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Overloaded suspensions are also more likely to create vibrations that would tend to shift the load, which could aggravate the situation further. This is a basic key to a smooth ride, which minimizes the stresses on both the trailer components and the load itself. With either air or spring suspension, overloading will defeat the suspension’s ability to reduce the frequency of the vibrations coming up from the road. This means the advantages of air ride have been taken away.” It ends up bottoming out, riding on rubber bumpers instead of air. Jim Rushe, product engineering manager at Hendrickson International Trailer Suspension Systems says, “When overloaded, air springs or suspension beams can’t hold the trailer as high as it should be. Getting axle loadings right won’t just benefit the nation’s infrastructure, it will also benefit you. Spreading out the weight with axles that are more widely spaced is like spreading the weight out by lying down. Lying down, however, spreads the same weight over a much larger area, and the ice is less likely to break.” Walking on the ice concentrates a person’s weight on the small area covered by the individual’s feet, and the ice may break. “Allowable weight depends on the number of axles and the distance between those axles. “This formula limits the weight on groups of axles in order to reduce the risk of damage to highway bridges,” he says. Powell says the reason the DOT created axle weight regulations is partly because of the dramatic impact that an overweight axle has on the infrastructure of the roadbed, and partly because of the Federal Bridge Formula. Poor weight distribution won’t just leave you vulnerable to the wrath of law enforcement – it’ll take a toll on your equipment. Even if your shipper and your addition are right when you figure a load will leave you under 80,000 pounds, you still have to position that load and your axles just right to avoid problems. Peter Powell, vice president of marketing at Air-Weigh, adds what you may have already found out that the fine is usually in direct proportion to the amount you’re overweight.
#TRACTOR TRAILER AXLE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION PORTABLE#
That’s one reason why troopers so often use portable scales that weigh just one wheel position at a time. Jim Feddern, manager of motor carrier enforcement of the Ohio State Patrol and chair of the CVSA vehicle committee, says being overweight on just one axle is likely to net you the same fine as being over gross in most jurisdictions. What matters is not only how much weight you’re carrying, but where you’re carrying it. The same is true with your tractor-trailer load. But fat is better, healthwise, in some places than others. And it can have serious medical consequences because it refers to places where there is potentially dangerous excess fat in your body. The description is a not-so-cute reference to the outline of your bulges. It’s common in medical speak to refer to people who are “apple” or “pear” shaped.
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If your body is carrying around a few too many pounds, your doctor might politely tell you that you’re out of shape.