer, an expert in truck size/weight issues with the North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program, and the NDHP Motor Carrier Division Permit Office also contributed expertise to the calculator's development.

Although the calculator is fully functional, developers are continuing to refine it. They are looking to add additional features such as the ability to input tare weights to calculate net haul capacity for various commodities and expanding the calculator to include neighboring states.