How Do You CAT Scale A Double ?

easy if really necessary , pull the tractor and first trailer onto the platform, weigh, pull forward and weigh the last wagon, then add together, same as any other scale ya cant fit on. most time ltl have a good idea of weight loaded and not necessary to weigh

 

If you are going to be working for one of the bigger outfits. They usually have scales right in their yards. Would not surprise me that one of the yard jockeys checks that before they leave.

 

And that's if they don't have an axle scale at your barn

 

I used to pull long box's outa R&L Chicago. DON'T TRUST THEIR SCALE NO MATTER WHAT! It's good for getting a rough idea of your weight, on a good day.

 

On cat scales, when you 1st pull on, tell the person you have double trailers, after they get your info, they'll tell you to move to second position, pull forward leaving the converter dolly on the second platform and the 2nd trailer on the 3rd platform, hit the call button let them know your ready

 

If its possible, look through the bills, most ltl freight isnt all that heavy

 

Big LTL barns have an axle scale so you can check the axle weights then it displays the gross about 15-20 seconds after you pull the last one off. Smaller ones they generally just don't worry about it and pay the ticket if they happen to get caught a little heavy on an axle. Some line runs may not even have a scale along the route at all, or might never be open since most linehaul is at night.

 

That's a good a suggestion since you need to know what order to put them in, but not entirely accurate on the 2nd part. Half the time I was around 77-79k gross with a 2 axle day cab when I worked for Old Dominion. A light back box the other half of the time got it down into the 60's.

Usually they are good about tallying the bill weights and not overloading the trailers, but occasionally will load one nose-heavy, generally meaning your drive axle could be a thousand or two heavy since the heaviest box goes up front.