How to Read a Towing Sticker: Payload Placard and Certification Label

How to Read a Towing Sticker: The door labels describe your vehicle as it was built, with its cab, bed, engine, axle and factory options. A brochure tow rating describes the best-case configuration of the model. Ford's 2024 F-150 towing guide, for example, footnotes its maximums as "for properly equipped vehicles with required equipment and a 150-lb. driver and passenger" that "vary based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories, option content and number of passengers." Two trucks that look identical on a dealer lot can carry noticeably different payload figures because of trim and options.

Federal rules set what the labels must say. 49 CFR 571.110 (FMVSS 110) requires the Tire and Loading Information placard, and 49 CFR 567.4 requires the certification label with the GVWR and each GAWR. These are the manufacturer's ratings for that vehicle, and they override any brochure, dealer claim or example on this site.

Read them before you choose a trailer, then put the numbers into the Payload Calculator.

A U.S. truck or SUV carries two loading labels in the driver's door opening, and they hold different numbers. (GM pickups add a third, a trailering information label; the GAWR vs GVWR guide covers the federal rules for each.)

Label 1: Tire and Loading Information placard (yellow and white, usually on the B-pillar)

• Seating capacity. Total, front and rear.
• The payload line. It reads: "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." This is the vehicle's payload as built, including its factory options. Anything added later (bed liner, toolbox, steel bumper, winch, hitch) reduces what is left.
• Original tire size and cold inflation pressure for front, rear and spare. These are the pressures for the vehicle's rated loads, not the maximum pressure moulded on the tire sidewall. Underinflated tires run hot and carry less load; Ford's towing guide warns that "Underinflated tires get hot and may fail, leading to possible loss of vehicle control."

Label 2: Certification label (on the door pillar, door-latch post or door edge)

• Manufacturer and date of manufacture.
• GVWR. The maximum the loaded vehicle may weigh: driver, passengers, cargo, fuel and the tongue weight of any trailer. Verify how your load stacks up with the GCWR & Towing Calculator.
• GAWR front and GAWR rear, each with the tire size, rim size and cold pressure it applies to. Each is the maximum that axle system may carry. Tongue weight lands behind the rear axle, so the rear GAWR can be exceeded while the total is still under GVWR. The front GAWR limits how much load a weight distribution hitch can move forward.
• VIN and vehicle type.

If a label shows more than one GAWR for an axle, the one that applies is the one that matches the tire size actually fitted.

The tire code on the placard (and on the tire sidewall) tells you what the vehicle was certified with:

LT: Light Truck construction. LT tires are built for higher loads and pressures than passenger (P-metric) tires. If your vehicle came with LT tires, replace them with LT tires of at least the same load rating. If it came with P-metric tires, note that federal rules derate a P-metric tire's load rating by dividing it by 1.10 when it is fitted to a truck, MPV or trailer (FMVSS 110 S4.2.2.2), and the vehicle's ratings already account for that.

275: Section width in millimeters, sidewall to sidewall.

70: Aspect ratio, the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. Here 70% × 275 mm = 192.5 mm.

R: Radial construction.

18: Wheel diameter in inches.

Two more ratings are on the tire sidewall itself, not on the door placard:

Load index and load range. An LT tire shows a load index pair such as 125/122 (single and dual-wheel use) and a load range letter such as E. The load index is the maximum load at the tire's maximum rated pressure; the load range sets that pressure (80 psi for a load range E LT tire). Inflate to the placard pressure for the vehicle, not to the sidewall maximum. Higher pressure does not raise the axle or vehicle ratings.

Speed rating. A letter such as S (112 mph) giving the tire's maximum sustained speed at its rated load. Trailer (ST) tires and some trailer manufacturers set lower speed limits; check the trailer's own documentation.

Replacement tires must have at least the load capacity of the originals at the axle's GAWR, or the GAWR on the label no longer holds.

GVWR and GCWR are separate limits, and a rig has to be inside both.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
This number governs the tow vehicle in isolation. It is the maximum weight of the truck or SUV itself when loaded with everything it is carrying: fuel, driver, passengers, bed cargo, and the tongue weight of any attached trailer. Ford's towing guide adds a point worth knowing: "the braking system of the tow vehicle is rated for operation at the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), not Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)."

GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)
This number governs the total mass of the integrated tow system: the loaded tow vehicle plus the fully loaded trailer. It reflects what the drivetrain, cooling and braking can handle for the combination, which is why it changes with engine and axle ratio. You can explore your specific truck's GCWR in our Truck Specs Database.

The Practical Difference
A truck with a GVWR of 7,000 lbs and a GCWR of 14,000 lbs means the truck alone cannot weigh more than 7,000 lbs, and the combined weight of truck plus trailer cannot exceed 14,000 lbs. So the GCWR-based trailer limit is GCWR minus your actual loaded truck weight, not GCWR minus GVWR, and the trailer must also stay within the published maximum trailer weight for your configuration.

If your truck weighs 6,400 lbs when loaded (including passengers and tongue weight), your maximum trailer weight is:

Whichever is lower, this figure or the published maximum trailer weight for your exact configuration, is your limit. Because the published maximum assumes a lightly loaded truck, a heavily loaded one often reaches the GCWR limit first. (All figures here are hypothetical.)

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): The manufacturer's maximum for the tow vehicle alone when fully loaded, including tongue weight. On the certification label.

GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating): The maximum for the tow vehicle and trailer together. Usually in the owner's manual or towing guide; GM pickups also print it on a trailering information label.

GAWR FR / GAWR RR (Gross Axle Weight Rating, front / rear): The maximum each axle system may carry, measured at the tires, which is why tire size and pressure are printed beside it. The rear GAWR is often the first axle limit reached in bumper-pull towing because tongue weight lands behind the rear axle.

Payload: The "combined weight of occupants and cargo" line on the tire placard: the budget for passengers, cargo, accessories added after the factory, the hitch and tongue weight.

Cold tire inflation pressure: The placard pressure, set when the tires are cold (typically parked for three hours or more, or driven less than a mile). It is the pressure the vehicle's load ratings assume.

Load range: A letter on LT tires (C, D, E, F...) that sets the tire's maximum inflation pressure; load range E is 80 psi. It is common on heavy-duty pickups. Replace like with like unless the vehicle manufacturer approves otherwise.

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): The 17-character code identifying your vehicle. A dealer or the manufacturer's lookup can use it to pull the original build data, including engine, axle ratio and towing package, which decide which row of the towing guide applies.

Here is the process with hypothetical numbers. Replace each with your own placard figure and real weights:

Step 1: Read the payload number from the door sticker.
Example: "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1,480 lbs."

Step 2: Subtract all human weight in the vehicle.
Driver (200 lbs) + Spouse (150 lbs) + Two Children (120 lbs) = 470 lbs
Remaining payload: 1,480 - 470 = 1,010 lbs

Step 3: Subtract all cargo loaded into the cab and bed.
Luggage in rear cargo area (100 lbs) + Generator in bed (85 lbs) + Tools and camping gear (75 lbs) = 260 lbs
Remaining payload: 1,010 - 260 = 750 lbs

Step 4: Subtract the weight of your hitch assembly.
Weight Distribution Hitch and ball mount (90 lbs) = 90 lbs
Remaining payload: 750 - 90 = 660 lbs

Step 5: Your remaining payload estimates your tongue-weight budget.
You have about 660 lbs available before checking axle weights, tire ratings, hitch rating, and the final loaded scale ticket.

Step 6: Estimate trailer weight from tongue weight.
At a 12% tongue weight planning figure (inside the common 10–15% range):

This step-by-step process matters because it may reveal a practical trailer-weight target much lower than the vehicle's advertised towing capacity. Run this calculation using the interactive Payload Calculator before making any trailer purchase.

Mistake 1: Using the brochure towing capacity instead of the labels
Maximum tow ratings are calculated for a lightly loaded vehicle; Ford's, for example, assume a 150-lb driver and passenger. Every passenger, bag and accessory beyond that comes out of payload, and often the tongue weight runs out of room long before the tow rating does. Start from the payload line on the placard.

Mistake 2: Ignoring aftermarket additions
Everything added after the vehicle left the factory (steel bumper, winch, toolbox, fifth-wheel or weight distribution hitch, bed liner, roof rack) reduces your available payload, because the placard figure was set before it was fitted. Subtract each item's weight, or weigh the vehicle as it is now.

Mistake 3: Using dry trailer weight instead of loaded weight
Trailer makers publish a dry weight, usually called UVW (unloaded vehicle weight): the trailer as built, with full propane but no water, cargo or dealer-added accessories. You will tow it heavier. The trailer's GVWR is the most it may weigh loaded; a 2027 Jay Feather 21MML, for example, has a published UVW of 5,095 lb and a GVWR of 6,500 lb. Calculate tongue weight from loaded weight. See dry weight vs GVWR and the tongue weight guide.

Mistake 4: Assuming added equipment raises the ratings
Fitting a hitch, airbags, helper springs or a different suspension after purchase does not change the GVWR, GAWR or payload on the labels; it only adds weight. See can you increase payload capacity for who can and cannot change a rating.

Mistake 5: Relying on the previous owner's knowledge
On a used vehicle, start fresh with the labels and the owner's manual for that model year, then weigh the vehicle as it is now at a public or CAT scale, since earlier owners may have added equipment.

This is a hypothetical example built to show the method. The vehicle, trailer and every number below are illustrative; they are not a reader's trip or a measured result. Replace each line with your own door label and scale weights.

Take a half-ton pickup advertised as towing "up to 11,200 lbs", and a 30-foot fifth-wheel with a dry weight of 9,800 lbs. On the brochure numbers, 9,800 is comfortably under 11,200.

Now suppose the door sticker reads: "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1,340 lbs."

• Driver: 220 lbs
• Passenger: 150 lbs
• Tools and gear: 180 lbs
• Fifth-wheel hitch (head, rails, plate): 250 lbs
• Total before pin weight: 800 lbs
• Remaining payload for pin weight: 1,340 - 800 = 540 lbs

Dry weight is not towing weight. Add water (50 gallons at 8.34 lbs/gallon = 417 lbs) and food and gear (300 lbs), and the trailer is about 10,517 lbs loaded. Propane is not added: full propane is already inside the published dry weight (UVW).

Fifth-wheel pin weight typically runs 15 to 25% of loaded weight. At 18%:

That is about 3.5 times the 540 lbs left on the sticker, even though the trailer is under the advertised tow rating. A lighter trailer whose loaded tongue or pin weight fits inside the remaining payload is the configuration that passes. The door sticker is the best starting point for your vehicle's real loading limits.