Weird drive axle weight situation

Its important to have your trailer loaded correctly, however that is not what caused you to be over weight and think you were legal.

Real simple test for ya. Next time you park set your trailer brakes and walk to the back of the trailer, see if the bags are deflated. Better test is to measure the bottom of the trailer to the ground with the bags inflated, then again once deflated. You will see how it changes the height, therefore changes the angle of the load, deflecting weight from the drives to the trailer.

Edit to add: loading the pallets sideways would of just made things worse, typical pallet is 48x40. Loading them sideways in a plate van, or pinwheel style in a regular trailer shortens the load. That puts MORE weight on the drives.

 

I don't know how you can solve that weight problem by turning pallets sideways. The pallets still have a certain weight on each one.

If there is a way to solve it and you still have room towards the doors what happens is a specific pattern. For example one in the nose wall, followed by two more, then one then two two two then two ones and the rest are doubles. I forget the exact patterns for loading a 48 it's been so long. But patterns for 20, 19,18,17,16 pallets etc are common. If you are down to ten for example, then you will see 6 in the back over the tandems and 4 in the nose or something like that but most common it will be spread out across the trailer.

The 5th wheel sliding is of limited value. I forget the exact amount of weight you can shift per slot, it's either 500, 750 or 1000 one way or another. And there is a additional limitation where you cannot slide it too far forward for obvious reasons and you don't want to slide it all the way back ever. You will lose your ability to steer. Espeically if it's wet.

The next solution would be limiting the amount of fuel. That is the most common way to fix a over heavy drives.

This thread is interesting. First the Cat, then the state then the tandems too far forward then then then. I figure if you read it and stay with it long enough you will have eventually the necessary facts to sit and decide how best to resolve this problem.

The shipper if it is in california is probably accustomed to nose heavy for california 40-6 foot kingpin laws. It's not necessarily the best option for the eastbound.

 

Best way is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Tell the shipper how you want it loaded to be legal, be assertive, yet polite.

When i ran heavy meat loads with a heavy tractor i found that single double single, then double the rest of the way worked out well.

 

Did you have empty space at the back off the trailer?
Enough for a pallet?

 

Are you sure all the skids are the same weight? That can throw you for a loop. Quit using the brakes on a scale!. Scales are generally dead flat. The trucks not going anywhere in the time it takes to call in your info. If anything just pull the spike down a tad. I highly doubt that was your problem but there's no need to apply parking brakes on any scale unless you are leaving the truck there to walk in. At the dot scale did they weigh you around back? In Michigan the weigh in motion scale will flag you if they think you're over on an axle but the weight on the ticket will be from the back scale. That front weigh in motion scale isn't as accurate as some would have you believe. Just something to keep in mind.

 

I rarely get loads over 30k,and when I do get a 45k load,its at a known shipper,who loads the truck perfectly.I run nights to avoid the scales anyhow,maximizing my ability to blend in with the other trucks.Ive found the 3 companies Ive worked at that were good to the drivers,never gave them 45k loads,they were always 44 something,they always were scalable..

 

Good companies are going to avoid cheap and heavy.

 

No, a good company will avoid cheap and get paid well for heavy. Of course, if they pay you by the mile it doesn't really matter what the load pays. It isn't your fuel, it isn't your equipment, and you're reimbursed for scale tickets. It doesn't cost you a darn thing extra to pull a "heavy" load as opposed to a "light" load.