Disagree. 95% of owners operators & DOT do not have the knowledge to determine what the weakest link actually is!! It's more than tires & axles. What if it's a frame, emergency brake, spring hanger, or other critical component is over stressed that's ready to fail?? Sure, we can all read a tire rating stamped on the side of a tire, a door pocket sticker with axle ratings, etc., but none of us know when a weld on a frame will give out or when a spring mount bracket will snap off.
GCWR figures from manufacturers are established after many miles of closed track testing, metalurgical formulas, moduluses of elasticities, etc. to find these weakest links which the average trucker or cop could never realize.
The guy in the Dodge is a fool, plain & simple. Someday when he's older at a point of lucidity, he will realize he was wrong and put himself and others in a great deal of danger. He got lucky, as many of us do when we do stupid things.
I say stay under the GCWR of your rig and play it safe. In the end, it will protect you when you finally do have an accident from injuring others or being sued if god-forbid you do.
I think we as more experienced owner/operators should encourage others to do the same. Obey the law and don't put my family or others at risk exceeding the limits of your vehicle's safe operation.
I see threads glorifying overloading trucks and telling others how to disable safety equipment on tractors and just shake my head in disbelief.