Tire and Loading Information Placard: Find Your Real Payload
Go open your driver's door right now. On the door jamb, the vertical frame you see when the door is fully open, look for a yellow or white sticker labeled "Tire and Loading Information." It carries a line that reads something close to: "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX lbs." That number, specific to your exact vehicle, is your real payload. Not a database estimate. Not a brochure figure. The number stamped for the truck you're standing next to right now. This page is the one stop where that happens, everything else on this site points you here.
Reading the Placard, Line by Line
Once you've found it, the placard packs several pieces of information into a small space. Here's what each line means, in the order that matters most to a towing reader:
- "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX lbs." This is your payload. Everything you put in the truck, and everything a trailer pushes down onto the hitch (tongue weight), has to fit inside this number. This is the single most important line on the label for towing purposes.
- Seating capacity. The number of designated seating positions the vehicle was built with. Relevant because every occupant counts against the payload figure above.
- Tire size (front, rear, and spare). The Original Equipment tire size fitted at the factory.
- Cold tire pressure (front and rear, often listed separately, and sometimes with a higher figure for a fully loaded vehicle). This is the pressure to set when the tires are cold, not right after driving, and it's chosen by the manufacturer to balance load capacity, handling, and tire wear for your specific vehicle.
If you're only reading one line, read the first one. It's your payload, and it's the number this entire towing niche keeps circling back to.
Why This Number Is Authoritative (FMVSS 110)
This isn't a marketing sticker, it's a federally mandated safety label. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110 requires that a placard bearing the vehicle's capacity weight, seating capacity, and tire and loading information be permanently affixed to every new motor vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 lb or less, mounted on the driver's side, typically the B-pillar or door jamb. That's why this specific label, and not a brochure, a dealer sheet, or an online database, including this one, carries the authority it does: it's required by federal regulation to reflect your specific vehicle, and it's the source every other estimate should be checked against.
The Placard vs the Certification Label: Two Different Stickers
This is where confusion creeps in, because most vehicles carry two labels close together on the same door jamb, and they answer different questions:
| Label | Color/style | What it states | What it answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tire and Loading Information placard | Usually yellow or white | Occupant + cargo weight limit, seating capacity, tire size, cold tire pressure | "How much can I load into this vehicle?" (payload) |
| Certification label | Usually white, often near the same area | GVWR, GAWR (front/rear axle limits), vehicle identification info | "What's the vehicle's own maximum loaded weight, and per-axle limit?" |
Both live on the driver-side door jamb, both are specific to your VIN, and both matter, but they aren't the same sticker and they aren't reporting the same number. The certification label's GVWR and front/rear GAWR figures are covered in GVWR vs GCWR vs payload and what is GAWR. Neither label states your towing capacity or GCWR, those live in your owner's manual, as covered in where to find your real towing capacity.
How Tongue Weight Uses Up This Exact Number
The reason this placard matters so much for towing, specifically, rather than just for everyday driving, is that a trailer's tongue weight counts directly against the payload figure printed here. A conventional bumper-pull trailer typically puts 10-15% of its loaded weight down on the hitch, and that downward force lands on your truck, which means it's added to the same "occupants and cargo" budget as your passengers and gear, not tracked separately. If your placard reads a 1,600 lb capacity and your loaded trailer's tongue weight is 900 lb, you have 700 lb left for everyone and everything else in the truck before you exceed the number stamped right there on your door. This is the exact mechanism covered fully in tongue weight explained and payload vs towing capacity: the placard's number is the hard ceiling, and tongue weight is very often what quietly fills it up first.
What If the Placard Is Missing, Faded, or the Truck Has Been Modified
A few practical situations to know about:
- Faded or peeling label. The information doesn't change, only its legibility. Your VIN can be used to look up the original specification through the manufacturer or a dealer if the sticker itself becomes unreadable.
- A used truck with an unclear history. If you're not confident the label matches the truck's current build (a replaced axle, a suspension modification), treat the printed figure as your starting point and confirm with the manufacturer or a qualified shop before towing near the limit.
- Aftermarket suspension or tire upgrades. These do not change the number printed on the placard, that figure is tied to the vehicle's engineered rating, not to what aftermarket parts happen to be installed. A stiffer suspension does not raise your GVWR or payload; only the manufacturer's rating does that.
Whatever situation applies, the printed placard, or the manufacturer's records tied to your VIN if the sticker itself is gone, is still the authority over any general estimate, including every number on this site's own vehicle list.
FAQ
What is the Tire and Loading Information placard?
A federally required label, mandated under FMVSS No. 110, mounted on the driver-side door jamb of vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 lb or less. It states the vehicle's combined occupant-and-cargo weight limit (payload), seating capacity, tire size, and recommended cold tire pressures.
Where exactly is it located?
On the driver-side door jamb, the vertical frame visible when the door is fully open, sometimes on the B-pillar. Open the door all the way to see it.
Is the payload number on this placard the same as GVWR?
No. This placard states your payload, occupants and cargo combined. GVWR and GAWR are on a separate certification label, often nearby on the same door jamb.
Does tongue weight count against the number on this placard?
Yes. A trailer's tongue weight lands on your truck and counts fully against the "occupants and cargo" figure on this placard, alongside passengers and gear, not against a separate towing-only budget.
What if my truck's placard is faded or missing?
The rating itself hasn't changed, only the sticker's legibility. Your VIN can be used to retrieve the original specification from the manufacturer or a dealer if you can't read the label.