Proper Loading On Sealed Loads?
Topic 23121 | Page 1
You would need to follow your companies procedures, usually you message or call your dispatcher and tell them it cant be scaled and they would send you back to shipper or if it's really bad send someone out to you to either rearrange load or take some off.
Usually busting a seal isn't the end of the world but I wouldn't do it unnecessarily and make sure to follow any procedures your company had. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about it, until you get a license and are at orientation with your company.
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.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
You would need to follow your companies procedures, usually you message or call your dispatcher and tell them it cant be scaled and they would send you back to shipper or if it's really bad send someone out to you to either rearrange load or take some off.
Usually busting a seal isn't the end of the world but I wouldn't do it unnecessarily and make sure to follow any procedures your company had. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about it, until you get a license and are at orientation with your company.
That brings up another related question. If the shipper has no scales, are you still illegal between the shipper and scale (and back if necessary to reload)?
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.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
That brings up another related question. If the shipper has no scales, are you still illegal between the shipper and scale (and back if necessary to reload)?
Yes, which is why I would advise going to the closest CAT scale to the shipper and avoiding any state scales if possible.
If you do get stopped you can try telling them you went to closet scale saw you where over weight and are heading back to get it fixed and you might be ok as long as you are not grossly overweight.
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.
CAT Scale:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
Apologies in advance if this has been asked and answered...
Studying for Gen. Knowledge learner's permit...
If driver is responsible for proper securement and weight distribution, placarding (if necessary) having hazmat endorsement if placards are required, etc.... how can one do this when the job is to pickup and haul an already sealed trailer? And if the weights are so bad that they can't be fixed by moving axles, 5th wheel assembly, etc.... or load is top heavy (any way to test that?) how can this possibly be fixed without busting a seal? Is there a process which documents the loading and securement? Is there a process to fix it once the seal goes on?
Thanks!
I very often pick up sealed trailers, or they'll load and seal the trailer from inside the building. You have no clue how the load is stacked but it's still your responsibility to deliver the load undamaged. Take extra care in turns. Slow before you enter curves. Start slowing down way in advance. Increase your following distance.These are all things you should already be doing anyway.
If you absolutely can not balance out the load or it is overweight you need to let dispatch know asap. You'll most likely be sent back to have the customer rework the load. I've had to take a couple loads back because I was over gross weight. Another because it was heading to CA and it wouldn't balance out in any tandem position that was CA legal.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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".
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
That brings up another related question. If the shipper has no scales, are you still illegal between the shipper and scale (and back if necessary to reload)?
Yes. You're illegal when you're overweight, that's it. Even if the shipper has scales they may not be accurate. Cat scales are preferred because they assume responsibility for any errors on their part. I've never seen shipper's scales that offered to accept responsibility. As far as sealed loads go, the BOL should list the weight of the cargo. It will list HazMat too. Checking these are part of a pretrip. If you've just hooked a trailer and you're on the most direct route to the nearest certified scale before heading to your destination I doubt DOT will come looking for you. I've heard of a Hershey's plant that is a bit of a trap but that's rare.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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.
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.
CAT Scale:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
Cat Scales:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
That brings up another related question. If the shipper has no scales, are you still illegal between the shipper and scale (and back if necessary to reload)?
Yes. You're illegal when you're overweight, that's it. Even if the shipper has scales they may not be accurate. Cat scales are preferred because they assume responsibility for any errors on their part. I've never seen shipper's scales that offered to accept responsibility. As far as sealed loads go, the BOL should list the weight of the cargo. It will list HazMat too. Checking these are part of a pretrip. If you've just hooked a trailer and you're on the most direct route to the nearest certified scale before heading to your destination I doubt DOT will come looking for you. I've heard of a Hershey's plant that is a bit of a trap but that's rare.
Thanks. Good to know.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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.
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.
CAT Scale:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
Cat Scales:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
Never break a seal without your company's or customer's permission. A Leo can. Notify your company as soon as you think there is a problem. I pull hazmat and have gotten sealed and unsealed trailers. When you are in the driver's seat it is your butt and CDL on the line. You will always have to use your best judgment. I know of someone who won't pull a hazmat load unless they can visually check it. They will get permission to break seals so they can see it. This can cause long delays. Most big companies can work with their customers on how to load their trailers. Good luck.
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.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
Thanks everyone for the replies.
Yeah... Probably worrying early about low-risk situations. But I do understand that the priorities of those filling the trailer and mine as the person ultimately responsible (once I get there anyway), will not always align. I SO hate being responsible for things which are clearly beyond my control...
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Never break a seal without your company's or customer's permission. A Leo can. Notify your company as soon as you think there is a problem. I pull hazmat and have gotten sealed and unsealed trailers. When you are in the driver's seat it is your butt and CDL on the line. You will always have to use your best judgment. I know of someone who won't pull a hazmat load unless they can visually check it. They will get permission to break seals so they can see it. This can cause long delays. Most big companies can work with their customers on how to load their trailers. Good luck.
This is what I thought, the driver has the right to inspect the load because it is his CDL on the line. Someone untrained on the loading dock could have put items together that should not be on the same load or are loaded improperly.
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.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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Apologies in advance if this has been asked and answered...
Studying for Gen. Knowledge learner's permit...
If driver is responsible for proper securement and weight distribution, placarding (if necessary) having hazmat endorsement if placards are required, etc.... how can one do this when the job is to pickup and haul an already sealed trailer? And if the weights are so bad that they can't be fixed by moving axles, 5th wheel assembly, etc.... or load is top heavy (any way to test that?) how can this possibly be fixed without busting a seal? Is there a process which documents the loading and securement? Is there a process to fix it once the seal goes on?
Thanks!
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations