[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Over gross liability?

[Jknight611]

My truck is painfully close or over the truck’s gross weight limit. It handles fine and in 30,000 miles hasn’t shown any ill effects from overloading. BUT, in the event of a traffic accident am I opening myself up to a liability nightmare? I couldn’t imagine in litigation being overweight would play out very well!
Anybody have any experience with this issue? I am torn about replacing my current truck with a 1 ton.

[RV_Tech]

My truck is painfully close or over the truck’s gross weight limit.  It handles fine and in 30,000 miles hasn’t shown any ill effects from overloading.  BUT, in the event of a traffic accident am I opening myself up to a liability nightmare?  I couldn’t imagine in litigation being overweight would play out very well!
Anybody have any experience with this issue?  I am torn about replacing my current truck with a 1 ton.

This is an interesting question and one which I am sure will bring many responses. In a nutshell, although most folks quickly point out when it come to weight that you are not likely to be stopped while simply moving about by the police or highway patrol, they seldom address the potential for a civil suit in the event you are involved in an accident.

When it comes to civil suits, things can get muddy very quickly and anything that can be used against you can and probably will (provided someone has had the wherewithal to gather information at the time of the accident). Of course a multitude of factors can impact the outcome of a civil suit, but it is hard to ignore the fact that running overweight will benefit no one who finds themselves needing to appear the picture of responsible ownership. So is it a slam dunk for the other side? Probably not, but it sure could make a bad situation worse. Personally I would raise the issue with an attorney in a heartbeat.

Now the next issue is how probable is it that the issue of weight will arise and the answer to that is "not very". Jump over to the website for the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute and see if you can find statistics for accidents involving weight. The reality is statistically accidents involving RVs of all persuasions are not common and are actually pretty uncommon. In the end, you might be saved by the simple fact that you are not likely to be involved in an accident with your RV, but if you are, running overweight is unlikely to weigh in your favor (pun intended).