# What happens if I exceed my moving van's load capacity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980 "2005-05-29T13:25:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980/21 "2005-05-30T05:59:12Z")
If none of the sensible answers have made an impression, here is a brief [visual example](http://www.snopes.com/photos/lumber.asp) of the perils of overloading. You probably weren’t contemplating anything quite so silly, but keep in mind that “just one more thing” impulse can be a dangerous one. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980/22 "2005-05-30T06:31:00Z")
> [@Jonathan Woodall](#): > > Hold on. See that URL up there? > The maximum load is 3100 lbs. What kind of 15’ vehicle are you hiring with only a 2000 lb capacity? Wha --? SONUVABITCH. THAT’S THE TRUCK I RESERVED! Look, full disclosure: the U-Haul place is _right across the street._ I mean I can throw a rock on the lot from my front yard. I walked over there a couple of weeks ago and resevered a new 14’ footer on the lot. (A 15’ footer must’ve been some other trucking company.) I felt good I’d gotten a good truck because this U-Haul has a garage where they’re always repairing trucks from other lots. But then I thought I’d check around about hiring other moving companies to see if I can bring down my moving costs. THEY were the ones who got me all paranoid about the weight of my books. So I called the guy at the U-Haul and asked about weight limits and he said, point-blank, “They’re rated for one ton.” I know I said, “One ton – 2,000 pounds?” He STILL said, “Yeah.” He said it with so much certainty it NEVER occurred to me to check on-line for the specs myself. Damn. Man, I’ve been trippin’ over this for DAYS. 3100 pounds. Man. I gotta go back over there and find out that’s true. THANK you. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980/23 "2005-05-30T12:15:41Z")
You’re welcome. By the way, their corporate phone number is “1-800-GO-UHAUL (1-800-468-4285)”. If you get mixed signals from the guys across the street, try calling the 800# and asking for a supervisor. The only thing I could think of might be if the local U-Haul guy meant “Payload capacity 2000 lbs, passenger capacity 1100 lbs”. I guess maybe he be expecting you to have 3 NFL offensive linemen in the cab and maybe 25 industrial-sized bags of Snacky Smores ™. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980/24 "2005-05-30T12:32:16Z")
Oh, and if you can’t get a straight answer, or still get conflicting signals, ask the guy to let you inspect a truck like the one you’ll be given come moving day. Open the driver-side door and look for a sticker vaguely similar to the one at this site: > **[Vehicle Door Jamb Sticker Decoding Page](https://www.blueovaltech.com/tech/decode.php)** > > How to decode your vehicle information sticker, including paint, axle, transmission, engine codes, and more. The GVWR on the sticker will tell you the maximum legal load for the vehicle. If you can find a spec for the empty weight of the vehicle, then you know what the thing can carry. The paranoid way of handling “finding out the empty weight of the vehicle” would be to pay $5-8 at your \<2\> nearest truck stop after filling up on fuel and before loading the truck. My nearest truck stop is closer than my nearest U-Haul place, but obviously that isn’t the case for you. \<2\> [CaravansForHire.com is for sale | HugeDomains](http://www.caravansforhire.com/weight.htm#How%20to%20Determine%20if%20your%20Vehicle%20exceeds%20its%20Gross%20Vehicle%20Weight%20Rating%20(GVWR)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-exceed-my-moving-vans-load-capacity/305980.md?page=1)