As a professional truck driver, you will encounter weigh stations. The Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, or other transportation officers monitor these stops to ensure that truck weight is not causing damage to America's roadways or other infrastructure, such as bridges. You may regard this obligation as an inconvenience but weigh stations are invaluable in ensuring the safety of everyone on the road, including truck drivers.

Understanding the weigh station rules and procedures can help you to be prepared for what is coming and help prevent a minor inconvenience from turning into a major one.

Commercial vehicles are required to stop at weigh stations (truck scales) found along the highway or interstate. This aims to ensure that regulations are followed, as under most circumstances, trucks cannot weigh more than 80,000 lbs when loaded fully. Some loads can be exempt but only for that specific trip, and it is usually items that can’t be separated into different loads.

The reason weigh stations exist is for safety because heavy trucks are harder to control and more dangerous for the roads and other drivers.  As a result, weigh stations exist to inspect and weigh the truck and ensure that all cargo is transported safely and in accordance with regulations.

What trucks are required to enter a weigh station?

This answer is not as easy as you would think, and the requirements for who must stop at a weigh station vary by state. The rule of thumb is that if the truck is over 10,000 lbs MGVWR, you must enter the scale.  However, some states require trucks less than 10,000 lbs MGVWR to enter the scale.  

Below are the state requirements:

