8 axles... Seriously?!?!

**tomkatrose** · 08.16.2012

I haven't driven in WA or OR (but we've had a lot of our trucks running up here). So this past couple weeks, I've been back and forth to Seattle and Portland and noticed all the axles on the trucks and trailers. I can appreciate if there are some roads that require it for the weight and I see third axles a lot when I go to Toronto. Proportionately, there are more trucks with more than 5 axles than not. Today, I passed a Columbia pulling a 32' dry van today, the truck had 4 axles on the road and the trailer did too. It looked like a centipede.

Can anyone give some insights as to why the trucks up here have so many axles? Makes me want to get out of trucking and into tire repair in the northwest.

**Frenzy** · 08.17.2012

Oregon has a vehicle mile tax that is based on the number of axles. The more axles you have the lower the tax is. So Oregon really rewards you for having a lot of rubber on the road. Also most of the PNW allows 105K lb combinations.

**Crazy D** · 08.17.2012

Lol. Then you need to goto Michigan. Check those bad boys out. Something like 8 axles on the trailer alone.

**Palazon** · 08.17.2012

I'm one of those 8 axle drivers. 4 on truck, 4 on trailer. This allows us to run up to 105,500 lbs net. Good for steel, and paper rolls. But yeah, tire checks are a pain....

**aiwiron** · 08.17.2012

Used to drive for this company out of Virginia

**tomkatrose** · 08.17.2012

So I would assume each additional tandem gives another 20K lbs if not spread and the single drop axle would give another 12.5K lbs but that doesn't add up to 105.5K lbs. What's each one worth?

More importantly, are you getting paid by the gross so the extra weight is that much more money for the load?

**Guntoter** · 08.17.2012

Originally Posted by Palazon

I'm one of those 8 axle drivers. 4 on truck, 4 on trailer. This allows us to run up to 105,500 lbs net. Good for steel, and paper rolls. But yeah, tire checks are a pain....

105,500 NET???

Thats 150K gross. No way.

**Bikerboy** · 08.17.2012

Here in Ontario we can run up to 63 500 kg ( 140 000lbs), usually requires a 5 axle trailer and regular 3 axle tractor or sometimes 7 axle total is enough with a 20 k front axle on the truck

**fortycalglock** · 08.17.2012

105.5 is gross.

**SHC** · 08.17.2012

Originally Posted by tomkatrose

So I would assume each additional tandem gives another 20K lbs if not spread and the single drop axle would give another 12.5K lbs but that doesn't add up to 105.5K lbs. What's each one worth?

More importantly, are you getting paid by the gross so the extra weight is that much more money for the load?

If the front axle is rated for 16K, just a 4 axle truck is rated for 76k, and that's BEFORE you add the trailer. Add another 80k for the trailer with 4 axles.. yeah, that's well over the 105.5k