Sliding a trailer tandems the best way to do it. . .

This might help.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks/truckmap/truck-legend.pdf

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks/trucksize/length.htm

 

Canada bridge law is 41' to center of last axle

 

Cali is the only state you need to worry about weight and distance from the king pin. Other states really don't worry about about the distance from the king pin as long as your not running all the way to the rear and the weight is legal. Tip to saving money on scale tickets is adding and subtracting weight per hole that you slide. Only one time have I had to slide my fifth wheel because my tandems were all the way forward and I was still over weight. No way was I going back either considering I had to drive out of the middle of Chicago all the way to Gary, IN. to the TA just to get to a scale.

Tandem hole weight will vary in two different weights. either 250lbs per hole or 500 pounds per hole. That all depends on the type of speced equipment your company has. I've delt with both. But knowing how to add and subtract weight on different axles as you slide will save you a lot of time and money. I usally slide it once to what feel's right then weigh it. If I'm still over somewhere I will calculate accordingly and normally won't have to scale again but if in doubt scale a second time to make sure. Using your bill weight and knowing you empty truck weight (fuel tanks F, 1/2, 1/4) will also help aid.

I've seen guy's weigh their truck up to ten times before getting it right and I would show them that trick when they still can't get it. They wear me out watching them jump in and out driving circles around the truck stop weighing out. If your around a hundred pounds or so over on a axle DOT normally won't bother you about it but you always have one somewhere that woke up on the wrong side of the bed or didn't get the flavor donut they desired that day. If that's the case and they give you a hard time just be extra nice or they will hand you an award where you pay them the prize.

5th wheel is normally 250 lbs per hole also. If your unsure about 250 or 500 pound sliders ask your dispatcher. They should know, if not consult another one of you fellow company drivers. Hope this helps.

 

Add florida to your list skunk. 41 foot limit in length. But tandems can be 44K pounds.....

 

Ahh ok. Thank's for the input JT. I wasn't aware of that. Of course I've alway's avoided Florida like the plague. Haven't been there sense I was teenager before I started driving truck. I know how easy it is to get in there and how difficult it is to get back out. Not sure if it's still like that but I've heard a lot of people complain about it so I just kept my distance and stayed north of the line in SC, GA, and AL.

 

In Canada its the center between axles, and the middle axle with tridums. No more that a 13' overhang from middle axles to rear in BC

 

Keep in mind the 250/500 is an approximation, depending on the trailer...and depending how the load is placed in the trailer.

For example the load I'm on right now...(going to CA from ID)...had the tandems set at 40', dispatch showed 44,380 lbs for the load (two pick-ups) first shipper asked if there was another stop and then if I wanted 8 spots available or 6...good group there...got to second pick-up, and found they added another 2000 lbs...knowing this will be close, got them to stack up forward of axle position as much as they could...nope...scaled the load 11,130/33,380/34350...good for gross but tandems are bad...knowing ID, UT, AZ, and NV are OK with the tandems back off I go with the tandems 2 holes back...cross ID scale at 11,130/33,880/34,100...there goes the theory of move away from one goes to the other!

So can somebody explain to me how 500 lbs went forward yet only 250 reduced from the tandems?

Easy solution, knowing where I was at the 40' setting, I hauled 9, 40# bags of potato flakes up into the sleeper...and the CA scale was closed....all that work for naught!

The last pallet was placed beyond the 48' point of the trailer....told em it wouldn't work!

 

The total weight is divided between two axle sets - divide the total you need to shift by 2 - it's not like you're getting rid of any of that weight. None of this is exact because the way the loads get distributed - and the weight distribution is a curve rather than a straight line.

That's why you want to get close before weighing and plugging that into a calculator. The further you are away from an ideal solution, the worse the error will be after you adjust your tandems - difference between a straight-line estimate to a real-world curved relationship.

 

Just think how much easier it would be if everyone just bought spread axles and threw the sliders in the scrap pile where they belong!

 

Overhang is actually no more than 35% of the wheelbase (measured from the centre of the axle group [between the axles on a tandem, middle axle on a tridem]).

Know the actual regs.

And know your equipment ... most of our trailers have a 30" kingpin setting.