A tire load estimation system, the system comprising: at least one tire supporting a vehicle, the at least one tire including a pair of sidewalls extending to a circumferential tread; a sensor mounted to the at least one tire; a footprint formed by the tread, the footprint including a centerline with a footprint centerline length, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the footprint centerline length; a tire load estimator, wherein the tire load estimator is configured to receive as inputs: a pre-calibrated sensitivity, the footprint centerline length during straight-line driving conditions, a reference footprint value, and a reference load value, wherein the tire load estimator is configured to determine an estimation of tire load and is configured to output the estimation to at least one of a vehicle control system and a vehicle electronic control unit, characterized in that the tire load estimation system further comprises a reference footprint generator to determine the reference footprint value for input into the tire load estimator, the reference footprint generator including: an unladen state identifier to determine if the vehicle is unladen; and at least one of a vehicle mileage input and a driving/route severity estimator input to determine an expected change in tire wear, whereby the reference footprint generator is configured to determine the reference footprint value when the vehicle is unladen and there is an expected change in tire wear. at least one tire supporting a vehicle, the at least one tire including a pair of sidewalls extending to a circumferential tread; a sensor mounted to the at least one tire; a footprint formed by the tread, the footprint including a centerline with a footprint centerline length, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the footprint centerline length; a tire load estimator, wherein the tire load estimator is configured to receive as inputs: a pre-calibrated sensitivity, the footprint centerline length during straight-line driving conditions, a reference footprint value, and a reference load value, wherein the tire load estimator is configured to determine an estimation of tire load and is configured to output the estimation to at least one of a vehicle control system and a vehicle electronic control unit, characterized in that the tire load estimation system further comprises a reference footprint generator to determine the reference footprint value for input into the tire load estimator, the reference footprint generator including: an unladen state identifier to determine if the vehicle is unladen; and at least one of a vehicle mileage input and a driving/route severity estimator input to determine an expected change in tire wear, whereby the reference footprint generator is configured to determine the reference footprint value when the vehicle is unladen and there is an expected change in tire wear. a pre-calibrated sensitivity, the footprint centerline length during straight-line driving conditions, a reference footprint value, and a reference load value, wherein the tire load estimator is configured to determine an estimation of tire load and is configured to output the estimation to at least one of a vehicle control system and a vehicle electronic control unit, characterized in that the tire load estimation system further comprises a reference footprint generator to determine the reference footprint value for input into the tire load estimator, the reference footprint generator including: an unladen state identifier to determine if the vehicle is unladen; and at least one of a vehicle mileage input and a driving/route severity estimator input to determine an expected change in tire wear, whereby the reference footprint generator is configured to determine the reference footprint value when the vehicle is unladen and there is an expected change in tire wear. an unladen state identifier to determine if the vehicle is unladen; and at least one of a vehicle mileage input and a driving/route severity estimator input to determine an expected change in tire wear, whereby the reference footprint generator is configured to determine the reference footprint value when the vehicle is unladen and there is an expected change in tire wear.