NHT is the RPO code for GM’s Max Trailering Package — the step above the ordinary Z82 Trailering Package. If you are trying to work out whether the truck in front of you is the heavy-tow one, NHT on the glove box label is the code that settles it.
What NHT includes, by generation
| Generation | Years | What the factory documents list | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1XX | 2019–2026 | Max Trailering Package: 9.76-inch rear axle, (GU6) 3.42 axle ratio, and enhanced cooling. The 2021 description adds a max-tow rating of 8,200 lb and an active two-speed electronic transfer case. | 2019–2021 GM order guides |
| K2XX | 2014–2018 | Not documented in a source we hold. NHT does not appear in the fleet and police guides for these years. | — |
| GMT900 | 2007–2013 | Recorded as “enhanced towing performance package”. Component list not documented. | 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic Truck Restoration Kit |
The 9.76-inch axle is the part that matters. It is a physically bigger ring gear than the standard axle, and it is the reason NHT is not something you can add later with a hitch and a wiring harness. Either the truck was built with it or it was not.
The 8,200 lb figure is GM’s stated max-tow rating for a specific 2021 configuration. It is not a blanket number for every NHT truck — cab, bed, drive and engine all move it.
NHT or Z82? How to tell
This is the question the code exists to answer.
| Z82 | NHT | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The trailering package | The max trailering package |
| Hitch and wiring | Yes | Yes |
| Heavier rear axle | No | Yes — 9.76-inch |
| Enhanced cooling | No | Yes |
| Retrofittable | Largely, yes | No |
A truck can have Z82 and not NHT. A truck with NHT has the heavier hardware underneath it, and that is what you are paying for on a used listing.
How to check what your truck actually has
- Find the RPO label — glove box, console lid, or under the spare.
- Decode NHT for your model year.
- Run the whole label, not just NHT. The axle ratio code (GU6 3.42, GT4 3.73, GT5 4.10) and the differential (G80) tell you what NHT was paired with on your truck.
If a seller says “max tow” and the label has Z82 but no NHT, the truck is not the max-tow one.
If your label is a QR code
On 2018 and newer trucks the glove box label often carries a QR code instead of the printed list of three-character codes. Scan it with your phone camera, then paste what comes back into a text message or a notes app — phone cameras tend to show it truncated, and pasting it is the easiest way to read the whole thing.
It is not a web link. It is one long comma-separated line: VIN, model year, model, build date, order number, then a group of three-character codes separated by spaces, then the paint code. That group is your RPO list — paste it straight into the RPO decoder.
What NHT gets confused with
- Z82 — the ordinary trailering package. See the table above.
- GU6 / GT4 / GT5 — axle ratios. NHT brings 3.42 on the trucks we have documented, but a 3.42 on its own does not mean NHT.
- VYU — Snow Plow Prep. Also brings cooling and a bigger alternator, and gets mistaken for a tow package. It is not one.
Sources
- 2019–2021 GM order guides (gmfleetorderguide.com)
- 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic Truck Restoration Kit, GM Heritage Archive
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