Pallet configuration for heavy loads?

How many pallets and how heavy are they each?
Need to be California legal or no?
Usually 1 2 1 2 2 2...... works. Not always. I do things a little differently...

It helps to have air gauges for your drives as well as your trailer tandems... it's a luxury for most, I know..

 

I have to 2nd this comment. In my driving career I rarely had all my pallets to weigh the same or be stackable. It is just not something most shippers do.Because of this it is hard to (just) load based on a set pattern.

 

When I used to pick up water with a reefer, it was 18 pallets total, 43,500 lbs. They were loaded 1-2-1-2 all the way back.

 

Typically 1212222..... works fine. Do you know your empty weight?
And do your trailers have extra holes in front of the Cali 40' hole? You should know exactly which hole to be in to be California legal.

Never load heavy all the way to the doors you will never be California legal. Only produce all the way to doors are lettuce, strawberries, loads where gross weight will not be an issue.

Do you usually scale out in the 78 range or are you gambling with 80 and playing the fuel game as well?

 

I just keep the weights for tandem tractor tandem trailer to 1000lb per foot of trailer (2000lb per skid) out to 48' for no more than 48,000lb payload. (And when pushing this max, you better be bang on) 53' tandems are still limited to the same payload as the 48's are.
if you have a tri-axle trailer the rear half can be loaded to 1200lb per foot.
These easy formulas work up here in Canada, not sure about down south, but at least you can build on the same idea.

 

Typical "heavy" produce will range in the 42-44 usually. The issue is loading it so as not to exceed 34 on drives or trailer as well as comply with 40' kpra and if you have the max 35% rear overhang you also must be good for that. All without cutting any off the load if possible.