How to determine by the weight on the BOL if you need to slide tandems or 5th wheel

I just started pulling vans again and to be honest get my weights in 500 pounds average looking at my load and how it sets in the trailer. declared weight divided by skids and know my axle positions.

Still, I always weigh out, 10 bucks is cheaper than any DOT ticket.

 

E-logs don't make you a better driver.

I see about 300 pounds for each notch on the 5th and 350-400 on the tandems.

It comes to more about how well you can load the box. The more you have the more it has to be tightened up. You sure wouldn't take 12 pallets and stick them all in the nose side by side.

When I load cheese barrels, I put a 3-pallet bridge in the front and they start loading them from there. You lay one pallet at a 45 angle on each side and then place a third across the middle and the two sides hold it up about 30 inches. You've now pushed your load back 48" from the front.

With pallets, you might go single-double-single-single-double-single-double-double if you only have to load 12 pallets. You push more weight to the back that way.

There's SO many different variables that go into that. Mixed products are a bigger issue. Especially when you have light and heavy pallets.



ETA:

A "layout" of how I sometimes will load the truck. But even with this, it's not, "cast in stone". Something I use as a reference when some folks ask how I want my trailer loaded.

View attachment pallet_load_position.pdf

 

If you trust the weight on the BOL, you are eventually going to be over.

 

Very true, I never trust a BOL weight at all.

 

Probably not so much with tank shippers, but definately with general freight.

 

I usually checked my weight at a truck stop before monkeying with the tandems or fifth wheel. It may be necessary to dodge the first state scale to make it to a truck stop. Many loads in vans or on flats are not uniform loads. The driver may not be able estimate by sight other than to make sure the tandems are under the back of the load. Roofing for instance may consist of shingles, tar paper and roll roofing, all with different weights. Beer may consist of bottles, cans, kegs and half-barrels all with different weights per pallet.

The bill of lading may be wrong. I had a load of miscellaneous out of Hare Cartage in Detroit totaling only 36,000 lbs. No need to weight that. At the state scale at Grass Lake, I was pulled around back due to overweight tandems. I slid the tandems all the way back but was still 1,000 lbs overweight. The scale master took my information on a scratch pad. He let me go without a ticket, but I assumed he would get a steak dinner the next time our safety man stopped by. I dodged the scales until I reached our Chicago terminal where we discovered two Gaylord boxes of gears on the tailgate that were not on the bill of lading. I proceeded to Milwaukee without those boxes.

 

forward of the 48' mark and you will be 13 holes or closer,, over the 48' mark and usually you will be sliding them back towards the end of the trailer...

 

My vote goes to; it all depends ... I've had loads that are 40k with the pallets all the way to the end of the trailer, rear axle on the 41' mark, go scale it and its perfect. Everything is a factor; size, shape, weights of individual pallets, the way you're loaded, how high or low you may be loaded, how heavy you may be in the front etc etc ... Anything over 25k I scale (but I'm anal) some guys will tell you 30k ... In my year plus of experience (and of countless weighing headaches) I would advise that being safe is better than being sorry and weighing can be like backing a lot of times; every situation calls for a different approach.

 

I have an air gage on the truck. I should never read over 63 PSI and I will be under 34,000 lbs.

Now that I have a trailer I don't intend to get rid of anytime soon, I'll add an air gage to the trailer too for the pressure reading there. So long as the trailer is light than the drives, I'll be happy.