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A Mixed first couple of days with BIG QUESTION

F

FREE TO FAIL

Seasoned Expediter
Signed on Monday with CTX rolling on Thursday. Had to take two loads for the team right off the bat, i guess to show I am a team player. Crappy run from Brighton MI to Grand Rapids MI, then Grand Rapids MI to Howell MI. Picked up a little on Friday with a high dollar run from Flint to Lansing no miles just good money, about $3.25 a mile all miles. Was rewarded with a E unit load from Detroit MI to Belevider Illinios no hurry freight paying $1.69 to me with fuel. I think thats pretty good, plus gets me out of michigan. Truck sure does handle differently with 20K over the rear axles.

My Question to you is i might have messed up loading it i was concerned about being to heavy over the front axles so i double stacked 12 skids over the rear axles with false bulkhead. my scale ticket shows 13K on fronts with 32k on tandum live rears. Would it have been better for me to run the skids 1 high all the way to front? each pallet weights about 1650 Lbs. New truck so i dont really know the right way to load it heavy. I would appreciate a quick answer.
 
Tennesseahawk

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
One skid high, front to back, sounds like how I would have loaded it, if the skids weighed the same. Unless the rears are too far back, you shouldn't be over on the front.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 
Tennesseahawk

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
How far from the front of the box to the center of the tandems? How long is your box?

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 
nightcreacher

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
need more info,weight of load,number of skids.
With a 53'trailer,you can put 24 skids on the floor.with a 40000 lb load or higher,you will be fine.Now depending on the wheelbase of your truck,whether it is a set back axle or set forward,you may want to single the 1st pallet,then dbl then single then dbl rest of way back,that will use up 48 feet with 20 skids.and you will have 5'to end of your trailer.With a 40000lb or higher load,you need to leave 5' of space at back of your trailer,most 53' trailers have a black mark there.My saying to dbl skids doesnt mean to stack them,dbl is side by side
after rereading,are you a D unit or an E,you said E load,but looks like your a D truck
 
Tennesseahawk

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
He already said... 12 skids, 20k#.

Most of the dual-axle trucks I've seen were placed slightly behind the center of the truck, like yours. As I've said, I'm guessing; but it sounds like they could've been spread front to back. Davekc knows more about this than I do.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 
F

FREE TO FAIL

Seasoned Expediter
This is a 24ft strait truck. the way i looked at it based on the placement of the axles is that if i went with filling the box from front to back i would have 13,200 lbs forward of the centerline of the axles and 6600 lbs rearward. i am guessing that if i figure 1/2 of the load before the axle goes to the front and 1/2 to the rear my front axle would come in at 19,100 on the front axle and 27,000 on the rears. I think thats a lot of weight for the steers. I appreciate everyones comments!
 
Tennesseahawk

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
I can see where you'd think that, but that's not how it works. You also have a distance from the front axle to the box to consider. I made that mistake once. I put a 11k#/8 skids load about 6' from the front on a single axle truck, thinking this would even out the weight. After getting an overweight ticket on the rears, it weighed fine when the freight was moved all the way forward.

Broompilot once told me that his fuel tanks put equal weight on the front and rear axles. That might give you a hint.

One more situation... 10,500#, one large skid, and a single axle truck with a capacity of 12,000. We were able to put it just forward of the rear axle, and didn't get bothered at the coops. Think of that as the sweet spot.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 
nightcreacher

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
>He already said... 12 skids, 20k#.
>
>Most of the dual-axle trucks I've seen were placed slightly
>behind the center of the truck, like yours. As I've said,
>I'm guessing; but it sounds like they could've been spread
>front to back. Davekc knows more about this than I do.
>
>-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!


no he said he dbl stacked 12 skids over the rear axles 20000#'s.with a fake bulk head
amd guess im just use to fed ex pay,they wouldnt give him that load as a D unit or pay him E rate on it
 
Jefferson3000

Jefferson3000

Expert Expediter
Hey FREE,

Did you mention in another post that you bought a Volvo? If you did, hat is generally another animal in and of itself.


Drive Safe!

Jeff

Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119

[em]"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." --Mark Twain[/em]
 
nightcreacher

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
>Broompilot once told me that his fuel tanks put equal weight
>on the front and rear axles. That might give you a hint.
>
>One more situation... 10,500#, one large skid, and a single
>axle truck with a capacity of 12,000. We were able to put it
>just forward of the rear axle, and didn't get bothered at
>the coops. Think of that as the sweet spot.
>
>-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

when you put the load to the front,the steering axle will share part of the weight,along with the tandems,when moving it back,you take that weighht off the steering axle.your permitted to have 12000#'s on steering axle,why then slide the load back and cause yourself to be heavy on the rear axles,also causing your truck to feel like your driving on ice
 
F

FREE TO FAIL

Seasoned Expediter
Yes its a volvo.... empty 12,200 on the front axle with full tanks. I made it to my drop off 90 miles outside of Chicago. Boy i dont care when you come through chicago traffic blows. I was really pleased how well my truck handled the weight, pulls like a monster! that cummins n-14's 500 horses came in handy. I had one bad spot in down town chicago where a giant pothole swallowed my rear axle had that weird i'm going to go over feeling.... i have to say that there is just no substitute for power and torque. You pay for it but when you need it its available. Next time i think i will load a little different though. one one two two double two i bet that would do a lot better at keeping my center of gravity down. Thanks all for your replies.
 
greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
CONFUSED!!

OK I am with mountainman on this one, did you pull into a cat scale to get a weight on it or did you just assume that it was alright?

Not trying to be an a** about things but with a 14K axle and a margin of 1800lbs with fuel on board, putting things forward of the rear axles may bring you up beyond the 14K limit the way you describe it - or am I missing something?

I really am getting that strong feeling that we need to have some real world examples of how to load a truck with pictures, I know I will benefit from it.
 
x06col

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
RE: CONFUSED!!

Pictures and splain'in won't do much (if any) good. ALL trucks are soooo.... different. The density of freight is soooo... different. About the only thing you can really do, is, learn your equipment by:

Loading (close) loads, and scale. Commit to memory, or paper.
Load (any) load, and scale. Commit to memory, or paper.
Carry a pallet jack so you can move freight, if necessary.

If this fails, do it over again till you get it right.
 
greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
RE: CONFUSED!!

Yea, x06col I guess ....thinking about it... you may be completely right about that point.
 
cheri1122

cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
RE: CONFUSED!!

The CAT scales are a big help, and at $8.50 per, it shouldn't take too many times, before you figure out where to put the weight in the box. And to remember to include the weight of the fuel, too. ;)
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
RE: CONFUSED!!

I know some guys driving cargo vans who could use a course in basic securement. You know, those drivers with no decking, no e-track, just a bungy cord or two.

For that matter, me. The one I still haven't mastered is three drums just sitting there on a skid, not secured to each other or the skid. Floor e-track only, how do you secure that?

Pictures, please. :D

Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
 
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