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Overweight on trailer.....unless I violated the bridge law

Discussion in 'Trucker Legal Advice' started by drivingmissdaisy, Dec 16, 2022.

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  1. Dec 16, 2022 #1
    drivingmissdaisy

    drivingmissdaisy Road Train Member

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    The other day I picked up a preloaded trailer. I could see on my air gauge in the truck that if this load really did weight 43500lbs, I was probably over on the trailer but I had to go through VA which has a 41' bridge law. I was right at 41'. I figured it would be ok and off I went. I got pulled into a chicken coup in VA and sure enough, he said I was 1700 over on trailer and to pull around back and slide tandems. I did, and rescaled and got the green light and proceeded on, in very obvious violation of the bridge law.

    My question is....which is better to violate on a preloaded trailer? Weight or bridge?
     
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 16, 2022
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 16, 2022
    #1
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  3. Dec 17, 2022 #2
    Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    41’ to where? Isn’t VA to the center of the tandems and not the rear axle?
     
    Long FLD, Dec 17, 2022
    Long FLD, Dec 17, 2022
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  4. Dec 17, 2022 #2
    Cattleman84

    Cattleman84 Road Train Member

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    I never paid ANY attention to KPRA laws... I set my tandems for legal weight and rolled. Was never hassled about it... But I didn't run California.
     
    Cattleman84, Dec 17, 2022
    Cattleman84, Dec 17, 2022
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  5. Dec 17, 2022 #4
    Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    But to answer your question I’d say it depends on how strict they enforce their king pin rule. If the officer is strict about everything then you could end up sitting until the load is reworked and you’re legal on both things. Sounds like you had an officer that kind of didn’t care.
     
    Long FLD, Dec 17, 2022
    Long FLD, Dec 17, 2022
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  6. Dec 17, 2022 #4
    Professor No-Name

    Professor No-Name Road Train Member

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    Not to be rude but i question as to why ya didn't scale it an determine you were over on the trailer axle before crossing a state scale. I always make sure my axles are legal especially if something isn't jiving with load guages that can't always be relied on with our trailers. Our tractor guages are more consistent as far as accuracy. I've never worried about the bridge law except in California.
     
    Professor No-Name, Dec 17, 2022
    Professor No-Name, Dec 17, 2022
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  7. Dec 17, 2022 #4
    Jubal Early Times

    Jubal Early Times Road Train Member

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    King pin ticket is the cheapest ticket. Always choose the cheaper ticket. Only a handful of states even worry about the KPRA.
     
    Jubal Early Times, Dec 17, 2022
    Jubal Early Times, Dec 17, 2022
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  9. Dec 17, 2022 #5
    drivingmissdaisy

    drivingmissdaisy Road Train Member

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    Because as a pre loaded trailer with a steel seal there was nothing I could do about it anyway. I barely had enough time to get the load where it needed to. I picked the load up from our drop yard which was like 200 miles from the shipper. There was no reworking the load. I had to go illegal on one or the other.
     
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 17, 2022
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 17, 2022
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  10. Dec 17, 2022 #6
    Opus

    Opus Road Train Member

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    Careful going to Florida......they kinda funny about it......ask me how I know
     
    Opus, Dec 17, 2022
    Opus, Dec 17, 2022
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  11. Dec 17, 2022 #7
    Jubal Early Times

    Jubal Early Times Road Train Member

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    .
    It’s only a hundred bucks.
     
    Jubal Early Times, Dec 17, 2022
    Jubal Early Times, Dec 17, 2022
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  12. Dec 17, 2022 #8
    drivingmissdaisy

    drivingmissdaisy Road Train Member

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    I don't know how you interpret this, it's confusing to me. On page 2 it says the rearmost axle OR the center of the two axles.

    https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/dmv109.pdf

    But that's where I had it. As far back as I could put it legally. When I left the scalehouse the tandems were almost all the way back. And they were fine with it.
     
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 17, 2022
    drivingmissdaisy, Dec 17, 2022
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  13. Dec 17, 2022 #9
    lilillill

    lilillill Sarcasm... it's not just for breakfast

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    Florida is extremely strict about kingpin distance, but they allow 44,000 on the tandems.

    Tennessee also gets a boner for kingpin every once in a while. I got pulled around back in Manchester one time while pulling my 48' slider with the axle all the way back. FNG comes running out all excited with his rolling tape measure. I was snickering to myself the whole time.

    He gets done measuring and has a puzzled look on his face. Then, with a look of sheepish realization, he says, "Ooohhhh, this is a 48, isn't it?"

    Yep

    Michigan gets a boner if your kingpin is too long AND too short. Michigan DOT suck. I wouldn't even drive a truck in that state.
     
    lilillill, Dec 17, 2022
    lilillill, Dec 17, 2022
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  14. Dec 17, 2022 #10
    Opus

    Opus Road Train Member

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    well, using the Busch conversion table, that works out to nearly 5 30 packs........something to consider next time before going rogue
     
    Opus, Dec 17, 2022
    Opus, Dec 17, 2022
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