What this is
What is a weight and axle check?
What is a weight and axle check?
A weight and axle check is a record that captures gross vehicle weight and the load carried on each axle against legal limits, completed before a vehicle near capacity is allowed to depart. It is built against FMCSA 658 and provincial weight regulations, and sits inside the Cold Chain and Transport programme.
What is the difference between gross weight and axle weight?
Gross weight is the total weight of the vehicle and load combined, checked against one overall limit. Axle weight is how much of that total sits on each axle group, checked against separate limits per axle group. A vehicle can pass on gross weight and still fail on a single axle if the load isn't distributed evenly.
Why does the template ask for the weighing method used?
A certified weighbridge reading, on-board weighing, a calculation from the load plan and an estimate are not equally reliable, and the template scores them differently for that reason. An estimated weight on a load near capacity is closer to a guess than a check.
Scope
When is a weight and axle check required?
This record is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use this template when
- A loaded vehicle is near its gross or axle capacity and needs weighing before it leaves the yard
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form WAC-2026-000
- You are running the Cold Chain and Transport programme and this is the weight compliance step before despatch
- A load previously checked for securement now needs its weight and axle distribution confirmed: links Asset
- An overweight reading needs the correction, the cause and the reweigh recorded against the same load
Do not use it for
- Load Securement Check, which confirms the load is secured correctly for its type, weight and journey — the weight and axle result feeds into that check but doesn't replace it.
- Load Plan and Build Record, which records how the load was planned and built before it was weighed; a wrong declared weight here often traces back to that record.
- Dangerous Goods Shipment Record, which records the shipping documents, placarding and segregation for a dangerous goods load, separate from whether it's within weight.
- Dispatch Release Check, which confirms the paperwork and documentation are complete for release, not the physical weight of the vehicle.
- Anything outside KnowFleet, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which FMCSA 658 requirements does this satisfy?
FMCSA 658 sets federal weight limits on the US Interstate system; provincial weight regulations set the equivalent, often stricter, axle limits for the routes this vehicle actually runs. The template is built to satisfy both without assuming they say the same thing.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA 658 | Gross vehicle weight must not exceed the federal limit for the vehicle configuration and route. | Weights |
| FMCSA 658 | Weight on any single or tandem axle group must not exceed its individual limit, independent of the gross weight result. | Weights |
| provincial weight regulations | Axle spacing and axle count determine the applicable weight limit for the route actually driven, which can be stricter than the federal figure. | Header |
| FMCSA 658 | A vehicle found overweight must not be dispatched until it is brought back within limits and the correction is verified. | If overweight |
| provincial weight regulations | A reweigh after correction is required evidence that the vehicle is compliant, not just that action was taken. | If overweight |
| FMCSA 658 | The carrier remains responsible for an overweight vehicle regardless of who loaded it, which is why departure authorisation is a named, recorded decision. | Systemic |
| provincial weight regulations | Recurring overweight findings on the same route point to a loading or declared-weight problem, not a one-off driver error. | Systemic |
What it does not cover
- Recording Within Gross Limit as Yes without answering the individual axle weight fields, which proves nothing about axle compliance.
- Leaving Weighing Method as Estimated on a load flagged near capacity, which is scored lowest for a reason and shouldn't be the basis for a departure decision.
- Setting Departure Authorised to Yes while Overweight Condition still reads Axle only or Gross and axle, which authorises departure on a vehicle that hasn't been corrected.
- Answering Load Redistributed as Yes without a Reweighed After Correction entry, which records the fix but not the proof it worked.
- Marking Recurring Issue On This Route as No repeatedly on the same route and vehicle without checking prior records, which hides a systemic loading problem inside a series of individually clean checks.
Global
Weight and Axle Check requirements by country
Weight and axle limits are set federally in the US and provincially in Canada, and a carrier running cross-border loads has to satisfy both, not the more lenient of the two.
23 CFR Part 658 / FMCSA weight and route designations
Sets the federal gross weight limit and the Federal Bridge Formula linking axle spacing to allowable axle weight.
A load can satisfy the gross limit and still fail the bridge formula if axle spacing is short relative to the weight carried, which is exactly what the axle weight fields exist to catch.
Provincial weight and dimension regulations
Provinces set their own axle and gross limits, broadly harmonised but not identical, and enforce them at scale houses on provincial highways.
A route crossing a provincial boundary can mean a different legal axle limit partway through the same trip, which is why Trip Or Route Reference matters to the check, not just the vehicle's rating.
Both FMCSA 658 and the destination province's weight regulations, applied concurrently
A load legal at the US scale can still be overweight the moment it crosses into a province with a stricter axle limit, and vice versa.
