a rule of thumb

well honey that depends on a whole lot of things...what kind of trailer you are pulliing,( reefer, dry van etc) 48' or a 53', how much your truck weighs, what kind of product you loaded, how much fuel do you have?? need more details..i know you mean in general...but those things factor in.....

 

Lets say you have 22 pallets on your trailer, I have always tried to slide my rear tandems where the last pallets would be right over the tandems. This doesn't work on gross weight, but if the pallets weigh the same, it is a pretty good rule for axle weights. In other words, you try to distribute the weight between drive tandems of your tractor and the tandems of the trailer.

 

Yea do your best on weigh distribution but still when you see the first scale weigh it out. Don't run 100 miles get stopped ay the coop and be overweigh then u got a much bigger problem. Next time your close to 34 k on your drives make a little mark on your suspension gauge so u know when ir over or maxed out on the drives. Tandems is what will get ya everytime tho. B safe .

 

Lots of Trucks don't even have a suspension gauge.

Really there is NO RULE OF THUMB.
Most Trucks/loads/Trailers 40k-44k you will probaply be ok 4-6th hole from the Front. If its not loaded past the 48.
Good luck with that anyway.
This was when I counted the holes. I don't anymore.

Anyway, ALWAYS ALWAYS SCALE if its heavy.Find some way to scale it.
Just the other day had a shipper load what they claimed was 44k. No Scale close by that wasn't Out of Route, 50miles later I scaled it......Turns out I was at 84820. So..they really loaded 50k.
Did I mention to scale it?

 

98% of time I run at 80000 or very close. I put tandoms under last pallet and if I see most is up front I put em all way up into I get to a cat scale

 

no farther back than the 14th hole. that's from the front stop bar.

that will keep you in the king pin to trailer axle "bridge" law.

don't know about the 4-6th hole. must be a short tandem slide.

under the last pallet is a good one to use.

depending on the weight of the pallets, of course.

 

Last week I pu in statesville nc heading west no cat scales intill after the scale went over it with 35600 something. They let me go got to cat scale n fixed my weight.

 

Yet another example of folks who cannot spec trucks. I have always, since I first got a truck with air suspension, had gauge to show drive weights. At least a person can get the weight pretty darn close with just a suspension gauge for the drives. It is such a cheap option to order with a truck it boggles the mind why everyone doesn't order them. If a driver had a notion to do it, it is not that difficult to plumb in to the air suspension on a company tractor and have a gauge mounted behind the sleeper at a minimum.