I have researched this a little and not understanding it totally. I got bored last night and used the little formula thingy for my truck and if I am correct it put me in the 59,000# range for overall length. If I read it correctly I need to calculate for the rear drives and this would drop that number tremendously. This isn't to good since I'm 28,5000 empty. My gross in the door panel states 80,500# I beleave. Also paying for 74.500# comercial tags. I know the 80.500 isn't a safe weight to get cought hauling for sure. I've been looking into things alittle. It seems here in TN the DOT kinda changes the rules on things and the only 2 ways I've found to find the new rules is your buddy just got busted for it and told ya or you set a meeting with them to come out and go over your vehicles and explain these things to you. They have a group for each district here to do just that. The latter seeming like a bad idea unless you have a little back up money and down time to correct the things he told ya about. Since you just invited him to inspect your truck and now have a big flag on it for any issues he may have found. With smokey bear and the comercial vehicle inforcement merging not long ago here that could be bad to invite him over for a looksee. Mine is in pretty good shape. Not perfect I know, but not a clunker that needs to go to the junkyard in the sky by any means. For example I know of one lose bolt that is stipped out they wouldn't like. The newest rule I've heard and was unaware of is now my hole company name and number is supose to be on the rear of the truck instead of the initials and truck number as before.
My tandem bridges out at 52,000. I pay 360 bucks to NYS and then they let me haul up to 64,000. They call it a divisible load overweight permit, I had to do a ton of paperwork about the truck, things like wheelbase, tires... and I also had to have a letter from the dealer certifying the suspension as 20 fronts and 44 rears. It really is not hard for the extra weight capability. In TN can you register for that by paying a little extra, or do you have to go through a bunch of BS too? We are going to need a pic of your truck!!! On edit, is the name on the rear of the truck a national law now? I have seen a few trucks around with it, just thought they were advertising.
What is the wheelbase on your truck? What axles do you have, tandem, lift axle, front axle? What size tires do you have on the front and weight rating of axle? If you have a lift axle, what is the spread from lift axle to last axle on tandem? From my post yesterday in dozers: Example: My first dump truck was a GMC C65 single rear axle with 5 yard box. This truck could carry 20,000 on rear axle and 12,000 front axle. One of my current dump trucks has 425 front tires with a 20,000 lb front axle and can carry 20,000 on front axle. Standard tandem axle - 34,000 lbs. Most standard front axles - 12,000 lbs or more depending on tires and axle rating. Lift axles with single tires - max of 10,000 lbs, or less depending on tires and axle ratings. Trailers are subject to the same rules, but weights may vary depending on axle spread. Standard less than 8 ft axle spread tandem - 34,000 Over 8 ft but less than 9 ft spread - 40,000 And 500 more per ft up to 11 ft. Now how bridge law lengths affects you. My Kenworth T800 has a wheel base of 20 ft from front axle to last axle. Front axle is legal for 20,000 Tandem axle is legal for 34,000 2 lift axles legal for 8,000 each, because of light weight axle and small tires to save weight and more was not needed because of bridge law. Tandem and lift axles have a 12 ft. spread and are allowed 50,000 lbs. So total carrying weight of 70,000, but bridge law only allows 60,500 based on wheelbase. If this truck did not have lift axles then the weight would be limited to 51,000. I have 3 axle pup trailer for this truck which brings the wheelbase to 69-70 ft. Bridge law allows 45,000 lbs on the trailer axle spread, and allows a total of 105,500 on the total truck and trailer wheelbase. 105,500 is the max we can carry in the NW without any special permits as long as the whole setup and different axle combinations meet bridge law.
I have always found the DOT up here to be pretty accomodating for inspections. When I had highway trucks I would stop at a scale and ask for an inspection. If they know you want to keep your truck in good shape, they are pretty easy on you. They would give me some things to fix off the record and the next time I went through I would ask for a CVSA sticker, which keeps them off your back for 6 months. Lucky for us up here, we don't have the bridging rules. Its mostly determined by weight per axle group. If the spread does not conform, they shut you down, so most trucks and trailers are built to the same specs.
