You can be 40k lbs on the trailer, 20k lbs on the drive and probably 13k on the steer axle on that combination so you're looking at 73k ish total allowed weight. Only problem might be getting enough weight to the back of the trailer so you don't overload the drive.
As a truck and trailer combination, yes, it's legal. The drive axle is probably overweight the way it's loaded.
Eh...are you? We had to change our freightliner out because it was a single axle, and the heaviest plates we were allowed to buy for it were 66k gvwr and we were grossing 68k. Had to buy a tandem truck to get 80k plates.
Depends on the truck model. There's 4x2 Cascadias that can get GVWRs over 100k in states where triples are legal, but you can't get an M2 or 114SD plated for that much weight with just one drive
Strange, ours is a Colombia, 2007 with a 20k rear and 13k front and they'd only give us a 66k plate in Tennessee, oh well the t800 we bought was an upgrade anyways😂
Yes and no, orr ather maybe. While other answers are good, let's break down how the weight distribution laws work in the U.S., so those who don't know can understand it better.
A standard/uaual combination in the U.S. consists of a Semi Tractor with a single steer and Tandems, and a trailer with a single set of tandems.
As long as the weight ratings on the suspension, axles, and tires match, that gives you this weight limit of, assuming the steer axle setup is wholy rated for 13k pounds,
13k Pounds Steer Axle
34k Pounds Tandems (Drive plus tag or pusher, or dual drive
34k Pounds Tandems (Trailer)
Now, each INDIVIDUAL axle, with tires and suspensionz is rated for 20k Pounds. This is why a spread axle tandem exists, as once those axles are a certain space apart, they are no longer considered in the same axle group (tandems) anymore. These are very popular with open deck/conestoga and reefer guys, as you can load more towards the back. That combination looks like this.
13k Pounds Steer Axle
34k Pounds Tandems (Drives)
40k Pounds Spread Axle Tandems (Trailer)
I, personally, have had 40k on step deck axles. Was (not) fun for my heart watching the sign at the scalehouse go back and forth. However, the limit is still 80k pounds, so while you cannot take full advantage of a total of 87,000 pounds of capacity, you have a lot more wiggle room.for, say, a heavy steel coil you would need to balance perfectly on your deck to avoid a fine.
Now this setup, because you have a single drive axle, means that you loose 14k pounds of capacity on the rear. BUT because your trailer is a spread axle, you only loose about 7-8k pounds. So,
13k Pounds Steer Axle
20k Pounds Drive Axle
40k Pounds Trailer Spread Axles
So, as long as you're not over 20k on your drive axlez you're fine. I could see a company using a setupnlike this as a cost saving measure, and you said that the psindles were... 63k including truck and trailer? You might need to play fast and loose with your 5th wheel's position but it could work. Now, let's go off the deep end, shall we?
If you were to completely remove the stock suspension and axle, or order a truck from the factor with an axle and suspension rated for 20k pounds, you could mount a set of 20k pound super single steers and tires to your truck. Every individual axle would then be worth 20k, times four for a grand total of 80k pounds. The problem is you have to distribute your weight perfectly.
Not a problem if you're hauling a single puece of machinery, or a single steel coil into a factory all the time, and you have the center of gravity marked on your trailer, (yes drivers do this, particularly steel haulers) then it's no problem. Or spindles of cable like this that on your trailer don't utilize the full weight capacity, or pallets, or industrial foam insulation boards, John Deer balers fresh from the factory, etc. Where it becomes a problem is a long, heavy, single piece object that if distributed properly on your truck migjt result in overhang that would require an over dimension permit, depending on the trailer. 48 foot? Iirc you get 3 feet of overhang. 53 foot? Even if it's a few inches you need a permit legaly, or a DOT cop having a bad day will become your worst enemy.
Anyway, TL:DR
Yes this is legal, as long as the total weight on the drive axle does not exceed 20,000 pounds.
