The infamous "yellow sticker"

[Back2PA]

I've read numerous posts regarding checking the "yellow sticker" to find vehicle specific weight capacities. Yet when I've inquired both at a couple dealers (asking them to send a picture of the sticker) and with a friend who tows with a late model Chevy, there's no yellow sticker, only a white one with GVWR and front and rear GAWR, plus tire sizes. The white sticker has a "see owner's manual for more information" but the owner's manuals have generic info, not VIN specific info  ???

 

[CamperAL]

Hi Sun2Retire,

When I was shopping, the yellow stickers were located in a variety of places but often on the interior door. Some of these salesmen probably don't even know where to look for them. Plus they may not want you to know the capacity of the unit. I'd tell them no info no buy. I too have the white sticker which tells some information but the yellow ones are out there if they look. Best!

 

[Back2PA]

but often on the interior door.

Sorry. what do you mean "interior door"?

they may not want you to know the capacity of the unit. I'd tell them no info no buy.

Yes that's a given, not driving a mile to go look at one before I know it in advance.

Just inquiring so as to see one on a couple models to get a sense of the numbers

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I have a 2010  F-150, it has a yellow sticker on the door jamb. I clearly states. "max cargo" 1411 lbs.

I am not sure what other brands have but basically, you are looking for the maximum weight rating of the vehicle minus what it weighs as it sits empty.

It varies from vehicle to vehicle because of the many options available today.

 

[John From Detroit]

Mine is White and inside one of the kitchen cabinets.

 

[Back2PA]

The Chevy I happened to see in Autotrader and thought I'd use as an example is on a dealer's lot that supposedly specializes in pickups. Salesperson has been out to the truck twice and kindly sent pictures of every sticker on a door frame they could find, they've checked all the doors. And as I mentioned I have a friend and asked him last week to send me a picture of the sticker and he doesn't have one either - all he could find was a generic chart in the owners manual.

Is there anywhere else people have found this VIN specific info? Sticker under the hood? In the glovebox?

Right now I'm just educating myself, but in a few months when I'm getting closer to getting serious, not quite sure how one is supposed to make an informed decision without the information.

 

[steveblonde]

The little yellow decal is on EVERY paasenger vehicle made since the early 2000's and BY Law is on the drivers side door or b pillar i will send you a copy of one when im on my desktop it home if the salesperson doesnt know find one that does, period .

 

[keymastr]

My old Chevy had it on the glove box door.

 

[steveblonde]

My old Chevy had it on the glove box door.

Correct they were all over the place but they were standardized some years ago

 

[Back2PA]

OK, apparently it's not always yellow. Salesperson just sent this (see attached). The truck is an '06 Chevy 2500 long bed Duramax. Sticker says a measly 1537#

Question: All of the cargo references specifically discuss a slide-in camper - are the weights any difference if, for example, I just wanted to haul gravel? It seems like it would just say "cargo" but they specifically refer to a camper.  ???

Assuming this specific truck is limited to a 1537 pin weight, that eliminates it from contention, but that number is so low it seems hard to believe.

 

[Lou Schneider]

The "yellow sticker" is in response to a Federal law, 49CFR575.103 that requires both the truck manufacturer and the slide-in camper manufacturer to provide weight and Center of Gravity information so you can safely match a truck and camper.

If you're hauling gravel, the same cargo capacity holds ... as long as you pile the gravel so it's Center of Gravity matches the CoG location for the camper.

The recommended camper CoG location closely matches the 5th wheel hitch location, so the camper weight capacity should also track the allowable 5th wheel hitch weight.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/575.103

 

[triplethreat]

I can only speak for Ford, but it's not actually a "yellow sticker".  It's a white sticker with the important stuff (payload or CCC....Cargo Carrying Capacity) "highlighted" in yellow.....so everyone just calls them the yellow sticker.

