Grade-climbing ability is the percent of grade a vehicle will climb with a given load. A 1-percent grade is equivalent to a rise of one foot in a horizontal distance of 100 feet. A 2 percent grade is a two-foot rise in a horizontal distance of 100 feet, etc. Grade-climbing ability will affect a vehicle's performance and should be considered when determining payload or trailer towing requirements On steeper grades, a vehicle will be under more stress to handle these heavy requirements
Ability of a vehicle to negotiate a given grade or overcome grade resistance, when in hilly or mountainous terrain.
The maximum percent of slope the truck can negotiate with a capacity load.
Vehicle's ability to climb a grade at a given speed. Example: A truck with a gradeability of 5% at 60 mph can maintain 60 mph on a grade with a rise of 5%.