Light truck

Light truck or light-duty truck is a US classification for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to 8,500 pounds (3,860 kg) and a payload capacity up to 4,000 pounds (1,815 kg). Similar goods vehicle classes in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are termed light commercial vehicles and are limited to a gross vehicle weight of up to 3,500 kg (7,720 pounds).

This article is about the United States "Light (duty) truck" category. For Canadian, European, Australian and New Zealand light trucks, see Light commercial vehicle.
For other uses, see Truck.
For broader coverage of this topic, see Truck classification.

United States

Federal regulations define a light-duty truck to be any motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (curb weight plus payload) of no more than 8,500 pounds (3,860 kg) which is “(1) Designed primarily for purposes of transportation of property or is a derivation of such a vehicle, or (2) Designed primarily for transportation of persons and has a capacity of more than 12 persons, or (3) Available with special features enabling off-street or off-highway operation and use.”[1] Light trucks includes vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles.[2] Vehicles in this category are far more likely to kill or injure pedestrians than smaller passenger cars.[3]

1997 GM Tracker Sport Utility Vehicle
The PT Cruiser was classified as a light truck.

Fuel efficiency

The United States government uses light truck as a vehicle class in regulating fuel economy through the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard. The class includes vans, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickups. Light trucks have lower fuel economy standards than cars, under the premise that these vehicles are used for utilitarian purposes rather than personal transportation.

Since light trucks sold in the United States are increasingly being used for personal use, some have advocated applying higher fuel economy standards to light trucks not used for utilitarian purposes.

Tariffs

Light truck manufacturing in the United States is protected by the Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on imported light trucks.

See also

References
  1. 40 CFR 86.082-2
  2. Fuel Economy Standards Raised by 2 mpg for Model Year 2011
  3. Dean, Tamara (22 November 2022). "'He was fast … he ran you right over': what it's like to get hit by an SUV". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
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