Van Trailer Weight Distribution: 7 Tips to Avoid Overweight Citations

Proper weight distribution on a van trailer or reefer means balancing the load so the steer, drive, and trailer axle groups remain within legal weight limits. Drivers can reduce the risk of overweight citations by knowing their equipment weight, planning for freight and fuel, weighing the loaded truck, and adjusting the fifth wheel or trailer tandems when necessary.

Regardless of what you’re hauling in the back of your van trailer, you need to know how much it weighs. Can you receive a citation for hauling horrendously ugly clothing or decorations? Probably not. But can you get a citation for being overweight? Absolutely. 

And I can guarantee you that if you’re pulled over and caught being over legal weight limits, you’re not going to get off with a slap on the wrist. You’re definitely going to be getting fined. Why? Hauling overweight cargo can damage the roads (More on that below).

Despite all the tools you have as a truck driver, drivers still receive these overweight citations every day. That’s why I’m going to give you some easy tips to help you adjust your trailer so that you don’t ever have to get hit with a hefty fine for hauling an overweight load. 

Before I began working as a safety manager at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), I was a truck driver for more than a decade. I’ll help you understand the tips and tricks I followed to succeed out on the road and the tips and tricks that I teach ATS drivers every week. 

Why Are There Weight Limits on Van Trailers and Reefers? 

Until you became a truck driver, you probably never thought about the weight of your vehicle. Unless you’re going over a bridge, the roads should be sturdy enough to support however much weight you’re hauling, right? 

Wrong. 

Our roadways can only handle so much. When vehicles exceeding those limits pass over those same roadways, they can compromise the structure of the road and do some serious damage. Bridges and overpasses are especially susceptible to damage because they have weaker spots in their structure. Vehicle weight should not exceed the weight of the weakest point of the roadway. 

What Are the Common Legal Truck and Axle Weight Limits?

Every state has its own little intricacies and rules, but for the most part, commercial motor vehicles are allowed a maximum legal weight of 80,000 pounds, with 12,000 pounds on the steer tires, 34,000 pounds on the drive tires and 34,000 pounds on the trailer, if you have a standard tandem trailer. Your entire vehicle can be overweight, but your trailer can also be overweight on axle groups. 

Because you have the potential to significantly damage roadways if you’re overweight, the Department of Transportation (DOT) takes infractions of this rule seriously. Weight-related violations can be costly. If you’re involved in an accident and you’re extremely overweight, you can see big consequences. 

What Happens If Your Truck or Trailer Is Overweight?

If you’re hit with a violation, you could possibly be required to stay at that weigh station until you can get your load to a proper weight. That may mean having pallets removed from your trailer to lower the weight, or it could mean adjusting your trailer, using the tips below, to redistribute the weight. 

Either way, you may need to shut down or find a facility to reposition and legalize your load, and we all know shutting down means you’re losing money. If you can’t simply redistribute the weight on your trailer, you’ll have to have someone come to assist you. That means more time and more money. 

Someone will have to drive to you with a trailer and the equipment required to get freight from your trailer to theirs. The cost of this service may fall to you or your company depending on what kind of company you drive for and what type of driver you are. 

Can You Get an Overweight Permit for a Van Load?

In the flatbed world, drivers can get overweight permits because, at times, a single piece of freight the drivers are hauling is overweight. The same permits can’t be arranged for a van load because you can reduce the weight of the load by removing pieces, pallets, or boxes from the load. Therefore, your load is reducible, and freight can be removed until you’re legal. No special permits are needed for you!

7 Tips for Van and Reefer Weight Distribution

These general tips will help you troubleshoot and adjust your truck and trailer if you happen to be overweight at a scale. 

1. Know What the Tractor and Trailer Weigh

Knowing the empty weight of your tractor and trailer helps you determine how much freight and fuel you can legally carry.

For the most part, knowing what your tractor and trailer weigh shouldn’t be too big of a deal for you as a van driver because the trailers don’t vary much like they do as a flatbed driver. 

However, if you’re a dry van driver versus a reefer driver, you’ll encounter some significant weight differences. The trailer has to be insulated, and the refrigeration equipment carries some weight to it, too. 

It’s a good idea to know what you weigh at all times — loaded or otherwise.

2. Plan Ahead for the Load and Fuel 

Planning for freight and fuel weight before pickup can help prevent an overweight truck later in the trip.

As a truck driver, you should always be planning ahead. Just like you should always know what your tractor and trailer weigh, you should always know how much your next load weighs. Then, you’ll know exactly how much fuel you can have in your tank and still be legal. 

Great drivers will determine how much their next load weighs and plan out how many gallons of fuel they can legally hold and where they can get it. They’ll also plan where they can fuel as they haul the load to ensure they continue to stay legal. 

3. Know Where the Center for Weight Distribution Is

To redistribute trailer weight, you first need to understand the load’s center point and how the fifth wheel or tandems affect it.

If you need to redistribute your weight, you have to know where your center point is first. Think of your trailer like a seesaw. You have a lighter person on one side and a heavier person on the other. Where does the fulcrum need to be to make it balanced? 

Balancing the weight on your trailer uses the same principle. When you adjust your fifth wheel or tandem, you’re adjusting the fulcrum or changing the center for weight distribution. You’re shifting the weight of your cargo forward or backward without ever physically touching the cargo. 

You can’t always see how the trailer is loaded, but if you can, take advantage of it. This will give you the opportunity to see if the loading pattern is set up for success or if you’ll need to make adjustments. This also gives you the opportunity to make sure the load is secure. Failing to secure the load can cause damage to the product and can be dangerous for anyone who has to open the doors of the trailer. 

4. Adjust the Fifth Wheel 

What is the fifth wheel? The fifth wheel is the coupling that connects the tractor to the trailer. Adjusting its position changes how weight is distributed between the steer and drive axles.

