Trucking and Logistics

Tools in this group

• Dimensional Weight (DIM) - DIM and billable weight from L*W*H and carrier divisor.
• Freight Density and NMFC Class - Density (lb/ft^3) and NMFTA density-class bracket from handling unit.
• Pallet Cube and Trailer Loadout - Pallets per trailer by floor area and weight, cube fill, cube-out vs weigh-out.
• Hours of Service Math - FMCSA 49 CFR 395 drive time, 14-hour window, 70/8 cap, and 30-min break.
• Federal Bridge Formula and Axle Weights - Per-axle, tandem, and bridge-formula limits from axle weights and spacings.
• Bridge Formula Minimum Axle Spread - The Federal Bridge Formula solved for the minimum outer-to-outer axle spread that legally carries a target group weight: L = ((W/500) - 12 N - 36)(N-1)/N. A 5-axle group at 80,000 lb needs at least 51.2 ft; a 2-axle group at 34,000 lb needs 4 ft. If the spread comes out zero the axles already satisfy the formula bunched together. The 20,000 lb single / 34,000 lb tandem / 80,000 lb interstate caps apply independently, and over 80,000 lb needs a permit. The state DOT governs.
• Reefer Fuel Burn and Run Time - Estimated run time and fuel burned from manufacturer GPH benchmarks.
• Incoterms 2020 Decoder - Plain-English summary of who pays freight, who carries risk, and who clears customs.
• Stopping Sight Distance (AASHTO) - AASHTO Green Book SSD = perception-reaction + braking distance from speed, friction, and grade. State DOT design tables round these numbers.
• Cargo Securement Working-Load-Limit Check - Aggregate WLL vs. the half-cargo-weight requirement, pass/fail, and the minimum tiedown count for the article length. Per FMCSA 49 CFR 393.100-393.136; WLLs user-supplied from the marked hardware.
• IFTA Per-Jurisdiction Fuel Tax - Taxable gallons (miles / fleet MPG), net tax due or credit for a jurisdiction, and consumption vs. tax paid at the pump. Per the IFTA Articles of Agreement; rates user-supplied. Run per jurisdiction and sum the net column.
• Operating Cost Per Mile - Fixed, fuel, maintenance, and driver cost per mile plus the total and break-even rate per mile from monthly fixed costs, fuel price/economy, and per-mile variable costs.
• Deadhead Percentage and Effective Rate - Deadhead percentage, rate per loaded mile, rate per total mile, and the effective loaded rate after absorbing empty miles from loaded/deadhead miles and linehaul revenue.
• Axle-Load Tandem Slide - Over/under per axle group, weight shift per slider hole (lever-arm), holes to slide and direction, and projected drive/trailer weights to bring a tandem under the legal cap.
• Static Rollover Threshold - The static rollover threshold (static stability factor): the steady lateral acceleration, in g, that lifts a truck's inside wheels, SRT = half-track / CG-height, plus the steady-curve rollover speed sqrt(SRT x g x R). A 72 in track over an 80 in loaded CG is 0.45 g -- on a 200 ft ramp that impends near 37 mph; a low 96 in-track flatbed with a 60 in CG runs 0.80 g, far more stable, while a tanker or high-cube sits lower. A STATIC screen: suspension roll, tire slip, and load shift lower the real threshold, so slow well below this on ramps and curves. The loaded CG height and the truck govern; not a substitute for driving to conditions.
• Detention Billing and Opportunity Cost - Chargeable hours = max(0, actual - free), charge = hours x rate, opportunity cost = hours x on-road revenue/hr. 2 hr free, 5 hr actual, $50/hr, $80/hr truck -> 3 hr, $150 billed, $240 lost (the charge does not cover it). Within free time, nothing bills. The carrier tariff and rate confirmation govern.
• Driver Pay: Cents-per-Mile vs Percentage - CPM pay = rate x miles, percentage pay = percent x linehaul, break-even = CPM/(percent) per mile. $0.60/mi or 25%, 1000 mi, $2,500 -> $600 vs $625 (percentage wins above $2.40/mi); a $1,800 load favors CPM ($600 vs $450). The pay plan and accessorials govern.