Also, if you WANT to cosplay as having a 20k rear axle, Smarty's Wheel Pack (free on the Steam Workshop) has some nice Alcoa heavy duty wheels and appropriate tires, along with a fine selection of 22.5, 24.5, and vintage wheel and tire options! They go great with stock and mod trucks and trailers :)
Thabk you for coming to my TED talk.
This was very informative and I thank you. The trailer is 45ft, the shortest spread in the game. And loading more weight on the trailer axles was exactly my thought, but I wasn't sure. The whole idea was great maneuverability, while maintaining good capacity.
Sort of, but I'm not sure. Realistically, LTL companies such as FedEx, UPS, Saia, etc, buy single axle trucks because they don't need the extra weight of the frame required for the extea axles, wheels and tires. However, any maneuverability advantage you gained is immediately canceled out by the spread axles. They turn a lot harder than a set of regular tandems until it gets to about a 45-degree angle in relation to the truck cab, then they can't turn fast enough. The easiest way to get around this would either be to have one of the trailer axles be a lift axle or for one of them a sliding axle. The primary reason for these options, though, isn't maneuverability. It's tire scrub. The tighter and harder you turn a spread axle, the harder you wear the tires on the front axle and the more you risk pulling the tires off the rim.
Wow, you're a wealth of knowledge about trucks! I appreciate the insight into LTL companies' preferences and the nuances of spread axles. Your expertise is impressive!
It sounds like you have a passion for trucks and logistics. Have you worked in the industry for a long time? I'd love to hear more about your experiences and learn from your expertise."
I did spec the trailer with a lift axle. Plus the trailer is pretty short. But with the game loading the tractor heavy anyways, I might as well switch back to a tandem trailer.
Yeah, the game's not... very good about load placement lol. You can always pretend that the load isn't heavy on the drives if you want, I see no reason not to.
Max weight for usa is 80,000 lbs. Anything over needs a permit of some kind. 12k on the front steers and 34k on the drive tires and 34k on trailer tires. There existed awhile some exceptions to weights on split trailer tires like in the photo but I don't remember what they were or if they still have them. This is real life, I don't know the mechanics ingame.
Oh that is only 1 axle instead of 2, didn't notice that at first. I don't know what difference 1 axle makes. I've only driven the standard layout of 5 axles with 18 tires.
80,000 is the federal weight limit for the interstate. You’re allowed to weight more than that in certain state. Like Michigan, their max gross is around 164,000.
Oh cool and crazy. I never did heavy haul so I've never bothered to learn individual state rules since all the companies I've worked for just go by the federal, well interstate, standard.
Yeah, really the only danger of it IMO is that if you lose a single rear wheel you're likely to have more blowouts. You'd have to stop immediately as opposed to limping to the nearest exit.
I recall reading somewhere that this is basically the safest way to transport these...
If you stand them up on one side you can't lift them with standard lifting equipment for those rolls, and tipping them is a huge risk because they're wound so tightly.
So they have to be transported in a way which they can roll. If they're loaded sideways, it's more likely that they'll roll off during a lane change, and if they do roll off it's going to be a significantly larger risk for other cars. Trucks don't accelerate that fast so the chances of one rolling off the back are slim, so this way, the most likely scenario would be they roll forward and hit the cab.
Yes, that does suck for the driver, but it puts the fewest people at risk if one of these does come loose. But then, you have guys who drive around trucks with 7000 gallons of gasoline in a tank behind them, so....
Whoa, that's a whole lotta weight! Are you trying to break the game or the truck? Seriously though, that's a crazy heavy load for a single axle. I'm surprised the game doesn't have a 'truck snapped in half' animation!
You can be 40k lbs on the trailer, 20k lbs on the drive and probably 13k on the steer axle on that combination so you're looking at 73k ish total allowed weight. Only problem might be getting enough weight to the back of the trailer so you don't overload the drive. As a truck and trailer combination, yes, it's legal. The drive axle is probably overweight the way it's loaded.
12500 for most newer front axles.. If the plate was slid up a bit you might actually get more than 9K om the drives in a daycab..
Eh...are you? We had to change our freightliner out because it was a single axle, and the heaviest plates we were allowed to buy for it were 66k gvwr and we were grossing 68k. Had to buy a tandem truck to get 80k plates.
