Weight limitSwitzerland
44. Weight limit
A weight limit prohibits vehicles or vehicle combinations whose mass exceeds the value shown from entering or passing a road section, bridge, tunnel or other structure. Depending on local law, the restriction may concern the vehicle’s actual loaded mass, maximum authorised mass or load on an individual axle.
Drivers must know which type of mass the sign refers to and must include the vehicle, passengers, cargo and any trailer where required. A vehicle that exceeds the limit must use another suitable route.
Wikimedia.org • Andres Passwirth • CC BY-SA
Does every weight-limit sign measure the same kind of vehicle weight in Switzerland?
No. The Swiss maximum-weight sign uses actual weight, including occupants and load, for the vehicle or complete combination. An axle-load sign controls the load on an axle. Vehicle-category prohibitions are separate controls; read the particular sign rather than assuming all weight-related restrictions use the same measurement.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 20; LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026
Vehicles heavier than indicated prohibited.
English • Traffic sign 2.16 • Maximum weight.
Deutsch • Verkehrssignal 2.16 • Höchstgewicht.
Français • Signal 2.16 • Poids maximal.
Italiano • Segnale 2.16 • Peso massimo.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • SSV, Anhang 2 (DE)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSR, annexe 2 (FR)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSStr, allegato 2 (IT)
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Bundesamt für Strassen (ASTRA) • Public domain • Original revision 2017-07-04. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Swiss signalling ordinance, version 1 October 2026, annex 2: Fedlex.admin.ch • Signal 2.16, PDF page 105. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
Do cargo and trailers matter for a posted weight restriction in Switzerland?
Yes. Switzerland’s maximum-weight sign applies to actual mass, including occupants and cargo and, for a vehicle combination, the whole combination. A supplementary plate allowing a higher combination weight still limits each individual vehicle to the main sign’s figure. An axle-load sign imposes a separate restriction.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • OSR Art 20: effective mass and axle load; OCR authorisation rules
What should you do if your vehicle exceeds a bridge weight limit in Switzerland?
Do not drive onto the bridge. Follow the signed alternative route and check the vehicle’s gross and axle loads as applicable. A general heavy-vehicle permit does not automatically authorise crossing every restricted bridge.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • OSR Art 20: effective mass and axle load; OCR authorisation rules

Traffic rules
Switzerland