In training and nervous about a lot.

this is old, but gives you an idea of what you need to know;

Kingpin to Rear Axle Maximums – Big Truck Guide

it's also in the front of the Rand McNally truckers atlas.

 

Get yourself a truckers atlas. It will have every state and province's particular lengths listed. Spiral bound laminated are the best ones and will last 10 years or more.

Motor Carriers' Road Atlas 2024 (The Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas): Rand McNally: 9780528027208: Amazon.com: Books
https://www.amazon.com/Rand-McNally-Motor-Carriers-Atlas/dp/0528027204

 

Feels like yesterday i was in your exact shoes. No amount of tablet/theory based learning is going to help you back.
Only time, frustration and pain behind the wheel solves that. It sounds like you want to be a good driver so that's half the battle solved.

Continuous improvement, get better everyday. Do yourself a favor and AVOID blindside backing unless you have to. Do everything sight side until you're forced to blindside then you'll be so darn good at backing it wont be half as aggravating when you reach that G.O.A.L.

Backing is all about mastering the feel of the truck, how much to turn and when. Crucial and worth remembering is when to work your kink. By kink i dont mean rubbing sabers with your trainer and Oozy Olivia...

Don't stress. You will get there!

 

Counting holes varies per trailer and per loaded product and state by state. 8th hole probably works for the loads the teainer carries most often. You will need to move it to make axle weights legal. The fine varies by state, mou t of weight over the limit etc.

 

Most states have a max distance from kingpin to point between front & rear tandem axle of 41 feet. Some states measure it differently and a few states have a different distance othervthan 41 feet. CA has a shorter distance and enforce it more than some other states.

 

they may last forever, but the info may change yearly.

the paper ones are cheap, if bought near the end of the year.

 

First thing any new driver should buy is that MOTOR CARRIER road atlas by Rand McNally. It has a lot of useful state info atbthe front. RM also sells a road atlas for tourists so make sure you get the one like at the Amazon link. They are usually cheaper than Amazon at the truck stops.

 

True, it could change but I'm not sure length laws actually do or have changed since I've been driving? But like somebody said the only state that really cares is CA. I axle the weights and roll without even giving it a second thought. Could that bite me at some point? Sure, but in 24 years the only state I ever saw actually check it was CA.

 

most of the changes I used to see were in the restricted roads and such.

the chicken house near Morristown used to be bad about checking that. yrs ago, when I-40 was closed and we went up 26 to 40

 

Your trainer is such an idiot that even Gordon Ramesy would be unable to fully articulate how much of a drunken donkey he is. Keep coming back here and we'll get you squared away. There are dumb questions, but those are the most important ones to ask.

There are two things to consider when setting your tandems. The first is King Pin to Rear Axle distance. Others have posted the chart, but basically if you are shorter than 43 feet from the kingpin to the rear axle you are legal on length in every state except California which is 40 feet. YOU CANNOT GO OFF OF HOLE COUNTS. Trailers vary by manufacturer and by year - our Staughtons are hole 14 while our Great Danes are either 17 or 18, and only God understands the Hyundai. The easy way to measure is to measure the distance from the nose of the trailer to the kingpin. Most (not all) road trailers have a 3 foot set back for the king pin. That means from the kingpin to the end of the trailer is 50 feet. Then all you have to do is measure 7 feet up from the DOT bumper and you have the 43 foot mark.

The second thing is weight. Ideally you run a balanced weight between the drives and tandems with the drives being up to 500 pounds heavier. This gives you the best handling, the best ride, and the best fuel economy. On most loads you need to be in front of the 43 foot mark to get legal on weight. It's only on those rare loads where I have to run further back to get legal on weight do I pull out my permit book to figure out if I can run further back for the states I'm traveling through.

Since we're on the subject, max weights are:

• Trailer tandems 34,000
• Drive tandems 34,000
• Steers - it depends on what the axle is rated for and what type of tires you're running. G tires are good for 12,000 lbs while H are good for 13,000 lbs. Most tractors these days are spec'd out for a 12,500 lb steer axle, but it depends so look at the door sticker. Ideally you run your 5th wheel as far forward as you can so with full tanks and a heavy load you're just under your max steer weight. This will get you better fuel economy and make it easier to scale out heavy loads. The downside is it increases your turning radius, so make sure you're watching the bat wings and the side of the trailer.

The further forward the tandems are set, the easier it is to maneuver on the road but the harder it is to back because you have to account for the over hang. On backs with a very narrow hole I will slide my tandems all the way to the back to make my life easier - even at a truck stop. Many years ago I pulled into the Walton, KY FlyingJ. I was tired, cranky, and needed a shower. I looked at the spots available, chose the easiest, stopped before I set up and slid my tandems from almost all the way forward to all the way back. Put it in the hole with a couple of GOALS/pull ups, then returned the tandems to where they needed to be for weight. I grabbed my gear and headed in to get cleaned up and a trainer for another company came up with his trainee to shake my hand for demonstrating good decision making.

A final thought for the night - this industry is ROUGH, particularly on new drivers. It's important for you to try and maintain some perspective and see the larger picture. Some loads will kick your derriere so hard even the red headed step child will say "that's a bit much". Don't focus on the load, focus on the week, the month, the quarter. When you have a very good day, or even a very good moment, take a second and commit it to memory. Then when you're ankle deep in mud trying to crank up a trailer that's sinking into the mud because the last driver missed the concrete pad and the trailer has sunk into the mud - it's easier to deal with. Some days you're the windshield, some days your the bug.