If you're newly employed as a truck driver you'll need to know how a transportation weigh station works.  You must fully understand the purpose of entering the weigh station.  Truck drivers not only have the responsibility of driving safe on the road, they also take on the added task of required visits to various transportation weigh stations along the way.

Truck Weigh Stations Are Used As A Checkpoint

A weigh station is a checkpoint along the highway to inspect the weight and safety of trucks and commercial vehicles, such as with scales from Accurate/Western Scale Co Ltd.  If you're carrying a load that is over the weight limit for that particular state (each state sets its own guidelines), you will need to pay a fuel tax.  Before traveling, you should research the weight limits for the state you are traveling through.  Drivers must keep a record of the date, amount of gallons purchased, and the total price paid for the fuel.  The driver will then provide this information to the trucking company.  It is now the responsibility of the company to file this information with their taxes.  This will ensure they are paying the mandated fuel tax.  Certain states require a permit if the gross weight of the vehicle, with its load, is greater than 80,000 pounds.  The driver must be able to present the permit to the weigh station.  If a permit hasn't been purchased, the load would be subject to fees.  Weigh stations are also used for random safety checks.  This helps to ensure the safety of all drivers on the highway.  The station will be looking for properly secured loads or anything they can visibly see as a possible hazard.

Weigh-In-Motion Technology Saves You Time

Some weigh stations are currently equipped with this amazing weigh-in-motion technology.  This saves truck drivers a lot of time when traveling to their destination.  Truck drivers can often be on a tight schedule and welcome this extra time.  This technology allows truck drivers to sometimes bypass the weigh station all together.  Here's how it works.  First off, truckers that use this technology will be provided with a transponder (similar to those used for tolls).  Approximately a mile before the weigh station, there is a built-in weigh scale provided in the right hand lane.  The truck driver must pull over into the right lane and drive slowly until reaching the weigh station.  The transponder provides feedback to the weigh station and the driver will either receive a green light or a red light.  This lets them know whether they have the green light to pass by or the red light indicating they need to pull into the weigh station.  

Following the proper weigh station procedures is necessary for the safety of all vehicles on the road.