Abstract: An ultrasonic distance measuring system for monitoring railroad car loads. The system includes an ultrasonic transducer, a pulse generation and detection circuit and a measurement circuit. The transducer produces a transmitted ultrasonic pulse beam to be directed at a load in a railroad car and receives a return pulse beam from the load. The pulse generation and detection circuit is coupled to the transducer and causes the transducer to produce the transmitted pulse beam. A return pulse beam is detected by the pulse generation and detection circuit. The measurement circuit is coupled to the pulse generation and detection circuit and generates a measurement signal representative of the load as a function of the time delay between the transmitted and return pulse beams.