Adjusting the placement of your fifth wheel allows you to shift and redistribute the weight of your cargo. Sliding the fifth wheel one way or the other will either move the weight forward to the steer tires or move it back toward the drive tires. For instance, if you have more than 12,000 pounds on your steer tires, which would make you overweight, you can slide the fifth wheel backward and remove weight from the steer tires, therefore shifting weight onto the drive tires. 

However, when adjusting your fifth wheel, you need to keep the Bridge Formula in mind. The Bridge Formula dictates how far the kingpin can be from the center of the suspension or the center of the rearmost axle. It was introduced in 1975 to limit the weight-to-length ratio of vehicles crossing bridges. You particularly have to pay attention to this in states like Florida and California and states on the East Coast. 

Not all trucks can adjust the fifth wheel. Some carriers have them bolted in place, in which case drivers can slide their tandems instead.

5. Slide the Trailer Tandems 

What are trailer tandems? Trailer tandems are the rear axle assembly that can slide forward or backward to redistribute weight between the trailer axles and the tractor’s drive axles.

Just like you can adjust your fifth wheel, you can also slide your tandems to redistribute weight. 

When you slide the trailer tandems forward, you take weight off the drive axles and put more weight on the trailer. If you do the opposite and slide the trailer tandems toward the rear of the trailer, you put more weight onto the drive axles.

6. Weigh the Truck and Trailer at a Scale 

A truck scale provides the clearest way to check the gross vehicle weight and the weight carried by each axle group.

As a van driver, you don’t touch the cargo like a flatbed driver would. You back up, the customer loads you, they tell you you’re done, you pull away, you close the doors and then put the seal on. 

Once you do that, your next step should be to find the nearest scale — often at a truck stop — to check the weight of your truck and trailer. This is one of the best ways to ensure you’re not overweight. 

It’s far better and easier to find out you’re overweight near a shipper and then turn around and go back to the shipper to have the cargo adjusted than it is to get caught being overweight at a DOT scale. There’s really no excuse for being overweight, ever, so most officers won’t give you a break at a weigh station if you’re in violation. 

7. Use Air Scales to Estimate the Load Weight

Air scales can provide a useful estimate of axle weight, but drivers may still need to confirm the loaded vehicle at a truck scale.

Some trucks, but not all, are equipped with air scales. Historically, they’ve been an expensive tool, which is why not every carrier has them on their trucks. However, we’re seeing prices coming down on them, making them more available. Drivers who are insistent on having an air scale should look to work for a larger carrier where the technology is more common. 

With air scales, there’s a pressure gauge on your trailer which utilizes the suspension of your airbags to tell you how much pressure is being applied to the drive tires. They provide a rough estimate of how much the load weighs so you can determine if you’re overweight.

Many drivers heavily rely on these air scales and some even use them instead of going to a scale at a truck stop. 

There are some in-cab versions of air scales, too. Technology is developing rapidly. Many air scales can pair with an app on your phone now so you don’t even need to leave the cab.

Common Van Trailer Weight Distribution Mistakes

Many overweight load problems can be prevented before a driver reaches a DOT scale. Common mistakes include:

• Not knowing the empty weight of the tractor and trailer.
• Failing to account for the weight of fuel.
• Assuming a dry van and reefer trailer weigh the same.
• Leaving the shipper without weighing the loaded vehicle.
• Looking only at total vehicle weight instead of individual axle groups.
• Relying only on an air-scale estimate when a truck scale is available.
• Waiting until a DOT weigh station to identify an overweight axle.

Van and Reefer Weight Distribution Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions About Van Trailer Weight Distribution

What is proper weight distribution on a van trailer?

Proper weight distribution means balancing the load so the steer, drive, and trailer axle groups remain within applicable legal limits. A truck can be under the total weight limit and still be overweight on an individual axle group.

How do drivers know if a van trailer is overweight?

Drivers can weigh the loaded tractor and trailer at a truck scale and review the weight shown for the steer, drive, and trailer axle groups. Air scales may provide an estimate, but a truck scale provides a clearer check of the loaded vehicle.

What happens when you slide trailer tandems forward?

Sliding the trailer tandems forward takes weight off the tractor’s drive axles and places more weight on the trailer axles.

What happens when you slide trailer tandems backward?

Sliding the trailer tandems toward the rear of the trailer takes weight off the trailer axles and places more weight on the tractor’s drive axles.

How does moving the fifth wheel affect axle weight?

Sliding the fifth wheel changes the amount of weight carried by the steer and drive axles. Moving it backward can remove weight from an overweight steer axle and shift that weight toward the drive axles.

Can a driver get an overweight permit for a dry van load?

Van freight is generally reducible because pallets, boxes, or other pieces can be removed until the load reaches a legal weight. This is different from some flatbed loads involving a single overweight piece.

What should a driver do if equipment adjustments do not legalize the load?

If adjusting the fifth wheel or trailer tandems does not correct the axle weights, the driver may need to return to the shipper so the freight can be repositioned or removed.

Avoid Overweight Citations and Fines

There’s a reason commercial motor vehicles have weight restrictions. The restrictions are in place to prevent damage to roadways.

With a few simple practices in place, ensure you never receive a citation for hauling a load that’s overweight. Know how much your tractor and trailer weigh before you arrive at the shipper, check your weight using air scales or a nearby scale, and adjust your fifth wheel or tandems as needed.

Failing to follow regulations can result in hefty fines and a lot of time lost. No one ever wants to get a citation or fine, but if you find yourself with one, here’s an article that explains what you can expect after receiving a citation as a truck driver.  

If you’re looking for more weight distribution tips, check out our article on weight distribution on a flatbed trailer.