Iowa Increases Tandem Axle Weight to 46,000 Lbs.

August 24, 2016 - Vehicles operating in Iowa under an oversize/overweight permit are now allowed to have a tandem axle weight of up to 46,000 lbs. on a single tandem truck axle and a single tandem trailer axle. A maximum of two axles at the 46,000 lbs. will be allowed for each permitted load. The previous limit of 20,000 lbs. per axle will apply after the new tandem limit is reached. Any axle in a tandem group cannot exceed a gross weight of 24,000 lbs.

SC&RA advocated for the increase with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), which was successfully passed the bill earlier this year through the state legislature. The Iowa DOT agreed with SC&RA that the lower weight allowance made it costlier to do business, resulting in a competitive disadvantage for Iowa truckers.  Iowa joins Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri as states recently adopting SC&RA’s recommended 46,000-pound tandem allowance.  Oklahoma and Nebraska are the only remaining states still allowing only 40,000 pound tandems.