cargo loading

[Riverbob1]

I'm a one-month-old Newbie driving a "B" unit for an owner through Tri-State. I'm in need of an information source that will help me sort out how to properly position freight in the truck. First time out I got zapped at a VA weigh station. Load was legal, weight-wise, but improperly positioned.

 

[pellgrn]

Did they tell you what was wrong with the way you loaded it? I try to keep the skid over the rear wheel wells,just enough for the forklift to get a bit on it.Was it hazmat? i assume you have e-trak or some system to keep the freight from shifting,company i am leased to does not put hazmat on vans so i do not know the requirements that well.

 

[Riverbob1]

Pelle;
Thanks for responding. My message had a typo. Truck is a "D" unit, not a "B". The load in question was pallets of paper and pretty much filled the cargo box. I was around 31K on the scales, but 1250 over on the rear axle. I need to know how to distribute the freight load, especially if it envolves pallets/skids of differing weights, etc.
RB1

 

[ATeam]

Riverbob1,

I'm surprised to learn that your carrier didn't provide the information you are requesting. It makes me wonder what the carriers expect you to know about trucking when you sign on and what kind of knowledge resources they provide. I suppose it varies from carrier to carrier. I'd be interested to hear from you and others about what carriers provide in the way of training and learning resources.

 

[Dreamer]

It's hard to get it exactly right in a D Unit, as they don't have the benefit of a sliding tandem like trailors. Also, each truck is going to differ, depending on wheelbase, sleeper weight, etc. It would be hard for ANY carrier to train you specifically on each truck. For instance.... and FL70 is relatively light, and I could carry more up front, than someone with a Class 8 truck, with a heavy nose and engine,big sleeper, etc... they would carry more towards the rear. I always just tried to build a mental picture of the the weight in my head... and tried to keep the center of gravity right in front of the rear wheals, but with a load that's close to limit like that, it's hard, it's something that just comes with experience.


Dreamer

 

[boxtruck6]

i had the same problem last week going into ohio crossing the scales. Iwas 1285 lbs over on the rear. I took my e-track bars locked them in up front with 2 skids, then in the middle with 2 skids. ( 10 on bottem) took the same load with same weight across same scale next day past with flying colors. my truck too is 33k gvr, hope this helps boxtruck,,,,,,;-)

 

[Riverbob1]

Thanks Ateam. I'll check w/office Tuesday.

 

[Riverbob1]

Thanks Dreamer.

 

[x06col]

I'd say the school you are looking for is HK University. (The School
of "Hard Knocks") Try making some notes on the walls of your box when
you load your truck as to where to position the freight. You'll
have to spend the seven bucks with mr. cat to check the axle weights
until you learn your truck. Seven is much cheaper than the scale
house fee, minus the aggrivation. When that close to gross weight
there may be the need to break pallets down and move a few items to
get it right. My advice is, if it's questionable, spend the seven.

 

[streetsweeper]

In agreement with x06 lets expand his explaination further.

Method 1-
Before you load your truck you should have an 'empty weight', meaning you, full tank(s) of fuel & a co-driver if you run with one. Load & go back to the same scale, get your 'loaded weight'.

Method 2-
Same as 1, but get an empty scale weight with half tank(s) of fuel, ect. It'll save some time but you still will need to get the 'loaded weight' when your done.

Use Cat Scales, they are certified, good for keeping scale masters in line too LOL! Do the same for winter time driving because carrying iron adds to your weight.

Mark your empty weigh tickets and store them so you dont lose them to use for future reference. Try to scale your unit at least twice a year especially if you run a reefer unit.

The box walls can retain moisture and add to your empty weight also. This applys to tractor trailers as well.

 

[Weave]

I wish there were a simple solution to this, but it takes some experience with the truck you have, and can be tricky. Best thing to do is determine where the center of your rear axle is in relation to the inside of your box, and mark some lines inside the box- this will become the balancing point, provided you have a single drive axle. Then be sure to carefully look at not only the weight, but the volume of your load BEFORE it is put on the truck (not always easy to do.) Then you want to spread that weight and volume out in the box as evenly as you can, just trying to picture it in your mind. That is the best you can do with heavy loads at the shipper, then scale it as soon as you can. This is where the best of the best D unit operators always own a pallet jack, and keep in mind at the shipper if it needs to be put in after the load if repositioning is desired. This stuff gets a lot easier with time and experience, to the point where you will know how your particular truck legally balances and loading will be a breeze. Always try to scale if in doubt, and invest in the pallet jack- they have a million uses!
-Weave-

 

[ATeam]

We saw an onboard scale advertised at the 2003 Louisville truck show. Found another advertised online. Does anyone have any experience with onboard scales? Who in the industry buys these?

Air-Weigh

Manufacturer says, “Air suspension, with a height control valve maintains a constant vehicle ride height. The Air-Weigh scale electronically senses the smallest changes in air pressure required to support a load at the specified ride height. Once calibrated, the scale displays the weight of the axle group to within 200-300 lbs (90-135 kgs) when operated correctly.”

http://www.air-weigh.com

Vulcan On-Board Scales
http://www.vulcanscales.com

 

[Weave]

The air ride onboard scales work well, and I have seen some accurate to within 100 lbs. I believe they are expensive though, around $700-800. I suppose that would be worth it if you are one who continuously racks up scale tickets, but I have only received 1 in 5+ years with a $100 fine (in OH of course), and I knew that load was overweight a bit and there was no way I could reposition it to work, so I just took the chance and lost. My class 8 truck is very tricky to balance as the front axle is heavy even with no load on, but once I figured it out, no problems. There is some sort of neat gizmo coming out all the time, and I'd love to have them all, but would rather spend the money on other things (beer and women ) In the end, really, nothing is going to beat out good 'ol fashioned experience. I have a friend who's CB radio setup and other tricks are worth more than my entire truck!
-Weave-

 

[rollnthunder]

Hey Weave,How heavy is your front axle?And how much can you put on that axle.Im just trying to compair to my western star.Thanks

 

[Weave]

The front axle scales in at 10,900 lbs with no load on and tanks half full (or empty- don't want to offend any Philosophers out there) I'm going to guess the Western Star with Cat C-10 is a hair lighter, but not much. Good part is my box is a 24 footer, which lets me get some of the weight and volume moved back farther than a 22 footer if need be. No overweight tickets yet with the truck, but I don't take any loads over 10k lbs, which are rare anyway.
-Weave-