What exactly is the steer axle weight limit?

When I was in the oilfield, I was headed to the yard about 2am in my company pickup. Just a regular 1-ton Dodge Cummins single wheel. Cop pulls me over. Walks up to my window. "You know you don't have any license plates on this truck?" I said, "There's an apportioned plate on the front."

He took my license and registration, and went to his car for about twenty minutes. Comes back: "I thought apportioned plates were only for semi's. Drive safe." He never even walked to the front of my truck to look.

We're expected to know the law perfectly. Not just professional drivers, but all people operating any motor vehicle. Why? Because ignorance of a law doesn't get you off the hook. Meanwhile, the people supposed to be enforcing these laws don't even know the law...

All it is, is a racket.

 

Not for "small" stuff like moving violations, but once you get into "two comma crimes" - ie crimes with a dollar value of more than 1,000,000 - ignorance becomes a valid defense.

 

396.7 doesn't mean what you think it means. It doesn't allow for taking a trailer to the repair shop. It simply allows one to get off the road.
The operative phrase is "while being operated on the highway " and " continued in operation".
Combined with " Such operation shall be conducted only if it is less hazardous to the public than to permit the vehicle to remain on the highway."

Basically it's so you can get off the road, it's not meant to take a vehicle that can't pass an inspection to a shop.

 

I tell them 966.2

 

Yes, but taking a swing and missing is better than watching a strike go by. Admitting I know about the very obvious issues is better than playing dumb, imo, and if I can demonstrate I have a familiarization with the regulations I've found officers/safety criters are less likely to tack on a laundry list of bs. Plus when I go to court I can present a "good faith" defense and maybe wiggle out of strict liability. Probably won't work in court, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

For arguments sake - say the customer won't allow repairs to be done on their property, moving to a repair facility would be "less hazardous to the public" than sitting on a shoulder. Then 396.7 would definitely come into play.

396 includes as many contradictory and ill thought out regulations as 395. My personal favorite is 396.9 (2) - a vehicle placed out of service may not be moved except " by means of a vehicle using a crane or hoist". Technically, my trailer could have been placed out of service, at which point I can't move it until repairs are made. However I can disconnect and have a tow truck pull it by cradle to the shop. Seriously?

 

I have found you can get away with a lot if you just document the problem. DVIR,LOG BOOK ,ETC.
Even for company drivers flag it EVERY day until fixed.

 

and some trucks show up with their empty scale ticket at 12,200 lbs on their steering axle.

 

While not specifically steers these are the lowest limits for single axels I can find (outside the national network and interstate system)

• Michigan: 9,000 lbs. on all other highways (spaced less than 3 ft. 6 inches)
• Kentucky: 15,000 lbs. (with axle spacing of less than 42 inches)

Source: Compilation of Existing State Truck Size and Weight Limit Laws - Appendix A: State Truck Size and Weight Laws - FHWA Freight Management and Operations

 

I agree not go by. But you do need to take width into account. Our DOT started measuring tire width here. Found guys trying to go cheap. Would buy narrower than required tires. ..... A certain amount of tread is required on the ground for weight.

 

WEIGHT LIMITS ON AXLES  No axle may be loaded beyond the manufacturer's rating, Reg 413/05 schedules 1-31.  No axle may be loaded beyond the following tire width limits as imprinted on the tire sidewalls: o Front steering axles and self-steer axles - 11 kg per mm of combined tire width o Drive axles and rigid trailer axles - 10 kg per mm of combined tire width o Tag axle on standard and intercity buses – 10 kg/mm of combined tire width

Yes this is in metric but still says width determines the weight.
Rusty never said what size tire was on the trucks that got got grabbed.
EG A 275 metric tire would be rated lower than an 11r standard