Steel Coils at Shuwaikh Port
At Shuwaikh Port you are assigned a 6x4 tractor with a tri-axle semi-trailer, plated gross combination mass 44,000 kg and tare 15,800 kg. The shipper loads six steel coils, total manifest payload 31,000 kg, both rows hard against the trailer headboard. The port weighbridge shows: steer axle 7,200 kg (rating 7,500 kg), drive axle 19,600 kg (rating 19,000 kg), trailer axles 20,000 kg (rating 24,000 kg). The gross weight is therefore 46,800 kg. The delivery slot in Shuaiba closes in two hours. The shipper's loader says the coils cannot be moved because the securing chains are already tensioned. Your company requires a weighbridge ticket before departure and prohibits moving an overloaded vehicle. You have a copy of the load plan and a phone.
1. Which weight limits are exceeded, and why is the gross combination mass problem not solved by the trailer axles being under their rating?
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Two limits are already breached. The drive axle is 19,600 kg against a 19,000 kg rating, so it is 600 kg over. The gross combination mass is 46,800 kg against a plated 44,000 kg, so it is 2,800 kg over. The trailer axles are 20,000 kg against 24,000 kg, leaving 4,000 kg of spare capacity, but that spare capacity does not cancel the total-weight breach. Gross combination mass governs braking performance, tyre and brake heat, bridge and pavement loading, and the vehicle's legal authority to be on the road. Moving load rearward can reduce the drive-axle figure, but it cannot reduce the total unless payload is removed or a permit/approved configuration is obtained. The correct starting point is therefore: stop the vehicle, treat both the axle overload and the gross overload as separate defects, and do not accept the loader's claim that the chains cannot be touched as a reason to depart.
2. What sequence of actions should you take before the vehicle leaves the port, including load redistribution and paperwork?
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First, refuse departure and inform the shipper and your dispatcher in writing or by a recorded call. Second, have the loader release and reposition the coils so that weight is distributed within every axle rating; because the trailer has spare capacity, moving load rearward may correct the drive axle, but at least 2,800 kg must still be removed from the vehicle to bring the gross combination mass to 44,000 kg or below. Third, reweigh the vehicle after redistribution and obtain a new weighbridge ticket showing steer, drive, trailer and gross figures. Fourth, check that the coils are re-secured with adequate chains or straps, that the headboard is not damaged, and that the load plan matches the new arrangement. Fifth, update the delivery paperwork and keep the original and revised tickets. If the shipper cannot reduce or redistribute the load safely, the vehicle stays put and your company must arrange a second vehicle or a later collection.
3. The shipper offers to sign a note accepting responsibility for the overload. Does that make the trip acceptable? Explain.
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No. A private note from the shipper does not transfer the driver's and operator's responsibility for using a roadworthy, legally loaded vehicle. It would not protect you if the vehicle brakes poorly, damages a bridge, or is stopped at a checkpoint, and it may not satisfy the insurer after a collision. The overload is a foreseeable safety and legal risk that you are in a position to prevent. Accept the note only as evidence of the shipper's instruction, not as permission. Record the refusal, photograph the weighbridge ticket, notify your dispatcher, and ask for a compliant load or replacement vehicle. If pressured, state clearly that you will not move until the vehicle is within its plated and axle limits.