How Much Do Fire Trucks Weigh? Comparison With Other Vehicles

ByAaron

Fire trucks are huge, powerful vehicles that race down the street to respond to emergencies. At an average of 40 feet long, these trucks are often the biggest vehicles on the road. But have you ever wondered how much they actually weigh?

On average, fire trucks weigh between 19 and 30 tons, or about 38,000 to 60,000 pounds. Even without all the water and equipment inside, they still weigh around 11,500 to 14,500 pounds. This weight makes them some of the heaviest vehicles on the road, although they are still lighter than vehicles like garbage trucks or tractor-trailers.

In this article, we’ll break down fire truck weights, comparing them to other common vehicles to show just how heavy they really are.

Why Are Fire Trucks So Heavy?

Fire trucks need to carry a lot of equipment to help firefighters do their job. They usually transport at least 500 gallons of water to put out fires. That’s a lot of weight! Besides water, fire trucks also carry ladders, hoses, and rescue equipment, all of which add to the truck’s weight.

How Much Does a Fire Truck Weigh Compared to Other Vehicles?

Let’s look at how fire trucks stack up against other vehicles on the road:

  • Cars: The average car weighs about 1.5 tons, or 3,000 pounds. This means a fire truck can be up to 20 times heavier than a car!
  • Pickup Trucks: A standard pickup truck weighs around 3 tons, or 6,000 pounds. A fire truck can weigh as much as 10 times more than a pickup truck.
  • Ambulances: While ambulances are also emergency vehicles, they are much lighter than fire trucks. An average ambulance weighs about 5 tons, or 10,000 pounds. This makes it at least 20,000 pounds lighter than most fire trucks.
  • Delivery Trucks: Delivery trucks (like those used by UPS and FedEx) usually weigh around 6 tons, or 12,000 pounds. This is about 18,000 pounds less than even the lightest fire trucks.
  • School Buses: A fully loaded school bus weighs about 17 tons, or 34,000 pounds, which is close to the weight of a fire truck, but still lighter than the heaviest ones.
  • Charter Buses: Charter buses, which can carry up to 60 people, weigh about 20 tons, or 40,000 pounds when fully loaded. This is similar to the lighter fire trucks, but less than the heaviest fire trucks.

Vehicles That Are Even Heavier Than Fire Trucks

Fire trucks may be heavy, but they’re not the heaviest vehicles on the road. Some vehicles are even heavier, like:

  • Garbage Trucks: A garbage truck can weigh up to 25 tons, or 50,000 pounds, which is comparable to lighter fire trucks.
  • Plow Trucks: Heavy-duty plow trucks weigh about 28 tons, or 56,000 pounds, which is close to the weight of the heaviest fire trucks.
  • Cement Trucks: A cement truck full of cement can weigh up to 33 tons, or 66,000 pounds, making it heavier than most fire trucks.
  • Dump Trucks: Dump trucks are some of the heaviest, weighing up to 36 tons, or 72,000 pounds, which is even more than the heaviest fire trucks.
  • Tractor-Trailers: Loaded tractor-trailers are some of the heaviest vehicles on the road, weighing about 40 tons, or 80,000 pounds—much more than any fire truck.

How Much Does an Empty Fire Truck Weigh?

The weight of a fire truck goes down when it’s empty. According to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, an empty fire truck weighs between 11,500 and 14,500 pounds. This is still heavier than many empty vehicles, like:

  • Cars: 2,400 to 5,000 pounds
  • Pickup Trucks and SUVs: 3,200 to 4,500 pounds
  • Large Pickup Trucks and SUVs: 4,500 to 6,000 pounds
  • Step Vans or Minibuses: 7,650 to 8,750 pounds

Some vehicles are still heavier than empty fire trucks, though. These include:

  • Concrete and Garbage Trucks: Around 20,000 pounds even when empty
  • Tractor Trailers: 20,000 to 26,000 pounds empty

Do Fire Trucks Have to Stop at Weigh Stations?

After firefighters put out a fire, they have to return to the fire station. Sometimes this means passing weigh stations, which are checkpoints that make sure large vehicles aren’t carrying too much weight.

Most commercial trucks that weigh over 10,000 pounds must stop at these stations. But even though fire trucks weigh more than this, they don’t have to stop because they aren’t classified as commercial vehicles.

What Is It Like to Drive a Fire Truck?

Driving a fire truck takes special training. Drivers of fire trucks are called engineers or apparatus operators (AO). Because of the truck’s large size, drivers must practice turning, stopping, and starting in a safe way.

Fire trucks are also very long, which makes turning a challenge. Drivers need to think ahead to make sure they have enough room to turn without hitting anything. Getting up to speed is also harder in a fire truck because of the weight, but they still need to reach their destination quickly.

Final Thoughts

Fire trucks are among the heaviest vehicles on the road, weighing between 38,000 and 60,000 pounds when fully loaded. Even empty, they’re heavy at about 14,000 pounds. This weight comes from all the water, tools, and rescue equipment they carry to be ready for emergencies. Now, the next time you see a fire truck on the road, you’ll know just how massive it is!