Hello, got a question. Is it normal to haul heavy when hauling fuel? I load everyday with 7500 gals and is normally ULSD. Well one place I delivered to today, weighs you before you enter and weighs on the way out. Well I noticed my weigh ticket on the way in and it said around 82K. Just wondering if this is normal to load heavy when hauling tankers. Thanks in advance! :?:

 

There are lots of folks, tankers included, who run over. Mostly o/o in my experience- if it pays to haul more, they'll make the choice to haul it.

In a lot of states, it's not technically illegal. Many states will issue a permit ticket for reducible loads (a load that can be broken down smaller- as opposed to a piece of steel that comes in one piece) that is cheap and allows you passage through the state or to your delivery point.

Some states allow overweight trucks to run state routes (the interstate is subject to Federal regulations). Some allow a tolerance- like they'll allow you 1000 lbs over. Some don't allow any tolerance at all and you'd better be legal or go around!

Some folks say it's immoral or they bring up the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota. I say that being over by 2000 lbs is 2.5 percent over what you're legally allowed to run by the Federal standards. Is 2.5 percent going to bring down a bridge that's designed to have several 18-wheelers on it at the same time? I guess that's a question for the engineers.

Now, a bridge like the one in LA on I 10 headed west into New Orleans... you'd better be 70,000 lbs or under if you're going west. That bridge has temporary support structure right now. It's a little scary to go over really, imo.

Anyway- if you want more overweight information, try www.coopsareopen.com. They have all kinds of info on truck scales, weigh station and DOT rules.

 

Either you have a heavy truck or the scale is off. Are you running a sleeper? A daycab with a standard 45 foot tank should be able to haul 7500 GAL ULSD and be under gross. Got a Cat Scale nearby?

 

I can haul 7500 gallons of ULSD/HSD or 8800 of gas and weigh out at 79,650.

 

Yeah it is a 05 Mack Vision Day cab, with 45 foot tank on it. Yeah maybe the scale is off. I know the guy that trained me for the last 2 weeks. Said that normally we are over on gross by 1 or 2k. And either we are hauling 7500 LSD or 8500 Unleaded. At least that is all I see us haul so far. And even with 8500 we still have room left. Thanks for the info, maybe one day I will scale out to kill my curiousity. :idea:

 

If your local I would'nt worry about it, I drove a truck/trailer, the truck tub held 4200 gal and the trailer also held 4200 in 3 compartments.. if we loaded diesel we only put 4000 in the tub and 4200 in the trailer, if it was no-lead than it was 4200 truck and 4500 trailer... no prob unless your route takes you across a scale :shock:

 

I'd bet the scale is off. Every truck in that terminal runs nearly 80k over that scale. It's probably open 24/7 too so that's a heck of a lot of traffic over that scale. Plus the simple fact that the terminal doesn't care if the scale is off anyway. Cat Scales guarantee their gross though.

 

It would not be wise to run overweight. Here in FL...especially at Tucker's Grade if you weight on the scale at over 80K....you will get a ticket, and they will have a problem with a bridge law violation. This is the scale on I-75 just below the Pilot on I-75 at Punta Gorda.

As far as Chemical tankers....if you are overwieght, be it axle-wise or gross, you return to the shipper and the overage is pumped or aired off back to them. I've had to do it.

 

Especially when your hauling fuel. We all know how things work these days, something goes wrong and someone pulls out in front of you and you hit them. It's not your fault if when your 100% legal. They find out you were overweight, now it's your fault. If you were legal you could have stopped in time.

 

also, I would weigh your truck empty so you know exactly how much it weighs with a full tank of fuel. Gas weighs 6.25 a gallon and LSD weighs 6.84 a gallon. So when ever your in doubt, you can figure out exactly what is your gross weight.