Stopping Distance

Agreed, but there are almost as many idiot CDL drivers hanging 20 feet off of my trailer bumper too.

 

Air Brake Manual - SGI

 

I can’t believe some of these posts.
A 80K truck will not stop in a shorter distance than a empty truck.
The weight on the tires have little to do with it. It’s the brakes and the holding power of them plus road conditions.

 

The only time a heavier truck can stop faster than an empty one is on snow. A loaded truck absolutely has more traction pulling in snow as well. On dry roads, empty has the advantage.

 

SATIRE, an all wheel drive will stop shorter because of engine braking on 4 wheels.
Plus it has more coefficient of friction.

 

Lightly loaded will stop the quickest.
The whole abs won’t let you go into a skid is ######## lol ask me how I know.

 

Ya gotta live a little, unless I need to load my front axle for an over weight permit, my fifth wheel is Over the rear axle. I’m 13900on the front axle bobtail when full of fuel.

 

I keep mine all the way back or 1 notch forward. When I'm at 34,000 on the drives with full tanks, I'm right at 12,000 on the steers with the skid plate back. But I run reefer, so I have a little more weight there.

 

Bobtail is easier to stop.

Empty trailer may add weight and axles, but those trailer axles do nothing for emergency braking, the weight shifts forward, the tandems bounce on the road. Trailer adds weight to your drives, but not much, not enough to make a difference and keep the shocks compressed while braking to push the drives against the ground. The weight on your drives as a bobtail is more than most empty trailers will add. Weight still shifts forward. Steer axle does a vast majority of the breaking weather bobtail or empty.