2023 New Mexico Statutes › Chapter 66 - Motor Vehicles › Article 7 - Traffic Laws; Signs, Signals and Markings; Accidents; Weight and Size; Traffic Safety › Part 5 - WEIGHT AND SIZE LIMITATIONS › Section 66-7-410 - Gross weight of vehicles and loads.

A. Subject to the limit upon the weight imposed upon the highway through any one axle as set forth in Section 66-7-409 NMSA 1978 and except as provided in Subsection D of this section, the total gross weight with load imposed upon the highway by any one group of two or more consecutive axles of a vehicle or combination of vehicles shall not exceed the gross weight given for the respective distance between the first and last axle of the group of axles measured longitudinally to the nearest foot as set forth in the following table:
Distance in feet between first
and last axles of group
Allowed load in pounds
on group of axles
4
34,320
5
35,100
6
35,880
7
36,660
8
37,440
9
38,220
10
39,000
11
39,780
12
40,560
13
41,340
14
42,120
15
42,900
16
43,680
17
44,460
18
45,240.
B. Except as provided in Subsection D of this section, the total gross weight with load imposed on the highway by any vehicle or combination of vehicles where the distance between the first and last axles is more than eighteen feet shall not exceed that given for the respective distances in the following table:
Distance in feet between first
and last axles of group
Allowed load in pounds
on group of axles
19
53,100
20
54,000
21
54,900
22
55,800
23
56,700
24
57,600
25
58,500
26
59,400
27
60,300
28
61,200
29
62,100
30
63,000
31
63,900
32
64,800
33
65,700
34
66,600
35
67,500
36
68,400
37
69,300
38
70,200
39
71,100
40
72,000
41
72,900
42
73,800
43
74,700
44
75,600
45
76,500
46
77,400
47
78,300
48
79,200
49
80,100
50
81,000
51
81,900
52
82,800
53
83,700
54
84,600
55
85,500
56 or over
86,400.
C. The distance between the centers of the axles shall be measured to the nearest even foot. When a fraction is exactly one-half, the next larger whole number shall be used.
D. The total gross weight with load limitations imposed by this section for any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be increased by:
(1) four hundred pounds if the vehicle or combination of vehicles uses idle reduction technology; or
(2) if the vehicle is a natural gas vehicle, a standard gross weight limit increase for each axle distance category in this section, established by the division by rule, by an amount equal to the difference between the average weight of the vehicle attributable to its natural gas tank and fuel system and the average weight of a comparable diesel tank and fuel system.
History:
1953 Comp., § 64-7-410, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 481; 2007, ch. 209, § 9; 2016, ch. 70, § 3.
ANNOTATIONS
Cross references.
— For definitions of "combination" and"gross vehicle weight",
see
66-1-4.3 NMSA 1978 and 66-1-4.7 NMSA 1978, respectively.
For damages for injuries to highway due to excessive weight,
see
67-7-10 NMSA 1978.
The 2016 amendment,
effective May 18, 2016, increased the allowable weight limit for vehicles powered by natural gas; in Subsection D, after "shall be increased by", added the paragraph designation "(1)", after "technology", added "or", and added a new Paragraph (2).
The 2007 amendment,
effective July 1, 2007, added Subsection D to increase load limitations by vehicles using idle reduction technology.
Single axle and gross weight provisions construed harmoniously.
— The limitations provided in Section 64-23-20, 1953 Comp. (similar to this section), are subject to Section 64-23-19, 1953 Comp. (similar to Section 66-7-409 NMSA 1978), and these two sections can and should be construed harmoniously. 1965 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 65-43.