Weighing Method and the reweigh fields need to reflect the stricter of the two jurisdictions the load will actually travel through, not just the one where it was loaded.
How to complete it
How to complete a weight and axle check, step by step
Filling in a weight in every field is not the same as producing a record that would survive a roadside inspection. Four judgement calls decide whether it does.
Weighing Method scores Estimated at 0 against a certified weighbridge at 4. On a load flagged near capacity, an estimate shouldn't be the number a departure decision rests on — the field exists to force the question of whether a proper weighing was actually available and used.
A vehicle can be well within Gross Limit and still fail All Axles Within Limit, because gross weight and axle distribution are different failure modes. Treating a good gross number as reassurance about axle compliance is the exact gap the template's own Info field calls out.
Load Redistributed, Fifth Wheel Repositioned and Product Removed each record an action taken. Compliant After Correction is the field that actually closes the loop — an action was taken is not the same claim as the vehicle is now within limits, and only a reweigh proves the second one.
The carrier carries the overweight penalty regardless of who loaded the vehicle. Departure Authorised names the person who signed off on sending an overweight-flagged vehicle out, which is the record that matters if the load is later pulled and fined.
What auditors find
Most common weight and axle check findings
Patterns that show up repeatedly when this record is audited after the fact.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Vehicle Weight and Within Gross Limit are answered, but Steer Axle Weight, Drive Axle Weight and Trailer Axle Weight are left blank. | FMCSA 658 | Make the individual axle weight fields required whenever Weighing Method is anything other than Estimated, and require All Axles Within Limit to be answered before the record can close. |
| Weighing Method is set to Estimated on loads recorded as near capacity, with no escalation. | FMCSA 658 | Flag any near-capacity load weighed by estimate for a mandatory weighbridge or on-board reading before departure is authorised. |
| Overweight Condition is recorded as Axle only or Gross and axle, but Reweighed After Correction and Compliant After Correction are left blank. | provincial weight regulations | Block Departure Authorised from being set to Yes until both correction fields are answered Yes. |
| Recurring Issue On This Route is marked No on the same vehicle and route across multiple records, while Declared Weights Accurate and Loading Plan Used trend downward. | provincial weight regulations | Trend the three Systemic fields together by route rather than reading Recurring Issue On This Route in isolation. |
| Weighbridge Calibration Current is answered Unknown rather than checked, and the weighing result is treated as reliable anyway. | FMCSA 658 | Require the Weighbridge Reference and a calibration check before a certified weighbridge reading can be scored at full weight. |
| Cause is recorded as Genuine overload with no CAPA raised and no change to the load plan referenced. | provincial weight regulations | Route a Genuine overload cause automatically into a required CAPA, since it points at the load plan rather than a one-off loading error. |
Case in point
Case in point: legal on the total, illegal on the axle
A load was weighed at a certified weighbridge and came in comfortably under the gross limit. The driver logged Within Gross Limit as Yes, and the record moved toward Departure Authorised without the individual axle fields being completed.
The vehicle was pulled at a provincial scale house partway through the route. The drive axle, carrying most of the load's forward weight, was over its individual limit even though the gross figure was fine — the fine and the delay landed on the carrier, and the weight ticket on file only proved the number that was never in question.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
5 sections
- Reference
- FLT-024
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- WAC-2026-000
- Scoring
- Within limits
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- FMCSA 658, provincial weight regulations
- Links
- Links Asset
- Tags
- Fleet, Cargo, Compliance
- Sections
- 5
- Fields
- 53
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
22 fieldsCheck ID*
Auto sequence. Format WAC-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Vehicle*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
Unit Number
The number painted on the door, which is what drivers actually use.
Driver*
Person ID*
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Licence Class
Trip Or Route Reference
Origin
Destination
Odometer Reading
Load Carried
Chilled, frozen, ambient, mixed temperature, dangerous goods or empty.
Customer Or Site
Legal Total, Illegal Axle
A vehicle can be under its gross limit and still overloaded on the drive axle. Enforcement weighs axles, not just the total.
Weighing Method*
- Certified weighbridge4 pts
- On board weighing3 pts
- Calculated from load plan1 pt
- Estimated0 pts
Weighbridge Reference
Weighbridge Calibration Current*
- Yes3 pts
- Unknown1 pt
- No0 pts
Weights
9 fieldsGross Vehicle Weight*
Gross Limit*
Within Gross Limit*
- Yes3 pts
- At limit1 pt
- Over0 pts
Steer Axle Weight
Drive Axle Weight
Trailer Axle Weight
All Axles Within Limit*
- Yes3 pts
- One marginal1 pt
- Over on one or more0 pts
Highest Axle Utilisation Percent
Payload
If overweight
8 fieldsOverweight Condition*
- None3 pts
- Axle only1 pt
- Gross and axle0 pts
Overage Amount
Cause
Load distribution, incorrect declared weight, fifth wheel position, fuel and equipment, or genuine overload.
