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What's with all the axles?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by 86scotty, Nov 29, 2020.

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AModelCat Road Train Member

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'88K100 said: ↑

If the USA were to truck like we do in Canada the # of trucks on road could be reduced drastically.
Most any bulk products is hauled on multi axle trailers. 140k gross in my province. I was hauling tandem pups. Beer lead, meat rear. Payload around 80k.
It just makes sense.
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"They took our jerbs!"

AModelCat, Nov 29, 2020

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abyliks Road Train Member

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'88K100 said: ↑

If the USA were to truck like we do in Canada the # of trucks on road could be reduced drastically.
Most any bulk products is hauled on multi axle trailers. 140k gross in my province. I was hauling tandem pups. Beer lead, meat rear. Payload around 80k.
It just makes sense.
Click to expand...

the piece of #### teamsters and the rail roads would never allow that

abyliks, Nov 29, 2020

#32

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Cat sdp . .

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striker said: ↑

As everyone else has said, it's about bridge formula, and if you want to have fun ponder this.

A 20' ocean container, on a 20' stretched chassis, pulled by a standard 3 axle tractor, cannot contain more than 36,000 lbs of cargo in Wyoming otherwise it exceeds bridge in Wyoming, and they aggressively enforce it. BTDT, have the t-shirt, mug, and chiropractor bill from hand transferring 8,000 lbs of steel shelving from one container to another.

Also, a lot of those 40' ocean reefer boxes you see in the NW on 4 and 5 axles chassis with 4 axle tractors, are hauling wine, typically loaded to 57,000 lbs or more. Few months back, ran into a container hauler at a customer in Billings, he'd come from Port of Seattle. We were comparing loads/chassis. I had a 20' container, with 42,000 lbs of automotive jacks on a 3 axle chassis, with a 3 axle tractor. He had 60,000 lbs of Mahogany furniture, to be legal, he had a 4 axle tractor and a 4 axle chassis. His co-worker showed up 30 minutes behind him with 50,000 lbs of mattresses, he only had a 4 axle chassis and a 3 axle tractor.

Let's have even more fun, so we load popcorn out of a place in Imperial, Ne., shipping to Japan, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. US railroads have a max container weight limit too, we are only permitted to 80K, with the tri-axle we can be permitted to 85K or even 90K. We simply don't because the cost isn't worth it for the few loads we'd haul. This popcorn customer competes directly with popcorn growers in Brazil, where they are much more lenient on rail and road weight limits, whereas the the US railroads will only allow him to ship 48,000 lbs max, the shippers in Brazil are loading 60,000 lbs in a 20ft container.

There is a Coke distributor in Scottsbluff that runs a 3-axle trailer and 4 axle tractor to haul coke products from Denver to Scottsbluff and Rapid City.
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Guess nothing is made here anymore.......

Containers suck.

Cat sdp, Nov 29, 2020

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Accidental Trucker Road Train Member

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striker said: ↑

As everyone else has said, it's about bridge formula, and if you want to have fun ponder this.

A 20' ocean container, on a 20' stretched chassis, pulled by a standard 3 axle tractor, cannot contain more than 36,000 lbs of cargo in Wyoming otherwise it exceeds bridge in Wyoming, and they aggressively enforce it. BTDT, have the t-shirt, mug, and chiropractor bill from hand transferring 8,000 lbs of steel shelving from one container to another.

Also, a lot of those 40' ocean reefer boxes you see in the NW on 4 and 5 axles chassis with 4 axle tractors, are hauling wine, typically loaded to 57,000 lbs or more. Few months back, ran into a container hauler at a customer in Billings, he'd come from Port of Seattle. We were comparing loads/chassis. I had a 20' container, with 42,000 lbs of automotive jacks on a 3 axle chassis, with a 3 axle tractor. He had 60,000 lbs of Mahogany furniture, to be legal, he had a 4 axle tractor and a 4 axle chassis. His co-worker showed up 30 minutes behind him with 50,000 lbs of mattresses, he only had a 4 axle chassis and a 3 axle tractor.

Let's have even more fun, so we load popcorn out of a place in Imperial, Ne., shipping to Japan, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. US railroads have a max container weight limit too, we are only permitted to 80K, with the tri-axle we can be permitted to 85K or even 90K. We simply don't because the cost isn't worth it for the few loads we'd haul. This popcorn customer competes directly with popcorn growers in Brazil, where they are much more lenient on rail and road weight limits, whereas the the US railroads will only allow him to ship 48,000 lbs max, the shippers in Brazil are loading 60,000 lbs in a 20ft container.

There is a Coke distributor in Scottsbluff that runs a 3-axle trailer and 4 axle tractor to haul coke products from Denver to Scottsbluff and Rapid City.
Click to expand...

And the problem is not the extra cost in trucking, it's that they have to pay for the same amount of the ocean voyage for that much less popcorn. The only way around it is to re-load it at the port, and then you deal with union rules and costs related to the transfer.

Accidental Trucker, Nov 29, 2020

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Dockbumper Road Train Member

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'88K100 said: ↑

If the USA were to truck like we do in Canada the # of trucks on road could be reduced drastically.
Most any bulk products is hauled on multi axle trailers. 140k gross in my province. I was hauling tandem pups. Beer lead, meat rear. Payload around 80k.
It just makes sense.
Click to expand...

Do you get paid double?

Dockbumper, Nov 29, 2020

#35

alds and kylefitzy Thank this.
striker Road Train Member

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Accidental Trucker said: ↑

And the problem is not the extra cost in trucking, it's that they have to pay for the same amount of the ocean voyage for that much less popcorn. The only way around it is to re-load it at the port, and then you deal with union rules and costs related to the transfer.
Click to expand...

So a funny side to that. In 2012/2013 we were balls to the wall busy with beans for export from Sept. to Feb., 99% of the loads I ran during those 6 months were container loads of beans for export. The following year, it suddenly tapered off, the brokers/forwarders and others tried to save money, they were shipping boxcars loaded with 200K of bagged or tote beans to Houston, Long Beach and Oakland or shipping 44K of beans in totes on OTR trucks to the same ports. Then, it was unloaded, warehoused, put on a container and exported. They thought they would save money and cut out the railroad (boxcars cheaper than container on flatcar) middle man. Yeah, well, then they found out how much the unions charge to cross dock. Beginning in 2016, it started to pick back up, the exporters/forwarders who could figure a cheap warehouse to work with still do it, but the rest have switched back. Although, this year is looking very lean.

striker, Nov 29, 2020

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Cat sdp . .

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abyliks said: ↑

The 6th one gets loaded like the other 5, you just avoid the dot hot spots.....
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no problem....

Cat sdp, Nov 29, 2020

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Ridgeline Road Train Member

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Well let’s talk train, Michigan train.

11 axles

gross max 154,000

better for the roads than 5 axle 80,000 gross trucks.

our roads are bad because of politics and the need to give more money to teachers, some are making $100k a year now.

Ridgeline, Nov 29, 2020

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D.Tibbitt said: ↑

i dont know nothing about hauling cattle so idk. Butt yeah reefer and vans are just taking advantage of what the government allows.
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Wouldn't a butt refer stink just a bit?

Moosetek13, Nov 29, 2020

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okiedokie Road Train Member

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Ridgeline said: ↑

Well let’s talk train, Michigan train.

11 axles

gross max 154,000

better for the roads than 5 axle 80,000 gross trucks.

our roads are bad because of politics and the need to give more money to teachers, some are making $100k a year now.
Click to expand...

Don't you think the weather plays a part in road deterioration.

okiedokie, Nov 29, 2020

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