I've seen mention of the divisible load overweight permits up north often. I am unsure if we have the option here. I never really looked into it as the majourity of my hauling has mostly been onsite till the economic meltdown of late. After the $1400 I spend on my 74k tags I really don't wanna spend anymore. I am pretty certain though that even though I pay for the tag it doesn't cover me on the interstates around here. They don't dog us bad just hauling but if you've come from a quarry where you've scaled you beter not be runing near your rated rate as I've been informed by a few quarries. I also rairly see trucks from a quarry in certain areas of town. they run the back roads and I have copies of many of the invoices so they aren't over weight for the tag. I can't recall what my front is rated at off the top of my head, but I have 46 rears. Here is a pic which wasn't easy to find as most of mine are of me stuck somewhere as the second pic will reveal. Sorry for the poor color quality I tried enhancing the colors from the aweful original colors my phone took the pics in. I am unsure if it is just here, national or if it was just that paticular smokeys interpretation of the rules. I was informed threw a buddy of mine who recieved a $1000 citation for it along with other little things.
What kind of axles do you have there on the rear, is that a tridem or do you have a dual tire single axle in front or rear of a tandem? No wonder you are so heavy if this is so, and this will hurt you with bridge law. Also what is the spread of those rear axles, they look kind of close. I am going to guess about 8.5 to 9 ft. If so then you can carry 42,500 on the rear and hopefully you have enough tire and axle to carry 13,000 on the front. Because it looks like your wheelbase is only about 19 ft to 20 ft. So depending on the wheelbase you could carry legally 54,500 to 55,500. Our other dump truck a Peterbilt has a wheelbase of 20 ft with a 12,000lb front axle and has a tandem and single lift axle with a spread of 11 ft. So this truck can carry 55,500 total with a limit of 44,000 on the rear axle spread and 12,000 on the front since it has the normal tires. It pulls a 4 axle pup with a total weight limit of 105,500. Also the truck is light around 22,000 lbs. Here is a old pic of our Peterbilt with our TrailMax tri-axle behind it.
I have been wondering the same thing about my Mack. It is a tandem and weighs around 23000 lbs empty. I bought a 54000 lbs license for it and when I load at the quarry I tell them 15 tons. I have a paper that describes the weights and bridge law formulas but I have not measured my wheel bases yet. I talked to another guy that has a tandem Mack with 20000lbs front axle with 425 tires, he got stopped and cited for overweight, the officer told him he could gross only 51000. What is the point with 20000lbs front axle? I have also been frustrated with the fact that I cannot find a clear and definite answer to what is permissible, other than the bridge law paper I have, which is not too clear in its description. Luckily where I operate at I do not have any scales to cross, but the State Troopers do watch the interstates I sometimes travel, but mostly I am on back roads. Is it better to play dumb, or get with them and find out what is allowed?
Where that 20,000 lb front axle comes into play is when you don't have lift axles. In my example above of our Kenworth you see that the bridge will allow 51,000 lbs without the lift axles. So 34,000 for the tandems leaves 17,000 on the steer axle. And the law allows 600 lbs per inch of width of tire on steer axles, 500 lbs per inch on dual tires. So you would need tires that are 14.17 inches wide or converted to metric a 365 tire just to carry 17,000 lbs. The normal 11R24.5 tire will only allow 13,200 lbs and a 12R24.5 allows 14,400 on the front axle, which would only allow a 47,200 and 48,400 weight even though the bridge would allow 50,000 with a 19 ft wheelbase and 51,000 with a 20 ft wheelbase. So that normal small tire holds you back. A 385 tire will allow 18,000 on the steer A 425 will allow 20,000
Axles the rears are 46k with a duel wheel lift axle unsure of the rating on it, but will find out soon as I need some parts for it. I haven't checked the front yet been runnin like a chicken with my head cut off, but would be willing to bet it's a 20k. I am running 385 floats on the front. Stuck a bone in one last summer and had to replace them, but that's another story. Rear spread is maybe 12 feet center of lift axle to center or rear drive axle. Around 24 feet center or steer axle to center of rear drive axle which was where I used the formula for. Thank you for the insite. I'll have to check back tomorrow when I'm more awake and and read over the replies a little more. Maybe I'll rember to check the front and give better inof on that too.
You should check that rear axle spread again. Our Kenworth has slightly less than a 12 ft spread and has 4 axles. The standard spread for a tandem is about 52" - 54". This is where I guessed the 8.5-9 ft spread on your truck from a standard tandem spread. Where did you get this truck, did it come from up north? That is where I have seen those tridem dual tired rigs, and they work up north where they don't go by bridge law. And have there own rules that allow heavier weights on a shorter wheelbase an long as there is sufficient tires and axles to carry the load.
I am new to this forum and I have a question, I have this 1999 Freightliner FD12 Cummins ISM and coolant is leaking in the passenger side from a box look like that attached to the engine block near the radiator fan is this part of the engine block or attached to the engine block? 3 mechanics gave different answers please I need help. Thanks