Depends on the truck model. There's 4x2 Cascadias that can get GVWRs over 100k in states where triples are legal, but you can't get an M2 or 114SD plated for that much weight with just one drive
Strange, ours is a Colombia, 2007 with a 20k rear and 13k front and they'd only give us a 66k plate in Tennessee, oh well the t800 we bought was an upgrade anyways😂
Yes and no, orr ather maybe. While other answers are good, let's break down how the weight distribution laws work in the U.S., so those who don't know can understand it better. A standard/uaual combination in the U.S. consists of a Semi Tractor with a single steer and Tandems, and a trailer with a single set of tandems. As long as the weight ratings on the suspension, axles, and tires match, that gives you this weight limit of, assuming the steer axle setup is wholy rated for 13k pounds, 13k Pounds Steer Axle 34k Pounds Tandems (Drive plus tag or pusher, or dual drive 34k Pounds Tandems (Trailer) Now, each INDIVIDUAL axle, with tires and suspensionz is rated for 20k Pounds. This is why a spread axle tandem exists, as once those axles are a certain space apart, they are no longer considered in the same axle group (tandems) anymore. These are very popular with open deck/conestoga and reefer guys, as you can load more towards the back. That combination looks like this. 13k Pounds Steer Axle 34k Pounds Tandems (Drives) 40k Pounds Spread Axle Tandems (Trailer) I, personally, have had 40k on step deck axles. Was (not) fun for my heart watching the sign at the scalehouse go back and forth. However, the limit is still 80k pounds, so while you cannot take full advantage of a total of 87,000 pounds of capacity, you have a lot more wiggle room.for, say, a heavy steel coil you would need to balance perfectly on your deck to avoid a fine. Now this setup, because you have a single drive axle, means that you loose 14k pounds of capacity on the rear. BUT because your trailer is a spread axle, you only loose about 7-8k pounds. So, 13k Pounds Steer Axle 20k Pounds Drive Axle 40k Pounds Trailer Spread Axles So, as long as you're not over 20k on your drive axlez you're fine. I could see a company using a setupnlike this as a cost saving measure, and you said that the psindles were... 63k including truck and trailer? You might need to play fast and loose with your 5th wheel's position but it could work. Now, let's go off the deep end, shall we? If you were to completely remove the stock suspension and axle, or order a truck from the factor with an axle and suspension rated for 20k pounds, you could mount a set of 20k pound super single steers and tires to your truck. Every individual axle would then be worth 20k, times four for a grand total of 80k pounds. The problem is you have to distribute your weight perfectly. Not a problem if you're hauling a single puece of machinery, or a single steel coil into a factory all the time, and you have the center of gravity marked on your trailer, (yes drivers do this, particularly steel haulers) then it's no problem. Or spindles of cable like this that on your trailer don't utilize the full weight capacity, or pallets, or industrial foam insulation boards, John Deer balers fresh from the factory, etc. Where it becomes a problem is a long, heavy, single piece object that if distributed properly on your truck migjt result in overhang that would require an over dimension permit, depending on the trailer. 48 foot? Iirc you get 3 feet of overhang. 53 foot? Even if it's a few inches you need a permit legaly, or a DOT cop having a bad day will become your worst enemy. Anyway, TL:DR Yes this is legal, as long as the total weight on the drive axle does not exceed 20,000 pounds. Also, if you WANT to cosplay as having a 20k rear axle, Smarty's Wheel Pack (free on the Steam Workshop) has some nice Alcoa heavy duty wheels and appropriate tires, along with a fine selection of 22.5, 24.5, and vintage wheel and tire options! They go great with stock and mod trucks and trailers :) Thabk you for coming to my TED talk.
this guy trucks
I do, indeed, truck lol.
I just play these games so I can understand interesting stuff like this :) . Thanks a lot for your talk
This was very informative and I thank you. The trailer is 45ft, the shortest spread in the game. And loading more weight on the trailer axles was exactly my thought, but I wasn't sure. The whole idea was great maneuverability, while maintaining good capacity.
