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Re: Good News..... Whiners, truck costs, and technologies to do it right???
Author: George Andrews
Date: 11-08-2018 - 10:55
J Mann Wrote:
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> Up here in Oregon trucks carrying heavy loads have
> extra axles to spread the load. The axles are
> raised when empty and lowered when loaded. I
> wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the
> reasons our roads are rated as some of the best in
> the nation.
As rated by WHO ???
Oregon, as well as Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Montana, all allow tractor - trailers a maximum non - permitted Gross Combination Vehicle Weight of 105,500 lbs, with eight axles " all down ". ( Heavier loads are handled on a per - trip basis with an additional overweight / oversize permit required, with specific routes listed by State DOT on the permit. Additional axles are required as well. ) Any additional weight beyond the basic 5 Axle / 80,000 Lbs formula, requires an additional axle for each 8,000 lb increase in weight. So 5 axles / 80,000, plus up to 3 more axles @ 8,000 each, equals 104,000 which is rounded up to 105,500 lbs. All axles must have operational air brakes controlled by the driver in the cab, and tires of sufficient weight rating and at least 7 inches of tread width on the pavement. Oregon also requires fenders, " grass skirts " or some other type of rain spray control, above the additional axles. These extra axles are often fixed in the down position on trailers & container chassis, while the fourth axle on tractors is raised and lowered by air from the cab. Because drop axle tires turn to " Follow the Curves ", you cannot back up with a drop axle down, as it will kick sideways. ( The tires are connected by a trailing tie rod.) Some end dump gravel trailers have provision to lock a drop axle straight, a specialty deal.
In addition, there are various " Bridge Formulas " for different GCVW and axles. The axles have to be far enough apart to spread the weight out across the bridge surface; this is the reason you might see a 40 foot ocean container on a 53 foot long chassis. If you have lived in Oregon awhile, you may recall when ODOT replaced most of the bridges on Interstate 5 between Salem and the California border ??? This was due to the original bridges not being able to handle increased axle loadings allowed in the new Interstate Highway Act of 1975. Many of the bridges on I-84 through The Columbia River Gorge have also been replaced. California, with its older highways, still has many miles of weaker pavement and bridges, probably part of the reason it remains the only Western State with the low GCVW of 80,000 Lbs.
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> Up here in Oregon trucks carrying heavy loads have
> extra axles to spread the load. The axles are
> raised when empty and lowered when loaded. I
> wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the
> reasons our roads are rated as some of the best in
> the nation.
As rated by WHO ???
Oregon, as well as Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Montana, all allow tractor - trailers a maximum non - permitted Gross Combination Vehicle Weight of 105,500 lbs, with eight axles " all down ". ( Heavier loads are handled on a per - trip basis with an additional overweight / oversize permit required, with specific routes listed by State DOT on the permit. Additional axles are required as well. ) Any additional weight beyond the basic 5 Axle / 80,000 Lbs formula, requires an additional axle for each 8,000 lb increase in weight. So 5 axles / 80,000, plus up to 3 more axles @ 8,000 each, equals 104,000 which is rounded up to 105,500 lbs. All axles must have operational air brakes controlled by the driver in the cab, and tires of sufficient weight rating and at least 7 inches of tread width on the pavement. Oregon also requires fenders, " grass skirts " or some other type of rain spray control, above the additional axles. These extra axles are often fixed in the down position on trailers & container chassis, while the fourth axle on tractors is raised and lowered by air from the cab. Because drop axle tires turn to " Follow the Curves ", you cannot back up with a drop axle down, as it will kick sideways. ( The tires are connected by a trailing tie rod.) Some end dump gravel trailers have provision to lock a drop axle straight, a specialty deal.
In addition, there are various " Bridge Formulas " for different GCVW and axles. The axles have to be far enough apart to spread the weight out across the bridge surface; this is the reason you might see a 40 foot ocean container on a 53 foot long chassis. If you have lived in Oregon awhile, you may recall when ODOT replaced most of the bridges on Interstate 5 between Salem and the California border ??? This was due to the original bridges not being able to handle increased axle loadings allowed in the new Interstate Highway Act of 1975. Many of the bridges on I-84 through The Columbia River Gorge have also been replaced. California, with its older highways, still has many miles of weaker pavement and bridges, probably part of the reason it remains the only Western State with the low GCVW of 80,000 Lbs.
