weight limits?

I'm trying to get a better understanding of what this whole scaling thing is about. I've gotten one citation for being over weight and they just gave my company a ticket. But then other guys tell me its on you. So why didn't he ticket me, not that I'm unhappy about it of course. Plus when do u scale a load? Some guy had to come pick me up and we were talking and he's like "your playing with your license by not scaling" But all the weight info is on my omnitrac so someone had to of scale it so why should I do it? Don't get what I'm supposed to be cautious of. Sure there's something important there cuz I hear enough guys talk about it. So what is expected when it comes to weight limits here.
Thanks Tony

 

Ummm your joking right? Please tell me your joking. How the Hell do you get through orientation and training with out knowing legal weight limits and when to scale a load. Hell how did you make it through school and take the written cdl test with out knowing legal limits.

 

You’re driving the truck, not the company and not the shipper so it is you're responsibility to make you're legal and the truck your driving is not over gross weight or over weight on any axles.

You cannot trust the weight on a BOL and even if you could how do you know if the trailer was loaded so that the weight is not all on the front or rear making you overweight on an axle? Every truck/trailer weigh’s different as well so a load on one truck/trailer might be legal while going overweight on another.

If it is close at all you need to scale it to make sure you’re legal. It is not uncommon to weigh and have to go back to a shipper to have a pallet or two removed or the load re-loaded so that the weight is balanced.

 

Yeah you're normally expected to scale and make sure load weights are legal.

What kind of rig do you drive?
I guess you're pulling containers?
You didn't really mention that.
Most common would be 5 Axle Tractor/Trailer Combo.

 

This is like one of those stories you read in the "Onion" isnt it? If not...talk to your Safety Department and buy a Truckers Road Atlas as soon as possible.

 

I never scaled unless the load was over 25k.

 

The point is you the driver are responsible for the load when you sign for it. If you take any weights given to you and trust them then a little of common sense comes into play. You can tell when a truck is loaded up so when you get to that point go to a certified cat scale or any other one that is certified and weigh the complete truck up. Make sure your tanks are fuel and you're in the trucks. At this time you can get the weight of each axles so you'll need to get them too. Then all there is left to do if the load is legal is turn in all your receipts and time and then you should be happy as a lark. That's the way I did it years ago.

 

Happens alot more then you know, people are not joking when they say such and such is hiring anyone with a pulse. But I will give him credit he came here and asked instead of just being ignorant and doing nothing.

 

This is the important part. Help out the new guy, rather than immediately criticize. He should know by now, after training, but with a lot of company trainers being "qualified" to train after 6 months experience, it is understandable why he wouldn't know. None of us knew the hows and whys of scaling until somebody showed us.

 

Your overweight tickets affect your PSP score (a driver's report card). If you decide to apply to another company, they will look at your PSP, see that you have "X" amount of overweight violations, and may disqualify you for being repetitively negligent. Violations stay on your PSP for 3 years. If your company fires you, it may be 3 years before you are considered hirable by another. I believe that is the why the other driver said you are "playing with your license".

The Omnitrac weight info is from the broker or shipper's load info; it's not always accurate. Also, the forklift driver that loads your trailer is not an expert on weight distribution; his/her job is to load your trailer. YOUR job is to make sure it's legal. Assuming you're not hauling permitted loads, 80,000 lbs is your legal gross weight limit; 12,000 on the steer, 34,000 on the drives; 34,000 on your trailer tandems.

Most loads over 30,000lbs should be weighed at a certified scale. The CAT scales you see at truck stops are certified scales. Once you weigh your truck, look at your scale ticket and make sure your steers, drives; tandems, and gross weight are at or under the legal limits. Adjust your tandems as needed. If your gross is over 80,000lbs, you will need to go back to the shipper to take weight off. Likewise, if you can't get your drives or tandems at or under 34,000 (because of improper load distribution), return to the shipper to get reworked.