Parksmart 400lb Exemption
Topic 22354 | Page 1
I may be wrong on this and if I am someone please correct me. I do not think you can be over gross with the APU exemption and you can be over on the drive axles only.
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.
You "can" be over gross with the exemption and from what I read it's not axle specific although trying to be over on your tandems probably isn't going to go your way.
Many states will not care about the exemption and may write you up anyway. OOIDA has a list of states that will possibly play nice with the exemption so I would start there with your route planning.
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".
OOIDA:
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
Who They Are
OOIDA is an international trade association representing the interests of independent owner-operators and professional drivers on all issues that affect truckers. The over 150,000 members of OOIDA are men and women in all 50 states and Canada who collectively own and/or operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks and small truck fleets.
Their Mission
The mission of OOIDA is to serve owner-operators, small fleets and professional truckers; to work for a business climate where truckers are treated equally and fairly; to promote highway safety and responsibility among all highway users; and to promote a better business climate and efficiency for all truck operators.
I just happened to come across this the other day in my permit book. You might find it useful. It doesn't answer the question of which axle(s), but it does give some insight as to states that don't play nice when it comes to APU exemptions.
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 use the 400 pound exemption all the time. It can be ANYWHERE ON THE TRACTOR. So either steers or drives. Just an FYI, most of your fuel weight will be on your drives.. you did good.
Also you really don't want to be over gross, but it's pretty easy to burn off that extra 400 lbs in fuel at 8 pounds per gallon.
@Cwc I read the OOIDA Article. So it's part of the federal code but not a "federal mandate". SMH typical.
Seems like the 5 states that are hold outs are just like the small towns you drive through that make a big % of their revenue through traffic citations.
Teachers striking statewide in Arizona I think. Wonder what would happen if all the truckers decided to take a 34 at the same time.
OOIDA:
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
Who They Are
OOIDA is an international trade association representing the interests of independent owner-operators and professional drivers on all issues that affect truckers. The over 150,000 members of OOIDA are men and women in all 50 states and Canada who collectively own and/or operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks and small truck fleets.
Their Mission
The mission of OOIDA is to serve owner-operators, small fleets and professional truckers; to work for a business climate where truckers are treated equally and fairly; to promote highway safety and responsibility among all highway users; and to promote a better business climate and efficiency for all truck operators.
8lbs /gal is a way over estimation. #2 Diesel fuel is far more closer to 7.2 lbs/gal. 7 would be a far safer number to use.. Jet fuel for example comes in between 6.4 and 6.8 lbs/gal (depending on the grade and additives). Miltary JP-8 is 6.7 lbs/gal.
Lastly, I have the biggest problem being over when I have an extremely obese trainee and/or one who has brought an unreasonable amount of gear on to my truck lol. Often I have to make them leave some of their gear at the terminal I pick them up at, to be retrieved later. My truck and trailer, empty weighs out at just over 32k. If they don't pack all crazy I can still haul my typical 46kish loads. Our company mostly does heavier loads.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Late disclaimer... I haven't slide tandems in 6 months!!
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".
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Last Saturday we picked up a load, scaled at 80,420lbs. We were at 3/4 of a tank so I thought no big deal, burn 3-4 gallons and get under 80,400. I showed my trainer a laminated card in the glove box (what's that called now that I'm a trucker?) about the 400lb exemption the truck qualified for by having the Freightliner ParkSmart Idle-Reduction System. He called the home office and was told that it's been used twice before and everything went okay. What they couldn't tell us was what axle group the extra weight could be on. A Google Search didn't help. Anyone familiar with this exemption? Thanks.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.