Why do trucks have to stop and get weighed?
Monday, January 25th, 2010I see the truck scales at the side of the freeway all the time, but I’ve never known why it is that trucks have to get weighed. Can somebody fill me in?
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martincpruitt says:
January 25th, 2010
5:29 am
they get a fine if they are over a certain weight because it tears apart the road eventually.
Kevin says:
January 25th, 2010
5:46 am
“Most states collect taxes based on the weight of transported goods. Truck weigh stations are used for these tax purposes as well as to monitor the weight of a truck to ensure that it falls within the safety guidelines that each state has in place for its road system.”
jacobnardi says:
January 25th, 2010
5:50 am
because every truck has a weight limit so it can stop on time, have sufficient time to react etc.
Dr.Know says:
January 25th, 2010
6:20 am
Couple of reasons. Primarily it is for safety. Trailers are rated to carry a certain limit of weight. Above that, and issues arise regarding stability and braking ability. Additionally, they check for how the weight is balanced to make sure it won’t tip over if all the weight is on one side.
The second reason is for the roads. Typically, roads are build to hold a certain amount of weight. They are making sure that the trucks aren’t exceeding that weight which would cause premature damage to the road beds.
Wire1man says:
January 25th, 2010
6:52 am
to see if any illegal aliens are on board
Cosmo says:
January 25th, 2010
6:56 am
The roads are engineered to carry only so much weight in a given area. Trucks can, often do, carry heavier loads but must first purchase overweight permits from all the states the load is going to travel through. This “extra money” is to to go to the general fund to help cover the damage the extra weight subjects the roads and bridges.
Most trucks are registered to carry 80,000 pounds, including the weight of the truck and trailer. This weight must not, only go over 80,000 LBS, but the weight must also be distributed correctly on the axles. The steer (front) axles cannot have more than 12.000 lbs on them and the drive axles (back of the truck) and the trailer axles cannot have more than 32,000 lbs on them. When a truck goes through the weight station, not only is the total of the truck weighed, but also each axle. If the truck weight is under the 80,000 lbs but the weight is not distributed correctly, they truck is fined and allowed to adjust the weight at the weight station’s parking lot until it is a “legal load”. Often times the fine is collected at the weight station before the truck leaves the site. If the truck weight is over the 80,000 lbs limit. the truck is heavily fined and impounded. The truck may not be allowed to move until a “oversize permit” is purchased or another truck is brought in and some of the load is transfered into the other truck.
BTW Mr, No. The scale master cannot tell if the weight has shifted from side to side, only front to back. Nor do they know if it is “top heavey”. Weighing the trucks has nothing to do with the risk of a roll over. This is the responsibilty of the driver and his experence.
Hope this helps
norman.weaver@sbcglobal.net says:
January 25th, 2010
7:28 am
to check their weight–duh!