Federal heavy vehicle use tax (heavy haul tax) form 2290

I did some math in my head, and I believe that it was under the limit, yes.

So, say, my rear axle would weigh 40,000 lbs at a scale, as an example. If so, how much the fine would be in the area that you are familiar with?

I believe that the rear axle was 8k from the trailer, plus 15k from the shear, plus 8 or so K from the other stuff.

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The last fine I paid for being heavy was in VA with a straight job that was 3,200 over on the rear. There was a total of three different fines, The Federal DOT combed the books and wanted $145.00 for a minor log problem (forgot to change the status when I finally left the dock at

04:30) The state hit me with a $175.00 fine for the weight. (seems like it was .055 cents a pound or something like that) plus court costs and surcharge, Total was something like $288.00. So for the OOPS, I got to pay about $450.00.

If you want to be VERY sure get a set of portable scales OR do like one of the guys I ran with did. He had an outfit work over his rig and trailer so he could tell you within 1-2 pounds just how it was loaded right from the cab! Slick set-up and I don't think it cost all that much.

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Generally, the following holds for interstate-class highways is consistent w/ the below; local roads and highways are generally lower.

1. Axle Weight: Allowable gross weight on a single or set of axles is regulated by individual states. States typically allow 34,000 lbs per tandem axle and 20,000 lbs per single axle. Please refer to the American Trucking Association's "Summary of Size and Weight Limits". Note : Over

50% of all U.S. citations issued are for axle weight violations, usually the result of uneven distribution of the load inside the container.

I _believe_ the base overload fine rates in OK/TX start at $10/1000-lb over the permitted weight. It's particularly onerous in TX as noted because of their specific rule that the above is computed for every county which the vehicle has passed through; not only on the one in which the infraction was found. It can add up pretty quickly... :(

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You may well have been under - I wouldn't try running the "Guesser Booth" at the County Fair, but it looked a little iffy.

BUT unless you have a load cell or a pressure gauge on the fork cylinder on the forklift you used to load the equipment (*) or you went through the scales where you loaded it and made sure, you really don't know either.

• We all know you can take the pressure on the lift cylinder and do a little prestidigitation with the face area of the piston and any mechanical advantage in the mast rigging (most have a 2:1 chain & sheave on the lift cylinder for a two-stage), add in a little Fudge Factor for friction, and you can calculate the weight on the forks.

Or you pick up a calibrated 2,000 pound weight and measure the pressure difference from empty. Then pick up two and three, and make sure it's linear.

Rule: The manufacturer's published weight for a piece of gear can be a total guess - it doesn't take much of a flub at the foundry to make the sand mold a little deeper, and the shear or press castings end up a whole lot heavier than the specs. A Scale is the final word.

Don't "think", know. Illinois DOT should have a brochure or a section in the Vehicle Code (buy the Paperback) that spells it out precisely. And I'll bet there's several "Truckers Bible" cheat-sheets out there that condense the laws of all 50 states down to a chart.

The "Self-Weighing" rig is either hooked to a pressure sender in the air-suspension bags, or (supposing here) they could put a load-cell at one end of the spring shackle on a conventionally sprung trailer.

Either way, you know to within ~100 pounds, and if it's getting close and you cant shuffle things around to make it better, you go through a Certified Scale and find out for sure.

And you save the weigh slip in case the Highway Patrol miraculously finds that it's over - They can stick their thumb on the scales too. That's the time you insist they escort you to another set of permanent scales and do it again.

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