Light truck or light duty truck is a U.S. classification for trucks or truck-based vehicles with a payload capacity of less than 4,000 pounds (1,815 kg).

Contents 1 United States 1.1 Fuel efficiency 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] United States

Federal regulations define a light-duty truck to be any motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (curb weight plus payload) of no more than 8,500 pounds (3,855.5 kg) which is “(1) Designed primarily for purposes of transportation of property or is a derivation of such a vehicle, or (2) Designed primarily for transportation of persons and has a capacity of more than 12 persons, or (3) Available with special features enabling off-street or off-highway operation and use.”^[1]

[edit] Fuel efficiency

Light trucks includes vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles.^[2]

The United States government uses light truck as a vehicle class in regulating fuel economy through the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard. The class includes vans, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks. Light trucks have lower fuel economy standards than cars, under the premise that these vehicles are used for utilitarian purposes rather than personal transportation.

Since light trucks sold in the United States are increasingly being used for personal use, some have advocated applying higher economy standards to light trucks that are not used for utilitarian purposes. One argument in support of this is that light trucks are sometimes built on a unibody architecture, which is less strong than a body-on-frame chassis and therefore would not be suited for utilitarian purposes; crossover SUVs are a common example.

[edit] See also

• California Air Resources Board
• CAFE
• Commercial vehicle
• Emission standard
• Light commercial vehicle

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Regulatory Announcement on EPA changing definitions of the light and heavy-duty trucks

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