 

[Back2PA]

Thanks Lou, I guess. 1500# payload in a 3/4 ton diesel. Sheesh. Wasn?t much of a camper they were planning on sliding in there

 

[steveblonde]

here you are they are yellow in canada and the states drivers side door or b (the pillar between the drivers and rear doors) on my 17 ford its still yellow but says 5317 capacity

 

[longhaul1]

The tire placard payload sticker became mandatory for all vehicles in '06 although some vehicle mfg were using them prior to that date.
If your looking at truck campers check with those guys over on RV.net truck camper forum. Yeah I know its another rv website but two heads in the case are much better than two. Check them out.
Many times one website gets hung up on one line thinking while another can shed more light on how it really works.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The "truck camper" placard (shown in Scitt's post) is different than the Tire & Loading placard. Further, there is a placard requirement for VIN, axle GAWRs, etc.  It seems as though every time the government tries to help with mandatory info, they add confusion along with the beneficial stuff. [sigh]

And if you aren't confused enough, the placard is only partly standardized. The minimum information content is defined, but manufacturers design their own placards to comply. 

 

[Prior member]

My "yellow sticker" is on the lower front left of the windshield and allows me to get into the Florida Keys right after a hurricane has demolished the place.
I get waved right on by the H.P. the national guard and the Sheriff's dept at the road block

OOps, I thought that might be the "yellow sticker" you were talking about !

Jack L

 

[Back2PA]

Finally, I think I've gotten my arms around this with everyone's help. The people I asked to locate the "yellow" sticker looked right at it without realizing it was the "Tire and Loading" sticker Gary mentioned (a white sticker with some yellow highlighting). For this particular truck, whereas the slide-in camper weight is the aforementioned 1537#, the Tire and Loading placard shows 2287. I've been suspect of the wording re the "camper" because of the way it was worded: "Truck camper load information". Not cargo, "truck camper". So as Lou says there are probably some CG  considerations in that number, plus (I'm guessing) some assumed occupant load reduction, whereas the Tire and Loading placard has no such reductions - that's it, that's the max, make your own reductions (passenger, gear, hitch, etc) from that number and that's what you can carry. Which, in this case, isn't enough. Allowing for just me in the truck with no gear, and allowing 200# for the hitch, puts me in the 1900# range. At 20% pin weight that's an under 10K# fiver, quite a bit less than I'd be looking for. So gotta be a one ton, which of course, everyone else on this thread already knew.  :

Thanks everyone for leading me through this. One thing that will definitely make this easier when I'm looking, is rather than ask for a picture of the "yellow sticker" which yields a "huh?", I'll be asking for a picture of the "Tire and Loading" sticker.

 

[Lou Schneider]

For this particular truck, whereas the slide-in camper weight is the aforementioned 1537#, the Tire and Loading placard shows 2287. I've been suspect of the wording re the "camper" because of the way it was worded: "Truck camper load information". Not cargo, "truck camper". So as Lou says there are probably some CG  considerations in that number, plus (I'm guessing) some assumed occupant load reduction, whereas the Tire and Loading placard has no such reductions - that's it, that's the max, make your own reductions (passenger, gear, hitch, etc) from that number and that's what you can carry.

The Tire and Loading placard is the total weight you can carry, including passengers.  The Camper Weight includes the passengers in the truck weight, which accounts for the 750 lb. difference between the two weights (5 passengers @ 150 lbs each).

 

[garyb1st]

Had our 2005 Ford F250 Crew Cab Long Bed diesel for 10 years.  Never found any sticker that gave the CCC.  However, the brochure that we picked up at the dealer had the CCC for almost every 2005 F250 and F350 truck.  Ours had the lowest CCC.  IIRC, 2,600 lbs.  That was my calculated CCC since the truck GVWR was 10,000 and the CAT scale weight was 7,400 lbs.  Very disappointed when we looked at 5ers.  The hitch, spray-in liner, tool case, etc., etc., etc.,  all reduce the CCC.  At the end of the day we would have been over the GVCWR with any 5er that weighed more than 10,000.  Keep in mind any CCC number will not take into account any of the items I mentioned.  The CCC is based on weight at the factory.  Also may or may not include a full load of fuel.  Ours had a 38 gallon tank.  IIRC it might include 1 or 2 adults at 150 lbs.  For me and the wife, that was ancient history.  Oh and don't forget all the stuff you can carry in those big trucks.  It all adds up.