Kerry Spot    [ jim geraghty reporting ]
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A couple of readers more familiar with trucks than I suggest that a tractor-trailer can carry 40 tons. That fact is confirmed by the "Kidz Corner" at TheTrucker'sReport.com. (Ah, the endless research tools of the Kerry Spot.)

However, one wonders if one would want to carry more than ten tons of high-grade explosive on one truck on Iraqi roads.

UPDATE: Obviously, one truck could make 40 trips, or 8 trucks could make 5 trips, etc. - but the amount of material and the speed of its disappearance suggests more trucks rather than less. Secondly, Kerry Spot reader Bill wonders if the cubic volume of the cache would exceed the theoretical max weight restrictions of a tractor-trailer. It's not just weight, the stuff has to fit in the truck. So perhaps it was more than 40 trucks. I suspect that at this point, it's just a guessing game.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Kerry Spot reader Ken, a professional truck driver, says "a 5 axle truck (your average semi-trailer combo) can weigh up to 40 tons, but you have to subtract the weight of the truck and trailer to determine the payload, as follows: 40 tons gross - 17 tons tare = 23 tons net.

But Kerry Spot reader Matthew writes, "80K is the legal limit (most states) for the whole vehicle, tractor and trailer. Take off approximatly 35-40k for the tractor weight to get a trailer capacity weight of 40k (for a nice round number). This 80k limit is set at the truck's road wear impact and safety, not the true capacity of the equipment."

Either way, I think it required a whole bunch of trucks.

[Posted 10/26 10:30 AM]