Axle load planning inside the load plan
A load can be inside its total weight limit and still be illegal, because axle loads depend on where the cargo sits, not just how much of it there is. Teuvia computes the axle split from the load plan itself, so the problem shows up while you can still move a pallet.
Total weight is the easy half
Checking gross weight is arithmetic. Checking axle loads is geometry. Two trailers carrying identical cargo at identical total weight can produce completely different axle readings, purely because of the order things went in. The drive axle is the one that usually fails, and it usually fails because the heavy lines were loaded first and ended up over the tractor.
The tools that answer this well tend to be desktop trailer engineering packages, built for people specifying vehicles rather than for people planning tomorrow’s load. The tools built for planning loads usually treat axle compliance as a separate calculation you run after the fact, against a summary rather than against the actual arrangement of cargo. Neither shape helps much when you are trying to decide where a specific pallet goes.
What the axle check covers
Front, drive and rear axle loads
Every axle group is reported with its actual load, its legal limit, and the percentage of that limit used. Anything over produces a named violation with the overage in kilograms, not a red square you have to interpret.
EU and US limits, switchable
Directive 96/53/EC figures for European work and FHWA figures for US work, applied to the same load. Gross vehicle weight is checked alongside the individual axles, because a load can pass every axle and still fail on GVW.
Centre of gravity and fore/aft split
The load's centre of mass is computed from the placed cargo and shown in the 3D scene, along with how the weight divides between the front and rear of the deck. This is the number that tells you which way to move cargo.
Computed from the load plan itself
The axle check runs on the positions of the actual packed cargo, so moving a pallet updates the axle split immediately. It is not a second calculation you run afterwards against a summary of the load.
How it fits the way you already work
Plan the load once
Enter cargo or import a spreadsheet, pick the vehicle, and let the packing engine place every item. Stacking rules, orientation locks and weight limits all apply during placement.
Read the axle split as you go
Front, drive and rear loads update live against the selected legal standard. Violations are listed with the amount over, so you know how much weight has to move and not merely that something is wrong.
Move cargo, not spreadsheets
Drag a heavy line further back, or turn on shift to mass centre, and watch the axle figures respond. The fix and the check are the same screen.
What the numbers are, and what they are not
We would rather say that plainly than let a customer find out later. The same applies to scope. Teuvia does not do the following, and adjacent tools sometimes do:
- Cargo securing and lashing calculations. No restraint force analysis, no CTU Code or EN 12195-1 checks.
- Out of gauge cargo on special equipment. The packing engine places items inside a closed load space, so flat racks, open tops and platforms carrying protruding cargo are outside what it can represent.
- US tandem-group limits and the Federal Bridge Formula. Axles are checked individually against the per-axle limit, plus gross vehicle weight. Spacing-dependent group limits are not modelled.
- Permit routing and abnormal load authorisations.
If any of those is your central requirement, a specialist tool will serve you better. If your problem is planning ordinary freight onto ordinary equipment without putting a truck over an axle limit, that is the problem this is built for.
Try the axle maths first
The axle calculator is free, needs no account, and uses the same limits and the same model as the planner.
Truck axle load calculator
Enter item weights and positions along the deck, get front and rear axle loads against EU or US limits.
Open calculator →Container load plan template
Free spreadsheet and printable form for recording cargo lines, loading sequence and seal numbers.
Download template →Teuvia for freight forwarders
Container counts, fit and axle compliance answered before you send the quote.
See the solution →For the underlying method, see how truck axle load distribution works and how to build a truck load distribution plan.
Find the axle problem before the weighbridge does.
Build a load plan and watch the axle split move as you arrange cargo. No credit card required.
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Frequently asked questions
What is axle load planning?
Axle load planning is working out how the weight of a load is distributed across a vehicle's axles, and adjusting where the cargo sits so that every axle group stays inside its legal limit. It matters because axle loads depend on cargo position, not just total weight. A trailer can be well under its gross weight limit and still be illegal on the drive axle if the heavy items all went in at the front.
What are the legal axle load limits in the EU?
Directive 96/53/EC sets the harmonised maxima for international traffic: 10 tonnes on a single non-driving axle, 11.5 tonnes on a single driving axle, and 40 tonnes gross for a standard five axle articulated combination (44 tonnes in intermodal transport). Tandem and tridem axle groups have their own limits that vary with axle spacing. Individual member states set their own limits for purely domestic traffic, so always confirm against the country you are driving in.
What are the axle weight limits in the United States?
On the Interstate system the FHWA federal limits are 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem axle group, and 80,000 lb gross vehicle weight, with the Federal Bridge Formula governing what any given axle spacing may carry. Teuvia checks the per-axle figure and gross vehicle weight; it does not evaluate tandem-group limits or the Bridge Formula, so treat a US pass as necessary rather than sufficient. States also set their own limits off the Interstate network and issue their own overweight permits.
Can you check axle loads without loading the truck?
Yes, that is the point of planning them. If you know each item's weight and where it will sit along the deck, the axle split follows from the geometry. Teuvia computes it from the load plan itself, so you see the front, drive and rear axle figures and any violations while you are still arranging cargo, rather than discovering the problem at a weighbridge.
Is a software axle calculation legally sufficient?
No, and no planning tool should tell you otherwise. Teuvia's axle figures are a planning estimate: axle positions are derived from the vehicle's load space rather than from a manufacturer's certified chassis drawing, and real unladen weights vary by specification. Use it to catch problems before loading and to make better decisions about cargo placement. Use a calibrated weighbridge for the figure that goes on a document.
Does Teuvia handle cargo securing or out of gauge loads?
No. Teuvia plans where cargo sits and what that does to space, weight and axle compliance. It does not calculate lashing or restraint forces, it does not perform cargo securing analysis to the CTU Code or EN 12195-1, and it does not model out of gauge cargo on flat racks, open tops or platforms, because the packing engine places items inside a closed load space. If those are your core requirement, Teuvia is not the right tool.