Kingpin To Rear Axle Length
Topic 15773 | Page 1
Trailer Wheelbase Description of Limitation and Additional Requirements
Alabama 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Arkansas No limits specified
- Arizona No limits specified
- California 40' Maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Colorado No limits specified
- Connecticut 43 maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Delaware No limits specified
- Florida 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Georgia No limits specified
- Idaho No limits specified
- Illinois 42' 6" maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Indiana 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Iowa No limits specified
- Kansas No limits specified
- Kentucky No limits specified
- Louisiana No limits specified
- Maine 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Maryland 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Massachusetts No limits specified
- Michigan 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Minnesota 43 maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- Mississippi No limits specified
- Missouri No limits specified
- Montana No limits specified
- Nebraska No limits specified
- Nevada No limits specified
- New Hampshire 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- New Jersey 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- New Mexico No limits specified
- New York 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- North Carolina 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer
- State/Province Trailer Wheelbase Description of Limitation and Additional Requirements
- North Dakota No limits specified
- Ohio No limits specified
- Oklahoma No limits specified
- Oregon No limits specified
- Pennsylvania 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- Rhode Island 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- South Carolina 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- South Dakota No limits specified
- Tennessee 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- Texas No limits specified
- Utah 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- Vermont 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- Virginia 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer
- Washington No limits specified
- West Virginia 37' From tractor rear axle to trailer first axle cannot exceed 37" (max 41" form kingpin to center of trailer axles is OK)
- Wisconsin 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle on the trailer
- Wyoming No limits specified
Like I said. I've read about maximums I want to know about minimums.
Trailer Wheelbase Description of Limitation and Additional Requirements
Alabama 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Arkansas No limits specified Arizona No limits specified California 40' Maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Colorado No limits specified Connecticut 43 maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Delaware No limits specified Florida 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Georgia No limits specified Idaho No limits specified Illinois 42' 6" maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Indiana 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Iowa No limits specified Kansas No limits specified Kentucky No limits specified Louisiana No limits specified Maine 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Maryland 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Massachusetts No limits specified Michigan 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Minnesota 43 maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer Mississippi No limits specified Missouri No limits specified Montana No limits specified Nebraska No limits specified Nevada No limits specified New Hampshire 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer New Jersey 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer New Mexico No limits specified New York 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer North Carolina 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of rear axle assembly on trailer State/Province Trailer Wheelbase Description of Limitation and Additional Requirements North Dakota No limits specified Ohio No limits specified Oklahoma No limits specified Oregon No limits specified Pennsylvania 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of axles on the trailer Rhode Island 41' maximum distance betweenkingpin and the center of axles on the trailer South Carolina 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer South Dakota No limits specified Tennessee 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer Texas No limits specified Utah 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer Vermont 41' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer Virginia 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of axles on the trailer Washington No limits specified West Virginia 37' From tractor rear axle to trailer first axle cannot exceed 37" (max 41" form kingpin to center of trailer axles is OK) Wisconsin 43' maximum distance between kingpin and the center of rear axle on the trailer Wyoming No limits specified
Most states have no requirement for axle to kingpin length, some states do. For those states, that is the maximum distance you can have from the kingpin to the center of the rear tandems.
California is the one mostly noted, where the limit is 40 foot. So, from the kingpin to the center of the rear axle can be no more than 40 feet in length.
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".
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I suppose as long as the load balanced, you can have the tandems anywhere you want, but within legal limit depending on what state you are in.
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".
So I've read till my eyes bleed. I still don't get it. It's always about how far back you can go. I wanna know how far forward you can legally go. From what I did get, as long the drive and Tandems are 34k or less you can be as far forward as you want right? Just the max is usually 41 feet? What is the Minimum?
You're talking about the bridge formula. If you search the forum for that there are other threads. I'm not an expert on it or anything, but when we discussed it in a thread a while back, my impression was that with a standard 53' trailer, if the axle weights are legal then you probably wouldn't be violating the bridge formula.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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".
G-town may pipe up on this one but I believe Maryland is the only state that is really stringent about how far FORWARD the tandems are. Possibly NY, PA, and NJ but not nearly as bad as Maryland. Those guys will bust out the tape measure.
Not sure on specific length but definitely not all the way up.
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".
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Maryland's minimum length restriction:
"Trailers in excess of 48' require no more than 41' spacing from kingpin to center of rear tandem and can have no more than 35% of that distance as overhang measured from the center of the rear tandem to the end of the trailer."
As far as I know that's the only one to be worried about, and I believe on most 53 foot van trailers with tandem axles you can't violate bridge law if you are hauling less than 80,000 lbs.
To be honest, the only bridge/kingpin concern I ever really have is California. I try to be legal, but I've never tried to get a shipper to reload if I'm a couple holes off elsewhere (but I will for Cali).
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
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".
Lots of numbers that do not offer a practical approach for "what hole should I set my tandems in?"
Ok so your goal is first to be legal on weight, second attempt to achieve balance especially for a heavy load.
For states that enforce the 41' to tandem center rule (which you already know) generally for a tandem rail with standard spaced holes, is not to exceed the 11 hole as the maximum (rearward) setting and if at all possible for the minimum do not go beyond (forward of) the 6 hole. Most of the time I can easily achieve balance using 8-11, which is quite reasonable for in-town maneuverability and most backing situations.
35% using Matt's formula (which is correct) is 14.35 feet maximum allowable overhang from the center point of the tandems to the rear. Although he specified this for Maryland I know it has also been recently enforced in CT and NJ. Chickie is correct, MD DOT will definitely use a tape measure if thhey pull you in for an inspection or on the scale. To be safe, when going through Maryland or New Jersey I do not go beyond the 7 hole. Good thing is, I've never had to. A backhaul of sugar from Domino in Baltimore is the only time it can be an issue for me.
Practically speaking I can only think of two times in four plus years where the load required a setting outside the range of holes 6-11. Enforcement officers are looking for extremes. For example: in the NE region running in the 14 hole of a 53' wagon could draw unwanted attention from DOT. As a rule use common sense.
Hope this helps you out.
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.
We never run California so i just go by the most restrictive states I'll drive through as to length which is generally 41'. Luckily most of our trailers are marked off at 40, 41, and 42 feet but a couple were marked incorrectly lol.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Advice For New Truck Drivers DOT Trailers Truck Equipment Understanding The Laws Weight and Scales
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Editor's Note: We have an excellent resource that will help you understand The Bridge Law and Axle To Kingpin Spacing so check that out.
So I've read till my eyes bleed. I still don't get it. It's always about how far back you can go. I wanna know how far forward you can legally go. From what I did get, as long the drive and Tandems are 34k or less you can be as far forward as you want right? Just the max is usually 41 feet? What is the Minimum?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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".