Your vehicle has a maximum authorised mass of 40 tonnes. The tare weight is 10 tonnes. What's your maximum payload?

Your vehicle has a maximum authorised mass of 40 tonnes. The tare weight is 10 tonnes. What's your maximum payload?

• A. 40 tonnes
• B. 20 tonnes
• C. 50 tonnes
• D. 30 tonnes

Answer: (D)

Payload is the amount you can carry on top of the vehicle’s own weight, and it’s found by subtracting the tare (empty) weight from the maximum authorised mass. Here, the vehicle’s MAM is 40 tonnes and its tare is 10 tonnes, so the most you can legally carry is 40 − 10 = 30 tonnes. That keeps the total weight at the permitted 40 tonnes. A payload of 40 tonnes would ignore the vehicle’s own weight, a payload of 50 tonnes would exceed the limit, and a payload of 20 tonnes is simply less than what’s possible.

Payload is the amount you can carry on top of the vehicle’s own weight, and it’s found by subtracting the tare (empty) weight from the maximum authorised mass. Here, the vehicle’s MAM is 40 tonnes and its tare is 10 tonnes, so the most you can legally carry is 40 − 10 = 30 tonnes. That keeps the total weight at the permitted 40 tonnes. A payload of 40 tonnes would ignore the vehicle’s own weight, a payload of 50 tonnes would exceed the limit, and a payload of 20 tonnes is simply less than what’s possible.