Why do shippers require tandems all the way back?

• Balanced load - I want my drives and tandems equal in weight with the drives being up to 500 lbs heavier. Best fuel economy and smoothest ride
• Going to California
• Going into someplace with tight turns
• Backing into a wide dock/spot with little space in front. We have a customer where you have to back in off the street, then along the building, then around a corner. Its easiest if you have your tandems all the way forward and let the overhang swing over the curb/ditch. If your tandems are all the way back you WON'T get around the corner.

 

The trailer manufacturers recommend sliding the tandems to prevent damage to the trailer rails, Heavy pallets and big fork lifts can bend the trailer rails down and cause serious problems like not being able to move the tandems back to adjust weight. Wasn't there someone on the forums that had that happen to them a little while back?

 

Unless your driving in the middle of nowhere going straight all day I'd rather have tandems slid all the way forward. 5th wheel just a few notches back of center and an evenly loaded load rides like a baby carriage. Most of the time if the last pallets are just to the front of the tandems your drives will be equal

Harder to back up, how? Less distance between both sets of tandem. Just be mindful of tail swing.

 

Nope in some tight backups its better slid forward because the trailer reacts sooner to steering inputs...

 

Air ride trailers need to be slid all the back at some docks so the height of trailer is even with dock. I used to pull red button then wait for all air to bleed out then push it back it to get closer to the dock. Then set it again, trailer now dock height.

 

Most of the places I go without them slid all the way forward you won’t make it.