What to do when no scales are available?

You'll have no choice but to hope for the best if there is no scale around. If I pick up a load from somewhere that I have never been and I am unsure of how they load or the way it looks. I look for another driver to see if they; 1. have been here before and ask how they load and 2. get his advise about where to put the tandems if my load doesn't look right. I'll even ask the loader (if I can) to see whjat the standard load plan is for them...

I also scale as soon as I can even if the scalehouse give me the green, so I can verify I'm not in for a rough ride...

It never hurts to get a second opinion...

 

Next truckstop buy a pocket truckstop guide.It list all the truckstops with a scale and make sure you have a truckers atlas that lists all the weigh stations .Sometimes you may have to go the opposite direction a few miles to the nearest truckstop.While you get loaded see where the nearest truckstop and weigh station is.If you're still worried because there's no place nearby to weigh your load then look on your atlas for an alternate route just till you get past the scale then get back on the interstate.

 

Most truck GPS's have a selection to locate the nearest scale or truck stop

 

Personally I always try to put the axles under the last two skids in the trailer or just forward if possible. You can guarantee that if the skids don't come back far enough to get the axles under the load and it's heavy then they are at least going to have to be slid all the way forward but most likely your going too be over on your drives and your going to have to make them reload it and string the load down the trailer better. This will be done by having two skids side by side in the nose then one in the center then two more side by side and so on however many time it takes to get the load most of the way to the back of the trailer. I know this is long but hopefully it's useful. Other than this the advice above is all great advice.

 

When you go to a new job and get your own truck, you should weigh your truck/trailer while empty but full of fuel, tire chains, and all your personal gear. This way you know what your capable of taking on. Keep this number in a safe place where it can be referred to later until it's memorized.

Now, you also need to know that very often shippers will throw out a weight that DOES NOT include the weight of pallets. When unsure, ask. I use 75 pounds per pallet, others use 100#s for safe measure.

Finally, shippers estimated weights are sometimes very close, perhaps mostly within 500 pounds (excluding produce, scrap, and other highly variable weight products).

Until you gain more experience guesstimating axle and gross weight, when you know it's probably more than about 35k load, don't assume too much until you can weigh. (If/when you can)

 

CAT has a smartphone app that has all the scales information.
It has saved me from at least one OW.

 

Heard one driver tell me years ago that he never scales loads, he simply checks the bulge on his tires, from the drive tires to the trailer tires: makes sure they all have the same amount of bulge

He showed a page long math problem diagram of how it works every time

 

Another reason to use the Cat Scale Locator App is that it is sort of a handy-dandy universal truck stop locator app, too if you don't have one of the other apps.

I also recommend the Cat Scale "weigh my truck" app. Saves you from having to go inside to pay which is helpful when the truck stop is a super busy complete cluster ## and your set up with your company to put Scale charges on the fuel card and don't necessarily need the paper Scale ticket.