Behind every road delivery is a set of weight rules that decide how much a lorry can legally carry. Understanding the basics helps you order the right transport and avoid surprises. This guide covers UK HGV weight limits and the main trailer types, with no jargon.
Gross weight: the 44-tonne ceiling
For standard road haulage, the maximum gross weight of an articulated lorry (the tractor unit, trailer and load combined) is 44 tonnes. That top figure applies to six-axle artics carrying an ISO container or running on road-friendly suspension. Five-axle combinations are limited to a lower figure, typically 40 or 41 tonnes depending on the configuration.
Crucially, 44 tonnes is the total, not the payload. Once you take off the weight of the tractor unit and trailer, the usable payload for a typical artic is around 26 tonnes.
Axle weights matter too
It is not enough to stay under the gross limit; the weight on each axle is regulated as well. As a guide, a single driving axle can carry up to 11.5 tonnes, and non-driving axles up to 10 tonnes, with lower limits in some configurations. This is why how a load is positioned on the trailer matters: an overloaded axle is an offence even if the total weight is legal. Spreading the load correctly keeps every axle within limits.
When you go over the limits
Loads that exceed 44 tonnes gross move under the Special Types (STGO) rules rather than standard regulations. STGO allows much heavier combinations – up to 80 tonnes (Category 2) or 150 tonnes (Category 3) – using extra axles to spread the weight, with notifications and lower speed limits. This is the territory of heavy haulage and abnormal loads.
The main trailer types
Different loads call for different trailers. The most common are:
- Curtainsider: the workhorse of UK haulage. Curtain sides open for easy loading from the side or top; ideal for palletised and general goods that need weather protection.
- Flatbed: an open platform with no sides, loaded from any direction and easy to crane or Hiab onto. Good for steel, building materials and bulky items.
- Low-loader: a low deck for tall and heavy machinery, keeping the overall height down. Used for plant and abnormal loads.
- Skeletal (skelly): a bare frame designed to carry ISO shipping containers, secured by twist-locks.
- Beavertail: a sloped rear deck with ramps for driving plant and vehicles on and off.
Matching the load to the lorry
Picking the right trailer comes down to a few questions: How heavy is the load? How tall and wide? How will it be loaded and unloaded – by forklift, crane, Hiab or driven on? Does it need protecting from the weather? Answering these points your haulier to the right vehicle and keeps the job legal and efficient.
Rigid lorries and smaller vehicles
Not every job needs a 44-tonne artic. Rigid lorries – where the cab and load bed are on one chassis rather than an articulated trailer – come in a range of sizes, commonly 7.5, 18 and 26 tonnes gross. Smaller rigids are more manoeuvrable and better suited to tight urban deliveries and lighter loads, while a 26-tonne rigid offers a useful middle ground. Matching the vehicle size to the load and the destination avoids paying for capacity you do not need, or worse, sending a lorry that cannot reach the site.
Volume versus weight
One point that surprises people is that a trailer often “cubes out” before it “weighs out”. Light but bulky goods – packaging, insulation, furniture – fill the available space long before they reach the weight limit, so the constraint is volume, not tonnage. Dense goods like steel or aggregate are the opposite, hitting the weight limit with the trailer half empty. A good haulier thinks about both, which is why they ask about dimensions as well as weight when quoting.
Why it matters to you
Weight limits are not red tape for its own sake. Overloaded lorries damage roads and bridges, handle poorly and are dangerous, and enforcement is strict, with roadside and weigh-in-motion checks now routine. Booking the right vehicle for the weight keeps everyone safe and your delivery on schedule.
Get the right lorry for your load
Not sure which trailer suits your goods, or whether your load is within standard limits? Northampton Road Haulage runs a varied fleet and can advise on the right vehicle, including heavy and abnormal loads. Call 01604 385213 for honest guidance and a quote.