What is the maximum possible, load a typical 18 wheeler can carry

Not completely... The entire truck can handle much more than 100k... Its a matter of what is legal that is the limiting factor. I once saw a hopper bottom "A" train (3 axle truck, 2 axle lead trailer, and 2 axle pup trailer) cross a set of scales grossing 187,360 pounds. WAY over anything legal... But the truck and trailer handled it fine at low speed to minimize bumps and jolts, that could at that weight cause a critical failure.

 

So it seems to me like the general 88,000 limit is to protect the roads themselves and other drivers, not because the trucks are mechanically too weak to haul them, right?

 

United States of America says 80,000 at Five Axles is purty.

If I Be a CAT Daddy, I would have bought me 140,000 Modern 18 wheeler (By CAT) to go with it maybe a few axles under control (It probably will have to be full axle sets for off roading) and perhaps a full pup to make things a little more of a learning experience to go with the charger equipped 750. I would also keep a Freightliner SD122 heavy tractor as a daily spare ready to go into battle at a moment's notice. If you are going to haul, you need to get into it and haul. Anything less is BS.

A little bit of motivational light foot is called for when it's time to get to work.

 

43 to 45 k in the box (depending on how its loaded),tractor weight,fuel weight,usually 80k normal.Some scales wont raise an eyebrow if your 3 or 400 over,some Will

 

you sure about that? heavy weights destroy roads that were built long ago and cant withstand the weight from everyday use. I work heavy highway construction. thats what im under contract to do. They now use fabric at subgrade, 12 inch of base, 3inches of blacktop on top of that and then 12 inches of concrete for the new highways. Same cant be said for non highway. There has to be a weight restriction. has nothing to do with politics.

 

Unless you pay the state a permit fee. Then you can run heeeaavvvy. Then the claim is that the fee covers the extra abuse my heavy truck does to the road. Suuuurrrreeeee it does.

 

We were hired to move betonite clay in dry bulk trailers for a landfill extension. There as a cement hauler [975 cu ft trailers] running behind and we came in with another conveyor and 6 1600 cu ft trailers...

while we were setting up they grabbed on of our trailers and filled it.

Landfill was a few miles away and it grossed 109,000...we told them to leave a couple feet of room at the top.....

 

20000lb per axle for a Max weight permit. Must be a non divisible load

 

If you really want the answer I'd check with India and South America. They're doing live studies every day there on the maximum possible load on every type of truck.

 

"Maybe just one more straw..."