Okay, dumb question....

[Kevin0915]

Yeah, its something i should have remembered along the way, but never bothered. Since i dont go to CA much, its never worth remembering. I have a load i'm picking up going to CA...but i'm dropping it at a terminal in KC. But it has to scale out for CA. whats the rule of thumb to make it legal for CA's 40 ft law? no more than 8 holes from the front?

[Useless]

The only "dumb question" here is the one you DON'T ask!!

[terrylamar]

Why guess, break out your tape measure and measure it.

[Ridge Runner]

Why guess, break out your tape measure and measure it.

You nailed it!!!! Holes may vary ( and believe me they do ) Always measure it. Center of king-pin to center of back axle. I ran from Ga. to Ca. and back many times and NEVER a problem.

[Syncrosonix]

no single trailer is made the same. some can be 8 holes, some 5, and some 3 or 4. take a tape measure, stick the start of it on the rear of the trailer, and pull it 10'. that is where the 40' kingpin measurement is. most of the trailers are going to end up setting at about 39 1/2ft. some will set directly on the 40' mark. there's nothing wrong with setting it a hole or two, if possible, less of the 40' mark.

[Ridge Runner]

no single trailer is made the same. some can be 8 holes, some 5, and some 3 or 4. take a tape measure, stick the start of it on the rear of the trailer, and pull it 10'. that is where the 40' kingpin measurement is. most of the trailers are going to end up setting at about 39 1/2ft. some will set directly on the 40' mark. there's nothing wrong with setting it a hole or two, if possible, less of the 40' mark.

Only problem....... some trailers have different King Pin settings. Granted, most are now standard but there are some that are different.

[Syncrosonix]

Only problem....... some trailers have different King Pin settings. Granted, most are now standard but there are some that are different.

that's why you take a tape measure and run it from the rear to the 10' mark. i've never had a problem doing it that way.

[Kevin0915]

they ended up loading the trailer REALLY nose heavy. I scaled out first time with 4 holes from the front (newer trailer, so holes are close together), and my drives were 35k. i move the tandems full forward, and my drives and tandems were both near 25k. go figure.....

[AC120]

To answer the question:

For 53-foot trailers in California, the distance between the king pin and the center of the rearmost axle of a tandem group may not exceed 40 feet. It has nothing to do with holes or distance from the rear of a trailer--it's 40 feet maximum, king pin to rearmost tandem axle on a 53. Period. It can be less than 40 feet. Triaxles are another story.

You legal your tandem setting for weight, then you measure, then you slide the tandem if you have to; it may not be possible to legal a real heavy load in a 53 headed to California. It depends on how the weight is distributed in the box.

Best to use a tape measure--just lay it on the ground. Lay it straight.

I ran heavy going into California all the time and their KP rule was no big deal. Once in awhile, a shipper had to shift freight inside a trailer so I could comply with CA's KP rule; I can't recall that that was ever a problem. I didn't question the CA KP rule and I have no idea how it originated. Basically, CA is saying that it prefers rear overhang to off-track. Whatever.

The CA 40-foot king pin rule doesn't apply to 48-foot trailers.

[VPIDarkAngel]

Basically, CA is saying that it prefers rear overhang to off-track. Whatever.

That seems strange to me, as I've pulled trailers that would off-track even with the axles all the way forward. Granted, we normally run with our axles all the way back to be legal.
Also, some of our trailers have the kingpin depth marked (It's usually 42"). We do have some that are set deeper, though.

Since you're heading for Cali, I must ask. What is your company doing to be in compliance with their idling laws these days?

[ronjon619]

Since you're heading for Cali, I must ask. What is your company doing to be in compliance with their idling laws these days?

i have not seen that ticket issued yet.

[AC120]

That seems strange to me, as I've pulled trailers that would off-track even with the axles all the way forward. Granted, we normally run with our axles all the way back to be legal.
Also, some of our trailers have the kingpin depth marked (It's usually 42"). We do have some that are set deeper, though.

Since you're heading for Cali, I must ask. What is your company doing to be in compliance with their idling laws these days?

I agree that it's strange, but that's California for you. I mean, all trailers off-track. But they're dead-serious about the 40-foot maximum for 53's. I don't think any other state is. I recall that Utah used to have a 40 (?) 42 (?) foot maximum, measured to the center of the tandem. Indiana used to have (may still have?) a 42-foot maximum; don't recall how they measured it or if they even bothered.

I remember a Schneider pulled in at the Mt. Shasta POE (I-5, northern CA). Tandem all the way back on a 53. I'd guess they wouldn't let the driver proceed until he was legal on his KP AND axles. Could have been a major headache.

I've been of the road for a few years, so I don't know what my former carrier is doing to comply with anti-idling regs. I don't think they're buying APU's.

[AC120]

I just found this KP setting chart

It's the first Google result, so I don't know if it's current.

[Chunker]

Glad you got it legal for the next driver. Just last week, one of the company drivers picked up a load in Sacramento, dropped it in the Orland yard and left. He didn't scale it at the 49er or Pilot in Dunnigan. Instead, he scaled it in Corning and then found out it was 80,600. Dispatch told him to drop it back in Orland. 3 days later the next driver is told to take it to the receiver and be ontime, but he finds the scale receipt from the previous driver. I told him to go scale it in Corning just in case the other driver had a heavier tractor. I guess it was still overweight. He drops it back in the Orland yd. The next day, I come back thru the yard and another driver is taking it back to the shipper to rework it. All of this could have been prevented had the first driver done his job right the first time instead of assuming it was right. California scales are not to be messed with on kingpin to axle length. They have a pad on the other side of the scale that measures this and will put you in the parking lot in a hurry if it's wrong.

[Syncrosonix]

Glad you got it legal for the next driver. Just last week, one of the company drivers picked up a load in Sacramento, dropped it in the Orland yard and left. He didn't scale it at the 49er or Pilot in Dunnigan. Instead, he scaled it in Corning and then found out it was 80,600. Dispatch told him to drop it back in Orland. 3 days later the next driver is told to take it to the receiver and be ontime, but he finds the scale receipt from the previous driver. I told him to go scale it in Corning just in case the other driver had a heavier tractor. I guess it was still overweight. He drops it back in the Orland yd. The next day, I come back thru the yard and another driver is taking it back to the shipper to rework it. All of this could have been prevented had the first driver done his job right the first time instead of assuming it was right. California scales are not to be messed with on kingpin to axle length. They have a pad on the other side of the scale that measures this and will put you in the parking lot in a hurry if it's wrong.

i've gone through being one hole over. in most cases, they won't be able to spot it when the tandems are only one hole overboard. i won't gamble on being more than one hole over on the kingpin setting.