When a buyer writes "I need a 20 ton truck", three suppliers can send three different trucks and all be right. One reads it as 20 tonnes of cargo. One reads it as a truck that weighs 20 tonnes fully loaded. A third, seeing the word "crane" further down, reads it as lifting capacity. The trucks differ by one or even two axles. Getting the meaning straight at the start saves a round of wasted quotations.
Payload or gross weight? What "10 ton" usually means
There are three weights behind every truck:
- Curb weight: the empty truck, with body, fuel and equipment.
- Payload: the cargo it is rated to carry.
- Gross vehicle weight (GVW): the two together, with the crew. This is the figure on the registration plate and the one road authorities check.
In everyday speech, and in most enquiries from Africa and Southeast Asia, "a 10 ton truck" means a truck that carries about 10 tonnes. In factory catalogues and Chinese model classes, the tonnage is often the gross weight. That is how one truck comes to have two names. Our CLW 4x2 tipper is an 18-tonne truck by gross weight and an 11.4-tonne truck by rated payload.
For crane trucks there is a third meaning: the tonnage is the crane's maximum lift, which has nothing to do with what the deck can carry.
All figures here are metric tonnes of 1,000 kg. Our guide to GVW, payload and curb weight explains the three weights in more detail.
10 ton trucks: typical 4x2 and 6x2 models
To carry about 10 tonnes you need a heavy two-axle truck of around 18,000 kg gross weight. The body takes a share of that, and a heavy body takes more:
- A tipper body is light. Our CLW 4x2 tipper weighs 6,450 kg empty and is rated to carry 11,420 kg.
- A tank with a vacuum pump is heavier. Our HOWO 4x2 vacuum truck, on the same 18,000 kg gross weight, weighs 9,230 kg empty and is rated for 8,640 kg.
- A crane is heavier still. Our Dongfeng 4x2 truck with an 8 t crane weighs 12,800 kg empty and carries 5,070 kg on its deck.
So "10 ton payload" is realistic for a 4x2 tipper or cargo truck and not for a 4x2 tanker or crane truck; those need a third axle. A 6x2 adds that axle without a second driven axle, which suits good roads. Our CLW 6x2 tipper carries 16,070 kg at 25,000 kg gross.
If instead you mean 10 tonnes gross weight, you are in the medium class: trucks of about 12,000 kg GVW, such as our 5,000 L water tanker at 11,990 kg, which leaves roughly 7 tonnes for load.
20 ton trucks: 6x4 tippers, tankers and cranes
Twenty tonnes of payload is three-axle or four-axle work.
- Tippers. A three-axle 6x4 registered at 25,000 kg gross carries about 15 to 16 tonnes: our CLW 6x4 rear tipper is rated at 15,320 kg. Our HOWO 6x4 tipper is rated at 26,805 kg on a 39,500 kg gross weight, a rating used where roads and regulations allow that weight on three axles. When someone asks for a "20 ton dump truck", these are the two classes in question, and the right one depends on the axle-load limit where the truck will run.
- Tankers. Twenty tonnes of liquid is 20,000 liters of water. Our 20,000 L water tanker is a 6x4 at 25,000 kg gross. Check the finished curb weight against the gross weight before assuming a full tank is legal on your roads.
- Cranes. A "20 ton crane truck" lifts 20 tonnes close to the crane. Ours stands on a four-axle 8x4 chassis at 31,000 kg gross and carries 9,505 kg of cargo. See how to read a crane load chart before ordering by the headline figure.
30 ton trucks: 8x4 and what the road limit allows
At 30 tonnes the question changes from "which truck?" to "what do my roads allow?"
A four-axle 8x4 rigid truck is typically registered at about 31,000 kg gross. That is a 31-tonne truck by gross weight, but its payload is far lower: our 8x4 combined jetting and vacuum truck weighs 18,500 kg empty at 31,000 kg gross. An 8x4 tipper spreads its load over four axles, which helps where each axle is weighed; our HOWO 8x4 carries an 8.8 m body.
Thirty tonnes of payload on a rigid truck is mostly off-highway work. Our CLW HOWO 7 6x4 mining tipper is rated for 30 to 40 tonne loads, and our 6x4 electric tipper carries 31,305 kg at a 50,000 kg gross weight. Trucks like these work in quarries, mines and closed sites, or on roads where the authority permits those weights.
On public highways, 30 tonnes of cargo normally travels on a tractor head and a three-axle semi-trailer, which puts the load on five or six axles. Our three-axle container semi-trailer, for example, is rated for 33.1 tonnes.
We do not print national weight limits here, because they differ between countries and are revised. Ask your road authority for the current limit per axle and per vehicle, and send it with your enquiry.
Tonnage, axles and typical bodies
| What you ask for | If you mean payload | If you mean gross weight | If you mean crane lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ton truck | 4x2 at about 18,000 kg GVW (tipper, cargo); 6x2 or 6x4 for tankers | 4x2 at about 12,000 kg GVW, roughly 7 t of load | 6x2 or 6x4 at 25,000 kg GVW; about 7.9 t on the deck |
| 20 ton truck | 6x4 or 8x4, depending on the axle limits where it runs | 6x4 or 6x2 at 25,000 kg GVW, about 15–16 t of load | 8x4 at 31,000 kg GVW; about 9.5 t on the deck |
| 30 ton truck | Tractor head and three-axle semi-trailer on the highway; reinforced 6x4 or 8x4 off it | 8x4 at about 31,000 kg GVW | Beyond our truck-mounted range; a mobile crane |
The drive formulas in this table are explained in 4x2, 4x4, 6x4 and 8x4 truck drive types.
How to write the enquiry
Replace "10 ton truck" with three facts and every supplier will quote the same thing:
- The cargo and its weight per trip, in tonnes or in liters with the liquid named.
- The body: tipper, tank, flat deck, crane with deck, box.
- The legal axle load and gross weight on your route, if you know them.
Common questions
Is a 10 ton truck 10 tons of load or 10 tons in total?
In most buyers' usage it is the load. In many catalogues it is the gross weight. Always ask for the rated payload and the gross vehicle weight as two separate figures.
How many axles does a 20 ton truck have?
Three for about 15 to 16 tonnes of payload at 25,000 kg gross, and three or four for a full 20 tonnes, depending on what each axle may legally carry in your country.
Can a 6x4 truck carry 30 tons?
Reinforced 6x4 mining tippers are rated for it and do it every day inside quarries. On public roads that load usually exceeds what three axles are allowed, so it moves on a semi-trailer.
Does a 20 ton crane truck carry 20 tons?
No. It lifts up to 20 tonnes at a short radius. Our 20 t crane truck is rated to carry 9,505 kg on its deck.
Why do two trucks with the same gross weight have different payloads?
Because their bodies weigh different amounts. At 18,000 kg gross, our tipper carries 11,420 kg and our vacuum truck 8,640 kg. The heavier the equipment, the less is left for cargo.
