Overweight container drayage on tri-axle chassis

Why weight matters

Road weight limits apply to the whole truck: tractor, chassis, container and cargo. They also apply per axle. A container that is fine for the ocean can still be too heavy for a standard two-axle chassis on the road.

Heavy 20-foot containers are the usual case. A short box packed with dense cargo puts a lot of weight on a small footprint. But 40-foot boxes can be overweight too.

What a tri-axle chassis does

A tri-axle chassis has three axles instead of two. That spreads the load over more tires and more axles, so a heavier container can move while keeping per-axle weight in bounds.

It's the right tool for many heavy boxes. It's not magic. Whether a load can move, and how, depends on the gross weight, how the cargo is placed in the container, and the state and route. That's why we ask for the weight before we quote.

What to tell us

• Cargo weight for each container. The weight on the bill of lading or packing list is a good start.
• Container size: 20', 40', 40' high cube or 45'.
• What the cargo is, so we know if it's dense, loose or liquid.
• Pickup terminal and delivery ZIP.
• Live unload or drop at your dock.

If the weight isn't known yet, say so. We'll plan for the worst case rather than send the wrong chassis.

Why it pays to flag it early

If an overweight box shows up for a standard chassis, the move can stall at the terminal while the right equipment is found. That can cost a day, and with free time running, a day matters. Flagging the weight up front lets us plan the chassis before the box is available.

Where we run tri-axle

We move overweight containers at the Port of Houston, the Port of Oakland and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In Houston, many heavy imports come through Bayport and Barbours Cut. In Oakland, heavy exports are common. See Houston drayage, Oakland drayage and export drayage.

Heavy hazmat cargo, like drums of liquid, needs both. See hazmat drayage.

Same tracking as every other box

A heavy container gets the same handling as any other: last free day tracked, holds checked before dispatch, GPS on the tractor and POD and EIR photos on file the same day.