Wikipedia:Peer review/Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula/archive1

Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula
This peer review discussion has been closed. I've listed this article for peer review because I need some general feedback on how this article could possibly be expanded, improved, and possibly made more relevant to the average reader.

Thanks, ErgoSum88 (talk) 08:04, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Ruhrfisch comments: An interesting article on a topic I knew nothing about - here are suggestions for improvement: Hope this helps, Ruhrfisch &gt;&lt;&gt; &deg; &deg; 15:51, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Per WP:LEAD the lead should be a summary of the article and not contain anything that is not also in the text.
 * I think a person's weight is concentrated in their footprints (not foootsteps) when standing up.
 * The caption for the first image is not very informative - if I understand it correctly, the shorter truck is damaging the bridge because its weight is more "concentrated" in a smaller area than is the weight of the longer truck. Be explicit and tell people what it means instead of just saying it illustrates a practical application of the formula.
 * Would it also be possible to have some sample calculations in the article - a truck of X pounds and length Y would have this much weight per axle by the formula? I also note that the article does not explicilty say what the limitation is until almost the end (trucks can't weigh more than 80,000 pounds). See WP:PCR and provide context for the reader.
 * Do the same regulations generally apply to state highways?
 * By the WP:MOS, this should also give metric equivalents - see convert for one way of adding them fairly easily.
 * Are there any sort of well-referenced anecdotes that could be used here - a truck breaks a bridge and weighed this much...?
 * The second image talks about the axles in terms of the tractor group and the trailer group, but the article refers to them as the tractor tandem and trailer tandem, which is confusing - see WP:JARGON
 * Illustrations are decent, references seem fine -
 * Ideas for expansion - is there any sort of commentary on the formula (do truckers love or hate it)? when was it established as a federal reg? How do states and smaller groups handle this? What about Canada, Mexico, Europe?


 * Yes, thank you. I've been struggling with trying to figure out what I can add to this article for a long time... I guess it takes a fresh set of eyes to really tell you what needs to be done! These are some great ideas, and I will use them to expand the article. --ErgoSum88 (talk) 23:38, 26 March 2008 (UTC)


 * 1) I have sufficiently summarized the article accoring to the MOS guidelines.
 * 2) Wording has been changed.
 * 3) Wording changed again.
 * 4) I have provided a complete table of calculations.
 * 5) Finding information on state laws is relatively difficult. One thing I do know is that this is a federal regulation, therefore it only applies to interstate commerce. So thats basically what I stated in the article. However, many states use the same formula, and I have yet to find one that doesn't. I just wasn't sure if that would be relevant to the article.
 * 6) Metric conversions have been provided.
 * 7) Added new section about bridge collapses and truck weight effect on bridges.
 * 8) There is a difference between "groups" and "tandems" so the wording was necessary. However, I have provided greater explanation of the difference between the two. Hopefully it is a bit clearer now.
 * 9) I even added a new illustration.
 * 10) Couldn't really find any information about other countries... other than they have a bridge formula and they enforce it. Beyond that, information is sparse. Information about the history is sorta vauge. Some say it was invented in the 40s but wasn't made law until 75, which seems strange to me. I'll try to get to the bottom of this.

So if anybody has any more ideas, let me know! --ErgoSum88 (talk) 09:43, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Glad the suggestions were helpful - on further thought it is about the US federal regulation, so state and other countries regs are not really needed, just interesting for comparison. Ruhrfisch &gt;&lt;&gt; &deg; &deg; 00:24, 9 April 2008 (UTC)