question for all drivers
 

So you hook up to a trailer that the previos driver said he "scaled it out" and the tandems were in the right position. Should you re-scale or would the tandem position be correct for your tractor as well? IMHO I said re-weigh,because the position of their fifth wheel could be different than what you have.

Appreciate all answers
JasonBourne

If I load a load then have to drop it for another driver I leave a copy of the scale ticket with the paperwork. That way they can see what i had on the steer, drives and trailer. Then they can decide if they want to rescale it or run with it as is. All our trucks have fixed fifth wheels and pretty close specs, So it is up to the individual driver.

I think you should know whether or not you'll be close to having an issue, based on your own experience. If the other driver was within a few hundred pounds on the drives, it's probably worth scaling the load and submitting the receipt (for company drivers) or eating the ten bucks (for others). If the load is 40,000 pounds or less, you're most likely safe with whatever the other driver gave you.

In my case, I hardly ever scale anything under 46,000 pounds unless it's one of those California 40' deals. I have a wicked light truck so I just move the axles until I get around 60 pounds of pressure on my drivetrain suspension and it's all good.

I guess this is a roundabout way of saying that you should scale a load if you have any doubt about its legality when hooked to your truck. A friend of mine got a weight ticket and had it show up on his personal auto insurance rating, even though his company paid the ticket, so why take the chance if you have any doubts.

I've been burned a couple of times, not a scale house thankfully.

There have been a sometimes where the scale ticket showed them to be legal, I decided to go ahead and scale anyway. With my tractor and fuel load, my weights were way off.

Too bad that the scale tickets don't have information about the type of tractor, fifth wheel placement and fuel load.

In general I will scale a load:
1) the scale ticket shows it is a re-weigh
2) company policy says that for a certain weight and above I should scale
3) if there is a policy and a possibility of having to drop the load that requires one
4) the load is more than 34,000 pounds

It is much cheaper to reweigh and pay the $10 than get a fine. When in doubt I would always reweigh the load.

Reweigh, cheap insurance. Unless you have the same make/model of truck, the same wheelbase, the same fifth wheel setting and (to a lesser extent) the same fuel load, its likely going to be different.

depends. If the company runs the same types of vehicles then I would look at the scale ticket left with the load. I'd then compare the weights and assume the truck had 1/4 tank of fuel when weighing, add the weight 120gal of diesel would be and see if it was close or not. If its within 500 lbs on the axles I'd weigh it unless the total load was under 40,000lbs. If the trailer axles were right at the legal setting and I couldn't shift them anymore and I was near legal weight I would scale it. If the driver dropped it and didnt leave a scale ticket or a piece of paper with the weight written down like he weighed at a shipper again I would scale it if the load was over 40,000lbs.

If I scale a load at a shipper and drop it somewhere I always write down the axle weights, type of truck I have and how full my tanks are when weighing. If at a CAT Scale I wright tractor type and amount of fuel on the ticket.

GMAN is right, $10 can save ya from the possibility of anguish later on down the road.

I always scaled every load, and re-weighed when necessary, as the co. was reimbursing
us for it anyway.

Like JONP, on any of my relay loads I always made sure to write down the type of tractor,
amount of fuel in the tanks, and the setting I scaled at, also included a copy of the scale
ticket / re-weigh tickets for the next driver, along with my name and tractor#, and a quick
note on the qualcomm to dispatch letting them know the weights, especially when picking
up a heavy borderline load.

Another thing that was not mentioned earlier is the possibility that the load could have 'shifted' in transit between where the 1st driver picked it up/scaled it out, or even on rare occasions like winter( there could have been 1000 pounds of ice on the top of the trailer.

Usually, I never scale any load less than 35,000 lbs-- though like Vito said.. less than 40,000lbs you're usually safe.. except for some weird loads( like when the loaders load all the heavy crap in the nose or tail. If you weren't there to see it load, and can't break the seal to find out what it looks like... best to scale it. IL won't let you leave the coop until it's legal, and that can cost big $$ having someone come out to 'fix' it.

Whenever I scale a load that i know i'm going to drop for another driver at a terminal, i ALWAYS jot down what kind of truck i have, my fuel level, and where my 5th wheel is slid to (i.e. full-rear, full-forward, second from the rear, etc.) And what about the companies with 5-6 different trucks. Like for Swift, if a T-call load is being pulled and scaled by a t-2000, it is going to scale different compared to a Columbia, or a Volvo and a t-600. If there is a scale on the yard, i'll roll across it to check it. But if not, i will always scale it. $9 is a small price to pay to prevent yourself from getting a big dollar ticket. To not scale the load again, which is now YOUR responsibility, because you don't want to waste the time or money, is just plain lazy.