(b) The gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels on any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed 18,000 pounds and the gross weight upon any one wheel, or wheels, on one end of an axle and resting upon the roadway, shall not exceed 9,500 pounds, except that the gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels on any front steering axle of a motor vehicle shall not exceed 12,500 pounds. Vehicles shall comply with either Section 35551 or with subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of this section.ģ5551.5. (a) This section shall apply only to combinations of vehicles which contain a trailer or semitrailer. Alternate Axle Group Weight Chartģ5551.5. The gross weight of each set of tandem axles shall not exceed 34,000 pounds and the gross weight of the two consecutive sets of tandem axles shall not exceed 68,000 pounds. (b) Two consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry 34,000 pounds each if the distance between the first and last axles of the consecutive sets of tandem axles is 36 feet or more. (e) These gross weight limits shall include all enforcement tolerances. When a fraction is exactly six inches, the next larger whole foot shall be used.ģ5551. (c) The distance between axles shall be measured to the nearest whole foot.
*For allowable weights on two consecutive sets of tandems 36 feet or more apart, see 35551 (b) under Exceptions - Two Tandem Axles. (a) The total gross weight in pounds imposed on the highway by any group of two or more consecutive axles shall not exceed that given for the respective distance in the following table:Ĭlick here for a picture of axle groupings (PDF) The steering axle, however, must go by the load limit by the tire manufacturer. (2) A load of 620 pounds per lateral inch of tire width, as determined by the manufacturer's rated tire width on the tire sidewall. (1) The load limit established by the tire manufacturer, on the tire sidewall. (c) The maximum wheel load is the lesser of the following: (b) The gross weight limit for any one wheel, or wheels, shall not apply to vehicles with loads of livestock. (a) The gross weight on any one axle shall not exceed 20,000 pounds, and the gross weight upon any one wheel, or wheels, supporting one end of an axle, shall not exceed 10,500 pounds. Sorry, this is all one paragraph, I can't paragraph for some reason.Axle Group: less than 8'-6" (8-feet-6-inches) between outer axlesĪxle Group: 8'-6" (8-feet-6-inches) or more between outer axlesĬOVID-19 Emergency Response: Legal Truck Overweight Permits for Essential Goods General Ruleģ5550. Also, know how much weight your trailer is rated for in how many feet. Otherwise, you will have to SWAG it and confirm it by going to a scale. This is where onboard scales become really handy. If you have multiple items to load, now it becomes increasingly more difficult to get the balance correct. If you move my example to the rear one foot, you are taking 4,000 lbs. That you just added! Don't forget to weigh you tractor and trailer to find out what they weigh, you have to add that into the equation. on the drives and 20,000 on the rear axle group. When placed on the center line, you have 20,000 lbs. and is 10 feet long, each foot weighs 4,000 lbs. An example is if the load weighs 40,000 lbs. You can further divide this into smaller increments, while your calculations may be accurate, it is increasingly more difficult to accurately place your load if you have figured it to the inch. From the center of the load, you can calculate what moving it one foot in any direction will do to the weights on your drives and rear axle groups.
If not, that is where experience starts to come in. If you place the center of the load on the center of the axle, your load is balanced. To place your load accurately, find the center of your load, both front to back and side to side. Another general rule, is under your maximum weight place the center of the load one foot behind the center point of your trailer, if you have a spread axle. It might be used as a general rule, but you better know for sure if you are close to your maximum weight. Don't go by the turn signal in the center of the trailer, unless you took your measurements and it is at the true center. When you take that measurement, divide it by two and you will have the exact center of your trailer. It doesn't matter if you have duals, a spread or a tri-axle.
The center is measured from the center of the kingpin to the center of the rear axle group. It doesn't matter what your axle spacing is nor does it matter what the kingpin placement is. The center of the trailer is still the center of the trailer.