Load Redistributed
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Fifth Wheel Repositioned
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No0 pts
Product Removed
Reweighed After Correction
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Compliant After Correction
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Related records
1 fieldLoad Securement Check ID
The load being weighed.
Links to FLT-023 Check ID
Systemic
13 fieldsDeclared Weights Accurate*
Loads planned on nominal case weights drift overweight when actual weights run high.
- Yes3 pts
- Approximate1 pt
- No0 pts
Loading Plan Used*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Recurring Issue On This Route*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Departure Authorised*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Weight Ticket Retained*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Driver*
Signature*
Loading Supervisor*
Second Signature*
FLT-024 · record IDs look like WAC-2026-000 · Links Asset
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form captures one weigh-in. Catching the route that keeps producing overweight loads, and getting the loading plan fixed before the next departure, is the work that needs to look across records, not just this one.
Holds the vehicle and axle configuration against the register, and flags a Weighing Method of Estimated on a load already flagged near capacity.
Tracks the load plan and declared weight back to source, so a Recurring Issue On This Route finding points at the planning step that actually needs fixing.
Rolls overweight findings up by route and carrier, surfacing the pattern that a single weigh-in record can't show on its own.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowFleet — fleet and transport. Drivers, vehicles, hours, cargo securement and operator licence compliance.
Meet KnowFleet→Glossary
Weight and Axle Check definitions and key terms
- Bridge formula
- A federal calculation linking allowable axle weight to the distance between axles, intended to limit the stress a load places on bridges; a load can pass the gross weight limit and still fail this calculation.
- Axle group
- Two or more axles close enough together to be weighed and limited as a single unit — steer, drive and trailer axles are typically each their own group.
- Weighbridge
- A fixed, calibrated scale used to weigh a whole vehicle or individual axle groups; a certified reading from a weighbridge is the most reliable weight evidence available.
- Declared weight
- The weight a load is assumed to carry based on planning figures such as nominal case weight, used before the vehicle is actually weighed; it drifts from the real weight when planning assumptions run light.
- Fifth wheel
- The coupling between a tractor and a semi-trailer; its position along the trailer shifts how much of the load's weight sits on the drive axle versus the trailer axles.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about weight and axle check
Does a certified weighbridge reading remove the need to check individual axles?+
No — a weighbridge can weigh the whole vehicle or each axle group separately. Gross Vehicle Weight and the per-axle fields are separate readings, and both need recording even when the same weighbridge visit produces both.
What happens if the vehicle comes in overweight?+
The If overweight section records the condition, the likely cause, what corrective action was taken — redistribution, a fifth wheel move, product removed — and whether a reweigh confirmed the vehicle is now compliant, before departure can be authorised.
Who is responsible for an overweight vehicle, the driver or the loader?+
The catalogue note is explicit: overweight penalties fall on the carrier regardless of who loaded it. That's why the template asks for both a Driver and a Loading Supervisor signature rather than one alone.
Why does the template ask about the loading plan and declared weights separately from the actual weigh-in?+
The Systemic section exists to catch the upstream cause. A load that keeps coming in heavy usually traces back to a declared weight or loading plan that was wrong at the planning stage, not a series of unrelated driver errors.
Does this template apply to every load?+
It's intended for loads near capacity where an overweight result is a real possibility, not a blanket check on every departure — the catalogue scopes it to loads near capacity specifically.
Can the weighing method scoring be adjusted?+
Yes. The relative scores for certified weighbridge, on-board weighing, calculated and estimated readings are editable, though most fleets keep certified weighbridge as the top-scoring method since it's the hardest evidence to dispute.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Cold Chain and Transport
Transport Provider Assessment
Assesses a haulier for licensing, driver management, vehicle standards, temperature capability and load security
Load Securement Check
Confirms the load is secured correctly for its type, weight and journey
Dangerous Goods Shipment Record
Records the shipping documents, placarding and segregation for a dangerous goods load
Temperature Log
Records product temperature through a journey, from loading to delivery
Cold Chain Excursion Record
Records a temperature deviation outside the acceptable range, with duration and product affected
Trailer Sanitation Record
Records cleaning and inspection of a trailer before food loading
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- 23 CFR Part 658 — Truck Size and Weight, Route Designations
- FMCSA — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration weight enforcement
- Provincial weight and dimension regulations (Canada) — harmonised under the Memorandum of Understanding on vehicle weights and dimensions
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.