• Invoice Factoring Cost and Effective APR - Advance = invoice x advance%, fee = invoice x fee%, reserve = the rest, effective APR = (fee%/advance%) x (365/days). $2,000, 90% advance, 3% fee, 30 days -> $1,800 now, $140 reserve, 40.6% APR; paid in 15 days it annualizes to 81.1%. The factoring agreement governs.
• Trailer Tongue Weight and Sway Check - The number that decides whether a trailer tows straight or fishtails, which the gross- and axle-weight tiles never check: tongue% = tongue / gross x 100, against the 10-15% conventional and 15-25% gooseneck/fifth-wheel bands. A 7,000 lb trailer with a 700 lb tongue is at 10.0% (in band, 700-1,050 lb target); shift the load back to a 490 lb tongue (7.0%) and it drops below the floor - the trailer-sway risk the tile flags, fixed by moving cargo forward of the axle. Too much tongue overloads the hitch and unloads the steer axle. A setup screen; the manufacturer ratings and a scale govern.
• Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Consumption and Range - Why a DEF tank spans several fuel fills, and never runs it dry: DEF is metered into the SCR aftertreatment at only about 2-3% of diesel, so def_used = diesel x dose/100 and a full DEF tank covers diesel = def_tank / (dose/100). A 13 gal DEF tank at a 2.5% dose covers 520 gal of diesel = 3,380 mi at 6.5 mpg on one fill (200 gal of diesel burns just 5 gal of DEF); a hard-pulling 3.0% dose shortens it to 433 gal = 2,817 mi. Plan DEF per fuel stop and you haul jugs you do not need or run it dry -- and empty DEF forces an ECU derate to ~5 mph limp-home until refilled. DEF freezes at ~12 F. A planning estimate; the OEM and DEF quality govern.
• Per-Load Net Profit - Net profit and profit per loaded mile for one specific load -- revenue minus the fuel, variable, fixed, toll, and accessorial costs of these loaded-plus-deadhead miles, with the all-in break-even per mile.
• Fuel Surcharge per Mile - Fuel surcharge per mile and per load by the standard pegged-base method: the diesel price above a pegged base divided by an assumed MPG. Zero below the peg.
• Maintenance Reserve per Mile - The cents per mile to set aside for tires, routine PM, and a major-component reserve so the bills are funded when they land, with the monthly set-aside. Feeds the variable cost in cost-per-mile.
• Gross Combination Weight Check - Whether a tractor-trailer is within its weight limits: the combined power-unit plus trailer weight checked against both the manufacturer's rated GCWR and the federal 80,000 lb gross cap (editable), reporting each margin and the binding limit. Axle and bridge-formula limits are separate checks; a permit or the AHJ governs an over-limit move.
• Tire Load-Rating Check (per Axle) - Whether an axle is within its tire load rating: the axle scale weight checked against the tires on the axle times the marked max load per tire, reporting capacity, utilization percent, and any overload. Use the sidewall's single rating on a steer axle and the dual rating in a dual position; the marking and the AHJ govern.
• Max Design Speed from Sight Distance - The inverse of the stopping-sight-distance tile: the fastest safe design speed given the available sight distance, the positive root of v^2/(30(f+g)) + 1.47 x t x v - SSD = 0 (AASHTO Green Book). With 490 ft of sight distance on dry level pavement (f 0.35, t 2.5 s) the max is 55 mph; a -6% downhill drops it to 51 mph. Sets a curve/crest advisory speed or checks a design speed against the sight line, instead of the distance for one speed. A design aid; the AASHTO Green Book and the state DOT govern.
• Low-Speed Off-Tracking (Swept Path) - How far a turning truck's rear axle tracks inside the front axle's path: OT = R - sqrt(R^2 - sum(L^2)), R the turn radius and L each unit's wheelbase (tractor wheelbase + trailer kingpin-to-axle, summed in quadrature). A single unit with a 20 ft wheelbase on a 50 ft radius off-tracks 4.2 ft. The low-speed check for whether a rig holds its lane on a turn or intersection. High-speed off-tracking (rear swings out) and swept-path width are separate; the design vehicle and agency govern.