Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about Badger Federal Services, Inc. or the trucking industry as a whole? See below for the answers to our most frequently asked questions.

Q: How do you determine your weekly fuel surcharge?
A: The most important factor is the average price of fuel as determined by the Department of Energy on a weekly basis.

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Q: Why am I being charged a fuel surcharge? How do you come up with your rate?
A: The most obvious answer is we base our rate on weekly fuel prices. Many factors affect the MPG of a semi-tractor hauling a load of freight. Heavy loads burn more fuel, so do loads through metropolitan areas due to their congested roads. The amount of time spent at a shipper or consignee can affect the MPG if the semi-tractor is idling due to very warm or cold temperatures. The amount of money spent on fuel has increased exponentially over the last few years, and in most cases the fuel surcharge that is assessed to the customer does not come close to covering our increased costs.

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Q: Why does it matter how long a driver sits at my facility?
A: With the Hours of Service regulations, drivers must log all time spent at a facility as on-duty time. In years past, a driver was allowed to go off-duty, however now this is considered on-duty, not driving. A driver has a set limit of hours per week he/she may drive. Any time spent on-duty, not driving is charged against that weekly allotment.

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Q: What are the weight limits for loading a trailer?
A: Depending upon the equipment, the weight limit for a trailer can be roughly between 40,000 and approximately 46,000 gross. Our personal weight limit is 46,000. The key to the weight limit is it may not go over the total gross weight allowed for the roads that will be travelled from origin to destination. Additionally, the weight must be distributed evenly throughout the trailer.

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Q: Can I load a 53' trailer the same way as a 48' trailer?
A: This depends greatly on the type and weight of the product. 53' trailers were designed to allow very light loads that take up more space but weigh less the ability to fit in a trailer and make a good-sized load.  You may not load a heavy load past the 48' mark on a 53' trailer as the weight distribution is off and it becomes an overweight trailer.

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Q: What is the law concerning merging onto a highway from a ramp...should trucks move over for me?
A: A driver entering a roadway from a roadway that is intended for and constructed as a merging roadway shall yield the right-of-way to traffic already upon the roadway and shall adjust their speed to enable them to merge safely with through traffic.  Simply put, a driver merging onto a freeway must yield to traffic upon the freeway. It must be noted that traffic on the freeway cannot intentionally block a driver from merging by either speeding up or slowing down. Please see Wisconsin Regulation 346.18 (4) for details.