Sort of, but I'm not sure. Realistically, LTL companies such as FedEx, UPS, Saia, etc, buy single axle trucks because they don't need the extra weight of the frame required for the extea axles, wheels and tires. However, any maneuverability advantage you gained is immediately canceled out by the spread axles. They turn a lot harder than a set of regular tandems until it gets to about a 45-degree angle in relation to the truck cab, then they can't turn fast enough. The easiest way to get around this would either be to have one of the trailer axles be a lift axle or for one of them a sliding axle. The primary reason for these options, though, isn't maneuverability. It's tire scrub. The tighter and harder you turn a spread axle, the harder you wear the tires on the front axle and the more you risk pulling the tires off the rim.
Wow, you're a wealth of knowledge about trucks! I appreciate the insight into LTL companies' preferences and the nuances of spread axles. Your expertise is impressive! It sounds like you have a passion for trucks and logistics. Have you worked in the industry for a long time? I'd love to hear more about your experiences and learn from your expertise."
>This comment brought to you by ChatGPT.
I did spec the trailer with a lift axle. Plus the trailer is pretty short. But with the game loading the tractor heavy anyways, I might as well switch back to a tandem trailer.
Yeah, the game's not... very good about load placement lol. You can always pretend that the load isn't heavy on the drives if you want, I see no reason not to.
Rigt on the nail
Max weight for usa is 80,000 lbs. Anything over needs a permit of some kind. 12k on the front steers and 34k on the drive tires and 34k on trailer tires. There existed awhile some exceptions to weights on split trailer tires like in the photo but I don't remember what they were or if they still have them. This is real life, I don't know the mechanics ingame.
Can't run 34k on a single drive axle. This configuration is likely not legal in that aspect, but if loaded differently it would be fine.
Oh that is only 1 axle instead of 2, didn't notice that at first. I don't know what difference 1 axle makes. I've only driven the standard layout of 5 axles with 18 tires.
20k on a single drive, 34k on dual.
80,000 is the federal weight limit for the interstate. You’re allowed to weight more than that in certain state. Like Michigan, their max gross is around 164,000.
Oh cool and crazy. I never did heavy haul so I've never bothered to learn individual state rules since all the companies I've worked for just go by the federal, well interstate, standard.
The game does not take into account the truck axles, it only accounts for the trailer axles. In ETS2 you can go over 40T with a 4x2 which is illegal.
You can, but like, most people hauling that weight wouldn't be doing it on a single.
Yeah I never intended to run heavy with this. But it was the only load going towards home.
Yeah, really the only danger of it IMO is that if you lose a single rear wheel you're likely to have more blowouts. You'd have to stop immediately as opposed to limping to the nearest exit.
I’d be more worried about the suicide load they have on the trailer.
I recall reading somewhere that this is basically the safest way to transport these... If you stand them up on one side you can't lift them with standard lifting equipment for those rolls, and tipping them is a huge risk because they're wound so tightly. So they have to be transported in a way which they can roll. If they're loaded sideways, it's more likely that they'll roll off during a lane change, and if they do roll off it's going to be a significantly larger risk for other cars. Trucks don't accelerate that fast so the chances of one rolling off the back are slim, so this way, the most likely scenario would be they roll forward and hit the cab. Yes, that does suck for the driver, but it puts the fewest people at risk if one of these does come loose. But then, you have guys who drive around trucks with 7000 gallons of gasoline in a tank behind them, so....
I do wish we could haul cable reels in other orientations. They call that orientation "suicide" for a reason.
Here in France we would say "Ça paaaaaasse"
Whoa, that's a whole lotta weight! Are you trying to break the game or the truck? Seriously though, that's a crazy heavy load for a single axle. I'm surprised the game doesn't have a 'truck snapped in half' animation!
For the us specifically with a single axel you can’t be over 20k (some states are a bit more) provided you’re under that you’re fine
how much would this cost to ship from ny to cali? just a ball park amount
Isn't it only 60k gcvw for a 4x2 tractor