How come NO ONE talks about the importance of weight scales?

Agreed, with a lot of loads you will have mixed freight and all the skids will not be the same weight so even though someone might have a general rule of thumb of "weigh anything over 30,000" keep in mind all of that can be in the nose or rear of the trailer depending on the loader. NewNashGuy even though they dont expound on the subject a whole lot, the CDL Manual does cover the subject of being overweight on your axle's. Just consider this one of those lessons learned.

 

I've never heard of a cop checking that. Ohio doesn't care what the truck is rated for, all they car about is lbs per inch of tire. I can put 20k on a 12k steering axle if I have the float tires.

 

that scale is a pain in the but for drivers.you should set yourself up a rule. Our company requires ANY load over 34000 to be scaled, other than that its your option. Just make it a habbit and set your goals for what you belive, you company should reimburse you for the scales, if they dont its still cheaper than an overweight ticket.

 

To the OP. You may not have had much training in regards to how to correctly distribute the load over the 5 axles on your rig BUT you should be making yourself aware of this stuff and learning it inside out. There is no excuse for not knowing a fundemental thing like weights and bridge laws.
Now to help you (and any other newbie reading this) out a little.
1: Allways assume you will need to scale your rig and plan accordingly. Pre-locate the nearest scale to your loading location and determine the most direct route legal for max weights to get to it. If for any reason you are found to be overweight en route to the scale, then you can tell the DOT that you have the REASONABLE reason of taking the most direct route available to you to reach a certified scale.
2: Be pro-active in the loading of the trailer if you can. Learn what works and what doesnt. Common sense comes in to this. Correct load distribution can make it easier to scale out properly.
3: Know the TARE weight of the tractor trailer combination with full fuel tanks. This will help in determining if you will exceed gross weight limits when you initially find out the estimated load weight.
4: If you have air suspension load gauges take note of the readings when you have a max gross load and its scaled correctly. Even if you only have it on the tractor it can give you a good indication of how the load is distributed.

This should get you headed in the right direction to avoid another fine but remember the responsibility is yours to ensure you know the regulations and operate legally within them.

 

I really believe that the OP is just trolling. Pedigreed Bulldog has it right.

Leaving St. Louis on 55, you drive past at least 3 cat scales, all of them 25 miles before the scale.

 

I use my Rand Mcnally GPS more for knowing whats around me, like scales, weight stations, than I do the actual GPS.

From what I've seen, if you're that close in weight that they'll give you an opportunity to fix it. Especially if you were that close to the shipper.

 

No ####... Some of the most valuable info I've learned about this job has come from talking to drivers whom I didn't know. In fact, I can honestly say I've learned more from them than I have the school I went to.

Communication rules the nation. You can learn a lot by listening. You ever wonder why the man above gave us two ears and only one mouth?

 

This is one of the reasons I love my GPS(RND500), it will show me all scales near my location...

 

Always scale, don't take a shippers word for it on the bills, they will sneak extra weight if they can. I always find a scale even if the shipper has one. My question to you is- If you weren't over gross, and where just heavy on one axle, did you ask if you could fix it? Explain you are new and if you have a good attitude it helps alot. I have had plenty of instances where having a good attitude with the shipper/receiver/cops have helped a ton. Just explain you are new to trucking/the area/or what ever, most of the time they will help you out.

 

He left from St. Louis. Probably a load of beer. All the scales are on the IL side and one on I-44. Then there's a Quicktrip just past the scales. I probably would of went to the Pilot over in East St Louis


The the next one is the dump down near Ste Genevieve.

Unless a newbie had truck stop directories, he would not know these things.

He's not a troll. I helped him with other things.