New RV weight labels - OCCC replaces CCC

The federal government has stepped in and issued regulations concerning weight labels in Cars and RVs.  Previous RV weight labels were under the auspices of the RVIA and all their member companies used them while others did not.  The new label, called the Occupant and Cargo Carrying  Capacity label [OCCC] will supersede the previous RVIA label, i.e. the RVIA will no longer require its members to place the RVIA version of the label on each RV.  The new label requirement requirement went into effect June 2, 2008.

The main effect is that OCCC replaces the RVIA CCC definition and that's important because OCCC is a much different number.  The previous CCC was a net number, showing how much capacity was left for actual cargo after subtracting everything else that is normally carries, e.g. people, water and propane. The new OCCC combines people, water and cargo weight into one number,  leaving it to the owner to compute how much he has of each on board.  Propane, however, is NOT considered cargo and is included in added to the chassis UVW (Unladen vehicle Weight), which also includes fuel, oil and coolant.

The new OCCC label will show the maximum combined weight of occupants and cargo, the weight of a full tank of fresh water and the number of seating positions that have seat belts. For RV trailers, the word "occupants" and the information on seat belts are omitted from the label.

OCCC is computed as follows:  OCCC = GVWR - (UVW + Propane)

Simply add the weight of a full load of propane (including the tanks, if portable tanks are used) to the Unladen Vehicle Weight (UVW) and subtract that number from the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

Regulations specify that the label must be permanently affixed and visibly located on the interior of the forward-most exterior passenger door on the RIGHT side of the vehicle. That should make the new label much easier to locate than the former RVIA label, which could be tucked away almost anywhere.

Another feature of the new regulation is a requirement that dealers must provide an updated weight label if they add more than 100 lbs to the factory weight between the time they receive the RV and its sale to the first retail customer. This assures the customer gets a useful OCCC number.

TIRES, AXLE GAWR and GVWR
The new regulation also stipulates that the tires must be capable of supporting the axle at full load, i.e. the sum of the tire carrying capacities on an axle must equal or exceed the axle GAWR.   On a motorhome, the sum of the axle GAWRs must also equal or exceed the vehicle GVWR, but this is not true on an RV trailer.  On an RV trailer the manufacturer may omit trailer tongue weight from the GVWR when making this calculation. Thus it is legal for the combined capacity of the axles on a RV trailer to be less than the GVWR, as long as it is not less than GVWR - tongue [hitch] weight.

There is an excellent summary and example of the new OCCC label for motorhomes on the Winnebago site:

http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2009-02%20New%20Weight%20Label.pdf


For those who may be interested in how the OCCC compares to the previous CCC value and label, the RVIA defined CCC as the cargo (only) carrying capacity and it did not include occupants, water or propane. It was calculated like this:

CCC = GVWR - (UVW + Water + Propane + SCWR)

SCWR = # sleeping positions x 154 lbs    [There must be a seat belt position for every designated sleeping position.]

The RVIA CCC was a much smaller number, but the rest of the RVIA label provided the estimated amount of each other item of weight as well,

Propane, however, is NOT considered cargo and is included in the chassis UVW (Unladen vehicle Weight), as is fuel and oil and coolant.

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OCCC = GVWR - (UVW + Propane)

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These 2 statements would seem to be contradictating.  If propane is part of the UVW then it shouldn't be subtracted when calculating the OCCC.

These 2 statements would seem to be contradictating.  If propane is part of the UVW then it shouldn't be subtracted when calculating the OCCC.

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Yeah, I hear ya, but the UVW is usually stated separately from propane, probably because the  RV is shipped with empty propane tanks.   And neither number will actually appear in  the new label.  I have modified my original to state that propane is "added to" the UVW rather than "is included in" the UVW. That should eliminate any confusion on that point.

"Added to" makes sense in this context, included didn't.  Thanks.

I missed this when it was originally posted.  After mulling it over a bit, and then crunching the numbers on my coach, it does seem in some ways more realistic. It certainly causes the driver to be more likely to note the weight of people on board than the old CCC that assumed everyone weighed 154 lb, and there were no more riding than could sleep.  But it also requires drivers to be much more aware of how much water they are carrying ...something that many don't think about at all. The CCC standard allowed them to forget about fresh water. I know of many who travel with full fresh water tanks, and recall hearing a seminar presenter say at a major rally that you should allways travel with your waste tanks nearly full so you could slosh them around while driving (to "clean" the tank sensors), and then dump on arrival at your new location! While that might help keep the tank sensors working, if I traveled with full fresh water AND full waste tanks, I would be carrying nearly 1,900 pounds of liquid cargo!!!!

I think I like the new OCCC standard, but fear it may make marginal rigs look like they are more capable than they are.