Multiple Stop Load

Ok oh Wise Ones...

I have a 3 stop load. It's meat on pallets. After the first stop, do I need to put in load locks? Dispatch said no. I would have to buy them bc this truck doesn't have any.

Also, my tandems. I'm gonna say I need to slide them up after the first stop but again, I'm not sure. Here's my weights:

Steers: 12280 (I have an APU and a reefer so this is fine)

Drives: 32240

Tandems: 27620

They will be taking approximately 12k pounds off at the first stop. Slide them all the way to the front?

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I wouldn't worry too much about the load locks and yeah after the first stop slide your tandems up. I wouldn't go the whole way to the front but close to it. And remember you don't have load locks back there so just take your time and don't accelerate too fast lol

Chickie Monster asked:

Ok oh Wise Ones...

I have a 3 stop load. It's meat on pallets. After the first stop, do I need to put in load locks? Dispatch said no. I would have to buy them bc this truck doesn't have any.

Also, my tandems. I'm gonna say I need to slide them up after the first stop but again, I'm not sure. Here's my weights:

Steers: 12280 (I have an APU and a reefer so this is fine)

Drives: 32240

Tandems: 27620

They will be taking approximately 12k pounds off at the first stop. Slide them all the way to the front?

As a general ruIe do not recommend sliding them all the way to the front (1 hole). This is dependent upon the legal king pin setting laws for the states you are entering after your first stop. Where I run, the 1 hole is not legal for a 53' trailer (PA, NJ, and MD). If pulled into a scale, DOT could write a citation and has (especially in MD where they will pull out the tape measure). I have never needed to go ahead of the 6 hole since dedicated to Walmart, usually in 10, 11, 12 when fully loaded and/or cubed out. After my first stop, depending on the weight shed, and where I am headed next (if it's tight getting into the store) I might reset into the 8 hole.

Be smart about it.

Reference below for legal settings by state, including states that do not enforce any setting laws:

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I am SO glad I asked this now!!

G-town I am actually in MD for my first stop, PA for the second and Mass for the last.

So if I hadn't asked and just slid them all the way up I could have gotten in big trouble!

I'm also having trouble with time management on this load. My first drop is at 0300. I'm two miles away and I can't start my clock until 10 mins before appt time.

My second appt is for 0800 in Carlisle PA which is at least 2 hours away.

Then my last drop is at 0700 on the 15th. But it's over 400 miles away from PA! And I have to go near NYC, over the Tappan Zee I think.

I realize a lot of this is depends on how long it takes them to unload, but I for the life of me can't figure out how they expect me to make these other two drops on time!!

I had planned on staying at the reciever to night as my load info said they have overnight parking but I was turned away at the gate. So I don't trust that my second stop will have any either like my load info says... And it said that the third doesn't as well.

And I think disputes lost their minds! My original last appt was at 0800. Then they moved it to 0700!

Any suggestions other than asking dispatch to change those appt times? Obviously if they take forever to unload then that's the way it is. But for the purpose of this example we will say that it takes one hour at each stop, docking, unloading and paperwork.

As mentioned many times in these forums, call the receivers and see where you can park and if you can change the time. Just a thought. Glad you seem to be back to "normal".

Like you said it depends on how long it takes you to unload, but it sounds to me like you have time. Let's say you're done in Carlisle at 1100 or so, you can get in 4 hours toward the next stop, shut down, then you'd only have 3 hours or so to go in the morning. That route isn't too bad at all (imho) ass long as it's not rush hour. I think if you ran from 1100 to 1500 or so, then started in the morning, you'd be fine.

First of all unless you have micro setting on your trailer (holes very close together) run in the 10- 11 hole and forget it until the next load.

Where you in Maryland? Western part?

First of all unless you have micro setting on your trailer (holes very close together) run in the 10- 11 hole and forget it until the next load.

Where you in Maryland? Western part?

The 10-11 hole from the front? Or from the back? I'm seven holes from the front now.

We are in Jessup. Well close to it. At the rest area on WB 95.

First of all unless you have micro setting on your trailer (holes very close together) run in the 10- 11 hole and forget it until the next load.

Where you in Maryland? Western part?

The 10-11 hole from the front? Or from the back? I'm seven holes from the front now.

We are in Jessup. Well close to it. At the rest area on WB 95.

10-11 from the front, always from the front.

When I have some time later I will try to offer some input on your multi-stops.

By then some others willlikely respond if I am late for the dance. My initial thought, unless I am missing something (completely) I think you can do this.

I'm completely lost... (What's new? I feel lost more than found lately)

I was always taught to slide the tandems towards the weight to balance. In this case I am heavier on the drives. They will be taking more weight off of the tandems at the first stop. So why would I want to slide the tandems away from the weight? I'm seven holes from the front now (the "meat hole").

Given, I will only have around 24-26k lbs in the trailer when they are done. Is it possible that I can just leave the tandems alone and still be ok?