LoadPath PDH — PE/NICET supplemental PDH (not FHWA/NBIS refresher training).

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Design & Load RatingOnline self-study

Load Rating Fundamentals: LRFR, LFR and ASR per the AASHTO MBE

4 PDH · Course no. BR-101 · Instructor: Michael Craig, PE

About the instructor

Michael Craig, PE is Senior Vice President and Southeast Director at Strinteg Corporation, leading bridge inspection and structural engineering across eight states and Puerto Rico. In 27+ years he has inspected over 4,000 structures and completed 3,000+ load ratings and 160+ load tests. He has managed repair and preservation design for complex bridges, including cable-stayed bridges. He holds PE licenses in twelve states, DC and Puerto Rico, SPRAT Level 1, and FAA Part 107 credentials.

A practical walk-through of bridge load rating under the AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation. We build the rating factor equation from the ground up, apply it with design, legal and permit vehicles, and work through the posting decisions an owner actually has to make — using worked examples from real rating practice rather than a reprinted manual.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the general rating factor equation and each term in it
  • Compare LRFR, LFR and ASR and know when each is used
  • Apply design, legal and permit live loads in a rating
  • Turn rating results into a defensible posting recommendation
  • Recognize the PE responsibility for load ratings under 23 CFR 650.309(d)

Outline

  1. Why we load rate: inventory, operating and the owner's decisions
  2. The rating factor equation: capacity, dead load, live load and factors
  3. LRFR vs. LFR vs. ASR
  4. Live loads: design, legal and permit vehicles
  5. Posting decisions and documentation
  6. Worked example and quiz (70% to pass, unlimited retakes)