Switching from flatbed to van

Your trailer is like 98-99" wide inside. Pallets are 42-48" wide. They stagger rows to balance it left to right.

I'll post a link later to " dock walk" video on youtube. That's why i dump my air on the trailer. I don't have a dump valve, but have suspension locks that rotate forward to support the trailer when the trailer brakes are pulled.

 

Thought it was determined from the kingpin to the CENTER of the the rear most trailer axel?

 

Just goes to show, not everyone grasps what an inside or outside bridge is. As well as, each jurisdiction is different

 

gross can't be over 80. unless your permitted. and then you can BRIDGE 84. just becuase can haul the weight don't mean you can haul it unless your permitted.

some states in the west simpmly require the license bumped up for the weight. idaho requires both a bump AND permit. utah requires a permit. oregon requires a tax identifier to go with the heavier weight. i'm set for the rest of the northwest.

i'm all too aware of how shippers will wait to the end of the day to load you. and you end up being heavy. and my step is already 500 pounds heavier putting me at 32,500

you've only been trucking for a year. and you want to go o/o. but you sure have a lot of questions. you'd be wise to truck for a company longer. while you ask away. becuase jumping the gun is going to put you on the most friendliest donations list with each state.

i was oout here 2 years and thought i was prepared for o/o. but now i'm learning and asking questions i never would have dreamed as a company driver. but i've learned enough to ask those questions. and most importantly. keep my money in my wallet and not the state coffers.

pretty much all trucks have 20k steer axles. but the tires only allow you in the neighborhood of around 13 something. read the tire rateing on the sidewall and multiply that number.

 

your talking about kingpin. and the various methods states use. kingpin has absolutely nothing to do with weight.

bridge is the center ofr your most front drive to the center of your rear most trailer. that's what determines our max allowable weight. between the 2 axle groups.

i never had to worry about bridge and had no idea what it meant. till i hauled my first heavy and automatically got signed up for the oregon school of hard knocks. called the company before i left. 3 different people said i was totally legal. and if i had been in any other state i would have been legal. but not for oregon.

 

You are only describing one inside bridge. You also have the steer to drives and trailer to steer axle to consider.

 

switching from flatbed to van is easy. You just have to learn how to pee sitting down. LOL

 

dot doesn't care what your steer weighs. but they do frown when it's 9500. they're looking at the weight of the load and your bridge. the load doesn't sit on your steers. it sits on your drives and trailer.

bridge chart only pertains to drives to trailer. as that's where the load sits. that information is located in the atlas. nothing is mentioned about steers. and if you have an oregon heavy permit. there information is the same but with lowered numbers.

yes. i can see steers factoring into the equation. but considering that your allowed the weight for the numbers of axles. the steers don't even come into play. regardless of the spacing.

if your hauling heavy and are at max weight. dot only looks at your drive to trailer spacing. they don't even measure the steer spaceing.

the load on the axles. steers are of no concern. unless they're under 9500 or over 12500

like i said. i spent $300 on a 15 minute lecture that i really didn't want.

 

Pulling vans is not complicated. Always check to make sure sliding tandems are locked, especially when picking up a trailer or after you slide the tandems. Sometimes pins don't slide back in to lock tandems in place. If you drop and hook, inspect all sides and roof ( if possible) for damage. Other drivers back into trailers and the roof and walls can be damaged by fork lifts. Carry some silicone or foil tape to plug holes. Avoid driving with trailer tandems to far to rear of trailer. It's not legal in many states. If you have to move them rearward to get legal weight , make sure it is legal for the route you are gonna take. If necessary, get trailer reloaded. Vans are easy. Carry load locks and straps. Some shippers will require that you have them to secure the load . If you don't, they may refuse to load your truck. I find it best to be patient when at a dock. If you act impatient, they may work slower.