daverami--
You may know this already, maybe not...
The GVW is not the weight of your vehicle; nor can it be considered any sort of baseline. The GVWR is the maximum the "whole package" is designed to weigh at maximum capacity...meaning your payload plus the weight of the vehicle.
So, you would weigh your vehicle (I do it with a full gas tank so I can have a repeatable baseline), then subtract that weight from your GVW to get your allowable payload. Your payload includes you, your significant other, tools, gear, the dog, trailer tongue weight, etc.
Hope this helps.
Scott