Abstract: Objectives Wheel loadings on vehicle decks of ro-ro ships may bring difficulties to structural analysis due to the uncertainty of their quantities, ranges and positions, so it is necessary to study on the equivalence and simplification of such loads. Methods Using multi-span beam model as an idealized vehicle deck secondary member, the wheel loading is simulated by distributed load and concentrated force respectively, and several structural responses are compared. Furthermore, the change of structural responses after multiple wheel loadings have been simultaneously transformed into concentrated force are researched. Results The calculation results suggest that for vehicle decks of ordinary arrangement, such equivalence and simplification tends to be safer, and will not bring significant changes to the structural responses. Conclusions Based on the conclusions above, a reasonable equivalent method for multi-wheel loading is provided regarding to engineering application, which contributes to the simplification of the design and strength verification of vehicle deck.