tandem distance to kingpin; which states care?

Is there anywhere where we could get a regulation on maximum tandem slideup on a 53 trailer?


i do this because we do a lot of city deliveries.

 

Your road atlas will get you over the road for the most part. For a city by city thing, I'd think the cities Dept. of Public Services would be a good start. They at least "should" be able to tell you which branch of bureaucracy to contact.
I'm not sure by what you mean by maximum tandem slideup. Are you asking about a minimum bridge? If so, I don't think there is a minimum anywhere, but I could be wrong.

 

I've never been checked in CA - flatbeds with closed and spread axles. GA and MD maybe. I pulled an end dump with the "Kansas City spread" (~8ft, 38000) for a while and West Memphis stopped me once and left me setting on the scale for about 5 minutes, one of the officers walked to the door with the tape, had a lengthy discussion with the scalemaster, and then waved to me and told me to have a good day -??
Florida absolutely. With 40ft containers fixed and a 48ft flatbed with a full spread, no problems, but with the KC spread every time I went through the scales in Florida I had to hold up the yellow permit.

 

Your missing the point here. You shouldn't even worry about who checks or not but you should be legal everywhere you go in case of an accident. I've been involved in a two fatality accident (not one bit my fault) and I can tell you they will go over your truck with a fine tooth comb. I was in NV which I believe is one of the most lenient states around and they checked everything. And if there's a civil suit, that lawyer is going to do his best to find some fault one your part. Then you'll see how your company and all the people that you thought were on your side scramble like ####roaches when the light is turned on.

 

I was in the truck stop at exit93 in Ct. last week,and a driver told me that he was hit with a fine for having the wrong distance from his kingpin.He said the fine was $750.
It was a dropdeck,and he said the dot told him that the trailer was illegal in Ct.

 

Each State would have their own regs to cover this. I don't know if there is a database on this or not.

 

I got pulled over on I80 going from nevada to cali and just as i entered cali there was a state patrol, i was only doing 55 and making sure i was all legal like even tho the trailer was empty and the state patrol pulled me over, he stated he pulled me over because my tandems were to far back. He got his tape out measured and i was a foot over on the tandems, he had me slide them up, checked everything else and let me go, no fine which i was greatful for, phew,, pretty good he could tell that as i went by at 55 mph.

 

Georgia cares too!

 

The original post wanted to know which states cared about the kingpin and tandem laws. I let it be known in what states I have been checked. I did have a lengthy discussion on the phone once with a Texas DOT about the bridge law.
The bridge law is a federal law for the Interstate Highway system, but each state does enforce the law differently. I have posted some links to help. A couple of laws were "grandfathered in" since individual states were enforcing these types of laws before the federal law hence some state being tougher than other states.

http://www.randmcnally.com/pdf/tdm/Federal_Bridge.pdf

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/brdg_frm_wghts/index.htm

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/size_regs_final_rpt/

The first link is just a clearer link to the second. The second link is the official link and is a bit "fuzzy", just like in the real world.
The third link gives information on the grandfathered state laws. Accordingly, some states are tougher than others having had more aggresive laws before the federal law was enacted.
According to the formula, for example, a 40ft container with fixed tandem axles should only legally gross 73,500lbs. The 20ft container chassis with tandems pulled up to bump a dock is nearly technically illegal on any federally funded interstate. Figure 2A gives an example of the "Kansas City spread".
Technically, depending on the truck and trailer spacings on different combinations, you can 1.) "overgross" before you "over axle", as with a 10'2" spread, or 2.) "over axle" without "overgross". Most of our trucks today fall within the "exception" of 4 axles (3rd column) 36-38ft. Hence the legal 40ft container.