Why would milk tank trucker's want a short (28') inner bridge length?

Also to add, there are some states that already allow a milk tanker to be 88,000 however on an interstate highway your gross weight and your Bridge must abide by the federal laws which do not exempt milk trucks only state and County highways

 

A more detailed answer after reading into your story. Most of the milk tankers that you see in Texas are hauling off of large dairy farms that can accommodate a larger trailer however there are Farm picked up trailers that come in various sizes we have one at only 34 feet in length is 6800 gallons in some that are 41 foot long that are 6500 gallons. They come in round shapes, oval or better known as the bolster style. Several milk haulers have to make multiple pickups at smaller dairy farms that are on County Roads and have been around for 60 + years that are the reasons for shorter bridge milk trucks. If you venture up into Pennsylvania some parts of New York Minnesota Wisconsin Indiana Illinois Ohio etc where dairy is still booming on a smaller scale you will see several short Bridge milk tankers

 

Hopefully this doesn't pass. We will just have to haul heavier weights for the same lousy pay.

 

Ive done milk. I estimate a 35 foot tanker on the back of my short mack with walking beams. The farms we got into in some cases only had about 40 to 50 feet by about that much to come down the narrow driveway (While rock crawling in the Central North Maryland area...) sight side back the trailer into that little square, then PIVOT on that trailer tandem carefully until you are turned around using that square that has been built for that purpose. Facing up the drive towards the road. Then you pull up enough and complete the backing to the milk tank house which is up the hill more.

Most of my milk loads netted about 30K to 38K from the cows by noon when I was finished my route and on way to dairy. I guess the tanker trailer was 7500 tare tractor another 14000 maybe. call it between 70 80K.

We could take on some more but that depends on how well the cows are doing. Literally. If they are emotionally happy, fed, content and so forth they will produce alot of milk. If they are hungry, dirty or whatever that milk is going to get rejected and dumped into a field rather than allowed to contaiminate the entire trailer.

Milk farmers are paid by weight. Assuming a 10,000 pound tank in a milk room, weight by measure and its backed by the State because you hold a license to do so issued by state. No one touches or loads or transports raw milk without that particular license. Because the income of the farmer depends on the number YOU write onto the clipboard by the door. If you are good and everything is in order, it's going to be pretty close to a plain written number from the previous milking.

Never a scale in my time. We cared more about getting on and off the farm more than weights. One farm in particular, had a pivoting area for trailer tandem above a 400 foot ravine. If she slipped more than 5 feet this way or that over you go. Straight down.

Short tanks are good. But not always that good on the highway, that is where you and your skills come into play. Concentrated weight etc.

I don't care if it is a 300,000 pound tanker trailer it's going to be collected provided there are farms big enough to ship that much. (And there are a couple who can load a tank in one go.... those are given to senior drivers, there is simply too much money involved in the weighing...)

At the same time, I do care. There are bridges that wont take a 10 ton vehicle, however is placarded for the local FD (Fire dept) which says it will take a 20K single or a 34K on tandem. So over I go.

 

Mr. Murphy,

The 28' bridge might come in handy for operators wishing to run a straight truck / pup trailer combination, or perhaps a tractor with 2 pup trailers, but I can't imagine that it would help traditional tractor-trailer fleet, unless they begin purchasing trailers that are shorter in length and bigger in diameter.

 

Besides the ability to turn, tankers use the barrel as the stressed frame between the sub-frame for the suspension and the sub frame for the 5th wheel plate which is why you don't see at 53' tankers.

Too long = cracks in the barrel, especially with the added stress of spinning around in the farm yard.

 

We run 50' barrels but are 53' overall.

 

The smaller diameter and gauge of the Stainless works for your application plus the rear sub frame is huge.

 

7,000 gallons and built to haul 16 pound a gallon product and be pressurized. Dang things weigh 20,500 pounds empty.