The maximum authorised mass is the total weight, vehicle plus cargo, a vehicle may legally carry. It is a national limit: each country sets its own for domestic traffic. For international traffic within the EU, Directive 96/53 sets 40 t, and 44 t in intermodal transport.
In Spain, Orden PJC/780/2025 allows 44 t for articulated vehicles with 5 or more axles in national transport from 23 October 2025. A truck loaded to 44 t in Spain that crosses into France on an international haul must respect the 40 t limit.
MAM is not the only ceiling: axle load and the vehicle’s technical capacity may be more restrictive. The load planner checks all three.
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