The cargo's weight, bulk, and shape, the condition of the road, the
terrain features, and the weather all affect payload as follows:
Weight.
With dense cargo like ammunition, the vehicle's
weight limit is reached before the cargo space is filled. The
weight of most military cargo is stenciled on the package.
The total pounds of the shipment equal the sum of the
individual package weights.
Sometimes the weight is not
stenciled on the package. In this case, use scales to weigh
the cargo. If scales are not available, then the driver must
estimate the cargo weight.
When there is doubt about the
vehicle's ability to transport a particular load safely, the
driver's estimate should govern. He is the expert, regardless
of his grade.
Bulk. The truck will be completely filled with cargo such as
pillows or clothing before the payload capacity shown on the
vehicle's data plate is reached.
Shape.
Cargo comes in many shapes; some cargo is square,
rectangular, or round. All are transported by motor vehicles
at one time or another.
Even simple rectangular cargo,
arranged on standard 40-by 48-inch pallets, can present a
loading problem. To show this, see how the beds of two 2 1/2-
ton cargo trucks differ depending on whether they have wheel
wells (see Figure 4-2). Obviously, you would not load pallets
on a truck with wheels or fender wells if you had a choice.
However, it can be done if you build a platform between the
well coverings.
You can also load loose material on the
smaller cargo bed without much interference from the wheel
wells.
Road conditions.
In some cases, the payload capacity of a
vehicle can be too high for existing roads. A poorly surfaced
highway or unimproved road net may not permit you to carry
maximum capacity loads.
The nature of the road and the
terrain affect the payload.
They also affect the kind of
commodity that can be transported, and the amount of blocking
and bracing needed to secure the load.
Terrain features. Terrain also affects cargo capacity. A 2
1/2-ton cargo truck is rated for a 10,000-pound (4,536-
kilogram) load on highways.
But if that highway is a
twisting, torturous road in a mountainous area, you must
reduce loads. On the other hand, if a cross-country operation
is conducted on a hard, dry, salt flat, you can exceed the
normal cross-country load capacity.
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TR1009
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