The plight of our member stuck at the scale in Misery (pun intended) got me and another member of DER FORUMPOLIZEI discussing how we would have avoided the whole situation altogether by dodging the scale.
Anyways, it got me to thinking back to the times I've had to do that. At one time or another every driver has faced this dilemma. So let's talk about those times.
1. I was driving for Stevens Transport and loaded in Chicago with a Denver bound load. I had two stacks of CHEP pallets in the nose that the shipper was supposed to take off in exchange for the load pallets.
I get loaded and head over to the ######## truckstop in Bolingbrook (yes it was a ######## 15 years ago too!) and had a gross weight of 81,200. I was like "#### me!"
Call night dispatch (much like the night dispatch at K & from Abe's video, Stevens was worthless.) who suggested I drain fuel. I was like, "Yeah, all of it?" Decided to wait and call my fleet manager.
In the AM I called Danny Doak, my fleet manager. Danny is the kind of guy who would always back his driver. I told him the situation and he agreed night dispatch were morons. He said to go back to the customer.
Went back and was told in no uncertain terms that their bill weight was correct and they would not cut the load. It was then Danny decided to run me around the scales.
So from Chicago to Denver, I took all back roads. Dodged the scales just fine. I was near the state line with Nebraska and Colorado when I about had a heart attack. The NE troopers had the portables up in a turnout.
I thought I was royally screwed until the trooper at the end of the line, deciding that the 4 bullracks in line were enough, waved me on by.
Got to Denver, unloaded and discovered the reason for the extra weight, those #### pallets were still in the nose!
2. Loaded 6 containers of PPG automotive paint in Windsor, ON. It was hazmat to boot so i had to cross at Sarnia. Load was going to St. Louis.
When the guys in Windsor loaded me, it was all in the nose. I could tell it was heavy on the drives from the ride. Got to the Detroiter and scaled out at 38k on the drives with the tandems all the way forward. No good.
Stevens sent me to a moving company warehouse in the worst part of Detroit to try to redistribute the weight. Lucky they had a scale across the street.
Tried 3 times moving them but it just didn't move enough weight. On the 4th they loaded them midway. I jad to buy 6 load locks. At this point was legal on my weights, but with the tandems slid all the way back, which was then, as it is now, a no no in Michigan.
But it was closing time and I decided to go for broke. Got to the pilot just north of the scales on 75 and waited for them to close. Ohio, no issues as I was running the turnpike.
But back then Indiana and Illinois had 43' limits on 53 foot trailers. Indiana scales were all closed but the scale in Illinois on 70 westbound was open. Lucky for me the scale master must have been watching porn clips because he didn't notice me as I rolled through. The scale on 70/55 near St. Louis was closed.
3. This one is occurring as we speak. I loaded in Monticello, AR to Midland, TX. It's less than 40k but the way she loaded it, it's nose heavy. Even with the tandems slid forward I'm probably right at 34k, if not over.
Now there was no scale anywhere near where I loaded. The closest one in the direction i was headed were the two on either side of Texarkana. So to be on the safe side, I ran US278 to US79 to US82 to Texarkana instead of US278 straight to Hope to avoid the Arkansas scale.
The only other scale I hit is the one in Mt. Pleasant, TX but when I got word it was closed, I just stayed on 30.
Risky, of course. But I am captain of my ship.
Dodge them scales supertrucker!
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by PackRatTDI, Apr 7, 2014.
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Hmm, folks in Monticello Iowa, pretty much get it right. I only bring in supplies. Take out 12'8 loads. 15' sometimes. Partied with Waylon, Paycheck, George, in a pick neck, red neck area. Cash said, he is toast, help him home. I know I am leaving somebody out. Willy was not there. Bellamy Brothers. Wild Trucking @ the state fair.
You can't back down alleys with that. That's the idea. It's a Truck, not a Yugo.
Sun City. Look Stanley, at all the chrome parts. Yes, all pretty paint, shiny things. I was there. Hangover supreme. Juice & pain. I guess I should be more aware of my company, & my bank account. When it becomes important, I will let you know.
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So... meat packer has a light load, 'n a heavy load... 'n we got a new light trailer, and an old heavy trailer to load. Guess what them dang Okies do? Yup... put the heavy load on the heavy trailer. It's late Friday night when I hook on to it, and the crew has gone home for the weekend... I'm north of 81,000 gross. So... it's either wait around until Monday to fix it, or hit the road and get home for what will be left of the weekend.
Lots of empty road between Elk City OK and Cheyenne WY. Didn't see one scale the whole way... imagine that.
blairandgretchen and Hammer166 Thank this. -
Been there done that. Most notable in my memory was a load of car part castings picked up in Baltimore on a Friday evening, right at close of business, delivering to somewhere near Chicago for Monday. Scaled the load at the moving company down the street, weighed 82,000+. Went back to shipper, go figure, gates locked up for the weekend. Call dispatch and tell them the situation and request authorization to run back on the PA & OH pikes. Received authorization, luckily the rest area scale in PA on 83 was closed and slowly climbed the hills on the PA pike to get back to the Toledo area for my weekend.
The last joke of an outfit I recently worked for had us hauling soda ash in super sacks in old raggedy 53's out of the Toledo, OH area. They loaded the super sacks themselves on site and didn't take into consideration the weight of the extra strength pallets they put the bags on, I figured them to be at least 95 lbs. The usual weight for those loads was right near 79,500 with half full fuel tanks,, full fuel tanks guaranteed gross weight over 80,000 every time. The problem really was the way the guys loaded the trailers was so screwed up there was no way to get legal axle weights so the long slow trudge to Grand Rapids, MI was in order every load. Then shortly after delivery of course came dispatch complaining about being late for the appointment which I would always reply, I left plenty early if the children loading the trailers could do their jobs so I wouldn't have to dodge the Fowlerville and Ionia, MI scales.
I'm at a different company now and anything overweight that we cannot get legal is subject to our own decision to run it or not. My opinion is, if there aren't any scales along the route or there is an easy dodge, I'll usually run the load. While training, the driver I was riding with refused to run a roll off box that we could not get legal and dispatch calmly said they'd run it with a different, lighter truck the next day, no big deal. The driver, their senior there, didn't really want to run the load anyway because it would have made us have a 10 hour day.
There's a fair share of guys here who really seem to not want to work, they strive to work only an 8 hour day and we're hourly with OT...
heyns57 Thanks this. -
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