Uturn2001
02-06-2006, 06:49 AM
While commonly and collectively known as Bridge Law these are actually two slightly different sets of regulations used by states to determine how far to the rear you need to have your trailer tandems set.
Some states use the Bridge law which, in short, says that the heavier you are the farther rearward your tandems need to be. The exact forumla can be found in the front section of a Motor Carriers Atlas. This formula was developed to help limit the stresses on any given section of a bridge.
Kingpin Setting law are used by other states. What this means is that there is a maximum length that you can have your trailer tandems slid to as measured from the king pin to the trailer axels. It should be noted here that states have differnt ways of measuring this. Some go to the center of the front trailer axel, some to the center of the tandem assembly and others to the rear of the last axel. Once again the information of how a state measures the king pin settings can be found in the front of your Motor Carrier Atlas. It should also be noted that in some states, such as IL, these settings are only valid if you travel off the National Network (Interstate and US Routes) so you need to carefully read the information provided in various sections dealing with weight and length laws.
Some states use the Bridge law which, in short, says that the heavier you are the farther rearward your tandems need to be. The exact forumla can be found in the front section of a Motor Carriers Atlas. This formula was developed to help limit the stresses on any given section of a bridge.
Kingpin Setting law are used by other states. What this means is that there is a maximum length that you can have your trailer tandems slid to as measured from the king pin to the trailer axels. It should be noted here that states have differnt ways of measuring this. Some go to the center of the front trailer axel, some to the center of the tandem assembly and others to the rear of the last axel. Once again the information of how a state measures the king pin settings can be found in the front of your Motor Carrier Atlas. It should also be noted that in some states, such as IL, these settings are only valid if you travel off the National Network (Interstate and US Routes) so you need to carefully read the information provided in various sections dealing with weight and length laws.