Came across another ROOTR…
You read right. It’s a ROOTR (as in Roto). We all have them and maybe as cyclists we tend to think about them a little more than others.
You know how your mind can wander like the long road ahead. So a ROOTR is a Random Observation On The Road. Sometimes… it jumps out at you. Sometimes… it may take multiple rides on that route to notice.
On this particular ride, I approached a small bridge on a back road in Wake County and I came across one of those ROOTR(s).
It was a sign that immediately had me questioning: How can a Truck, Tractor, Semitrailer cross the bridge weighing as much as 31 Tons but a Singe Vehicle can only weigh as much as 21 Tons?
Two words: Weight Limit.
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I wanna guess that its the way the weight is spread out. Since a tractor trailer is long the weight is distributed more.
If I were wanting to make a joke I would say something like it just depends on which vehicle your mom is riding in, but since I don’t want to make a joke about your mom, I’ll save it for someone else.
MIKE- Yes, I’m thinking the same. If it were a larger span I believe it would be a single yet lower weight limit.
When I lived in Germany, I noticed that almost all bridges are marked with the weight limits for tanks crossing them – one at a time or in each direction.
Like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iandavid/2665278084/
Just seemed kinda spooky that the whole country had been designed to be overrun with tanks.
ps: I was a tank mechanic in the US Army at the time 
ARLYN– Yes, I remember seeing those while traveling around Germany. I thought the same thing… like is our car going to be crushed by some tank coming around the corner?
Tank Mechanic? You must be able to handle any mechanical needs for the bike.
Of course, the end of the Cold War and beginning of World War III was going to be heralded in a gigantic tank battle in the Fulda Gap. So far, so good. Of course, the NATO tanks would be zipping along roads, whereas the Warsaw Pact ones would be coming along the roads I cycled in the former East Germany. They were basically two concrete strips, with endless expansion joints. Considering how I felt on my bike, I figured those Eastern tank commanders would have their brains scrambled by the time they got to the frontier.
SPROCKETBOY– Why does this kind of “Wiki” response not surprise me? It’s awesome… more… more knowledge please.
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Probably because a tractor trailer distributes the weight over a larger area than a the single vehicle.