Florida Scales my problem

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Mike101, Aug 11, 2009.

  1. 25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Or that big bumper guaranteed not to be damaged by a deer.
     
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  3. Pawnd

    Pawnd Medium Load Member

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    Just have to be sure you don't present yourself as a trophy worth being taken.

    Then you only have to hope they aren't hunting to fill the larder.
     
  4. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

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    Well loading a hopper trailer isn't an exact science, and we're always loaded ON a scale so we know we're not over gross. From there you hope they do a good job of filling it in half and half like you ask.

    Since we deal with farms, you can be 100 miles or more to the nearest CAT scale. So at $10 a pop, the return trip, waiting in line again, missing deliveries it really is SO much cheaper to just get a $75 over axle ticket. However, the whole things is just really unnecessary. 1k over on an axle is not dangerous, it's not going to break the road, and with a permit all of a sudden all of the supposed physics limitations melt away anyway. It's just petty and expensive for no good reason. There's really not much you can do. There is no way to avoid seeing the DOT as the bad guys out to get you. They always fall back on "safety" as their blanket, yet even that's nothing paying for a permit won't solve. And for all this we get to pay 1000's to have them there crapping on us.

    Somehow running in VA I'm less safe than companies that don't run there. Go figure.
     
  5. Pawnd

    Pawnd Medium Load Member

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    Just curious if your on the scale; why aren't you weighing each axle as you pull off? Not exact but better than hoping and wishing.

    Also, why no number 9 scoop shovel in the truck?
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2009
  6. RW.

    RW. Heavy Load Member

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    I wonder how they do that? That's amazing in a disturbing kind of way.

    You always load on scales? Lucky you. I only have one place I ever go to that does that, Quincy ADM for bean meal. Of course I'm hauling corn or beans 99% of the time, easy to learn to load. Do you have an air gauge on your tractor suspension? They're cheap, relatively easy to install. Not perfect, but gives you an educated guess.

    I don't know how it is in NC, but up here in the midwest, if you need to weigh, just find a grain elevator in a small town. Unless they are absolute jerks, they will weigh you, probably free, and at most, for a couple bucks. The elevator I haul for is always getting log, lumber, or livestock trucks in to check their weight. I don't mean try this at the big terminals, just small, rural elevators.
     
  7. Mike101

    Mike101 Light Load Member

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    A friend of mine was on the freebe 90 in N Y and went over the scales in the rest area. He got pulled over because one set of axles was showing no heat. D O T cop came over and saw it was a tag axle and it was up. Let him go.
     
  8. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

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    I thought about it again. Yep, always. Can't remember a time a shipper didn't have one except one corn farmer with a single batch, but I had directions to scale in and out a couple blocks from there. The receivers don't always have one and just sign my BOL, but the shippers always do.

    Yeah I have one guage for the whole trailer. It's only good enough to see if it's worth bothering to check my weight at their scale yet or not. Certainly no help on axles.
     
  9. RAG

    RAG R.I.P.

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    Phil
    I don't think you gonna have much luck getting a permit as the states will only issue a permit for a nondivisible load
    I don't think thats you as you can drain some stuff out .:biggrin_2555:
     
  10. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

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    Yeah I know, if I could it would have paid for itself long ago. Just saying the roads and trucks can take it even tens of thousands over. This over axle crap is petty, especially for farm commodities. They're just profiting on limitations to the loading system.
     
  11. RAG

    RAG R.I.P.

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    Look at the air weigh system.It's about 2k to do 7 axles including the steer. Once you get it dialed in its within 70 lbs per axel
    You could also put a pressure gage on each axel's bag
    I have a sheet that converts pressure to lbs
    rag
     
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