According to the RA law "On Road Safety", the "Permissible Maximum Mass" of a vehicle is:

Explanation

The mass of the equipped vehicle together with the driver, passengers and cargo.

"Permissible maximum mass" is a worst-case figure: the weight of the vehicle in the fullest, heaviest state the manufacturer permits — with the driver, all passengers and the entire load. This definition is confused with "kerb weight" or the weight of a merely complete and fuelled vehicle, whereas those are smaller figures used for other purposes.

The technical reason for choosing the worst case is that all road weight limits are designed around structural tolerance and safety: the strength of a bridge, the thickness of the asphalt, and the capacity of the vehicle's brakes and suspension. If the criterion were the empty weight, an empty pickup would count as permitted and the same pickup would cross the bridge with two tonnes of cargo — the limit would become meaningless. This same figure underpins two practical things: the weight-limit signs on Armenia's bridges and mountain roads, and the boundaries of licence categories — category B goes up to a permissible maximum mass of 3,500 kg, not 3,500 kg of kerb weight. When hiring a van or a pickup, look at exactly this number on the technical sheet.

• The weight of a complete and fuelled vehicle is its weight without occupants and cargo; that figure is lower than the permissible maximum mass and is not the basis for road restrictions.

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