  • Alabama: An officer may require weighing a truck or trailer by portable or stationary scales and can order a truck to scale if within a 5-mile distance.
  • Alaska: Trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs. must stop.
  • Arizona: GVW fees apply for trailers and semitrailers of 10,000 lbs or more; commercial trailers or semitrailers; motor vehicles or vehicle combinations if used or transporting passengers for compensation (excluding school buses or charitable organizations); vehicles transporting hazardous materials; or a hearse, ambulance, or similar vehicle used by a mortician. Additionally, any commodity shipped into the state can be inspected for agricultural pests.
  • Arkansas: Agricultural vehicles, passenger or specialty vehicles of 10,000 lbs or more, and commercial trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs must stop at weight and inspection stations.
  • California: All commercial vehicles must stop for inspection of the size, weight, equipment, and smoke emissions wherever California Highway Patrol is conducting tests and displaying signs.
  • Colorado: Every owner or driver of a vehicle with a GVW rating or gross combination weight rating over 26,000 lbs. needs clearance from an office of the DOR, Colorado State Patrol officer, or port of entry weigh station before using it within the state.
  • Connecticut: All commercial vehicles, regardless of weight, are required to stop.
  • Delaware: The Department of Public Safety secretary may adopt weight regulations and procedures as needed for law enforcement weighing purposes.
  • Florida: Agricultural, motor vehicles, including trailers that are or could be used in the production, manufacture, storage, sale, or transportation of any food product or agricultural, horticultural or livestock product, excepting private passenger automobiles without a trailer, travel trailers, camping trailers, and motor homes must stop; so must commercial vehicles with a GWR over 10,000 lbs, made to transport over 10 passengers, or transporting hazardous materials.
  • Georgia: Agricultural vehicles, passenger or specialty vehicles of 10,000 lbs or more, and commercial trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs must stop at weight and inspection stations.
  • Hawaii: Trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs GVW must stop.
  • Idaho: 10 fixed entry points with 10 roving units are available for weighing.
  • Illinois: Police officers can pull over vehicles suspected of surpassing weight limits.
  • Indiana: Trucks with a GVW of 10,000 lbs or higher must stop.
  • Iowa: Any peace officer with reason to believe the weight of a vehicle and its load is unlawful can stop the driver and submit the vehicle to weighing at a portable or stationary scale or require the vehicle to be driven to the nearest public scales. If the vehicle is overweight, the officer may stop the vehicle until enough of the load is removed to bring the GVW down to an acceptable limit. All vehicles over 10,000 lbs must stop.
  • Kansas: All registered trucks must stop at motor carrier safety and weight inspection stations when directed by signs. Police officers with reasonable belief that a vehicle is exceeding the weight capacity may require the driver to stop for weighing on portable or stationary scales.
  • Kentucky: Agriculture-carrying vehicles and commercial vehicles 10,000 lbs or more must stop.
  • Louisiana: Agricultural vehicles, and passenger or specialty vehicles (single or carrying a trailer) and commercial vehicles of 10,000 lbs or more must stop.
  • Maine: When directed by a police officer or at a designated weigh station, the driver must let the vehicle be waved and allow examination of registration and the carrying load.
  • Maryland: State police maintain 7 weighing and measuring stations with one station on Interstate 95 where agricultural and commercial vehicles over 10,000 lbs must stop, as well as commercial buses carrying over 16 passengers and any hazardous material haulers with placards.
  • Massachusets: Agricultural vehicles, and passenger or specialty vehicles (single or carrying a trailer) and commercial vehicles of 10,000 lbs or more must stop.
  • Michigan: Vehicles with dual rear wheels moving agricultural products, trucks over 10,000 lbs with dual rear wheels and/or towing construction equipment, and all tractor and semi-trailer combination vehicles must stop.
  • Minnesota: Every vehicle with a GVW rating of 10,000 or more must stop.
  • Mississippi: Any vehicle can be weighed to verify the accuracy of registration by the State Tax Commission, tax collectors, highway patrol, or another authorized enforcement officer.
  • Missouri: All commercial trucks with a GVW rating over 18,000 lbs must stop.
  • Montana: Vehicles moving agricultural products and trucks with a GVW rating of 8,000 lbs or greater and new or used RBs being taken to a distributor or dealer must stop.
  • Nebraska: Excepting pickup trucks pulling a recreational trailer, all trucks over 1 ton must stop.
  • Nevada: Agricultural vehicles, and passenger or specialty vehicles (single or carrying a trailer) and commercial vehicles of 10,000 lbs or more must stop.
  • New Hampshire: The driver of every motor vehicle shall stop and submit to a weighing at portable, stationary, or scales within 10 miles of a stopping point upon the request of any law enforcement officer.
  • New Jersey: All vehicles 10,001 lbs or more must stop for weighing.
  • New Mexico: Trucks weighing 26,001 lbs or more must stop.
  • New York: Fixed inspection and weighing stations along with random enforcement through the use of portable units must be followed when directed.
  • North Carolina: The Department of Transportation operates 6 to 13 permanent weighing stations that a law enforcement officer may stop a vehicle at to see if its weight complies with its declared gross weight and weight limits.
  • North Dakota: Excepting recreational vehicles (RVs) used for personal or recreational purposes, all vehicles with a GVW rating of over 10,000 lbs must stop.
  • Ohio: All commercial vehicles exceeding 10,000 lbs (5 tons) must cross scales if they come across open weigh stations.
  • Oklahoma: Any officer of the Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma Tax Commission, or any sheriff can stop any vehicle to weigh it with portable or stationary scales.
  • Oregon: All vehicles or combination of vehicles over 26,000 lbs must stop.
  • Pennsylvania: Agricultural vehicles when using public highways, passenger and specialty vehicles towing large trailers, large RVs, and trucks are subject to inspections and weighing regardless of size.
  • Rhode Island: Trucks with a GVW rating over 10,000 lbs and agricultural vehicles must stop.
  • South Carolina: If there’s a reason to believe the weight of a vehicle and load is unlawful, the law may require the vehicle to stop and submit to weighing at a portable or stationary scale, or drive to the closest public scales. If an officer determines the weight is unlawful, the vehicle may be stopped and unloaded until it the axle weight or gross weight reaches a safe number. The vehicle operator must take care of the unloaded material at his or her own risk. The scaled total weight of the vehicle cannot be closer than 10% to the true gross weight.
  • South Dakota: Agricultural vehicles, trucks, and drive-away operation over 8,000 lbs GVW rating must stop.
  • Tennessee: Weigh stations are placed across the state for checking federal and state restrictions related to size, weight, safety and driver regulations.
  • Texas: All commercial vehicles must stop when directed by a sign or police officer.
  • Utah: Any peace officer with reason to believe the height, weight, or length of a vehicle and its load is unlawful may have the operator stop the vehicle and submit to an inspection, as well as driven to the nearest scales or port-of-entry within 3 miles.
  • Vermont: Any uniformed officer with reason to believe the weight of a vehicle and its load is unlawful may have the operator stop the vehicle for up to an hour for determining the weight. If the vehicle driver does not want to submit to weighing at portable scales, they may have their vehicle weighed at the nearest public scales, unless those are not reasonably nearby.
  • Virginia: Trucks with a registered gross weight exceeding 7,500 lbs must stop.
  • Washington: Agricultural vehicles and trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs must stop.
  • West Virginia: A police officer or motor carrier safety enforcement officer may require the driver of a vehicle or combination of vehicles to stop for weighing at a portable or stationary weighing station or drive to the nearest weighing station if within 2 miles of where the vehicle is stopped.
  • Wisconsin: Trucks over 10,000 lbs in GVW must stop.
  • Wyoming: Trucks are required to stop when instructed by a regulatory sign or police officer, and can be chosen for inspection randomly. All oversize and overweight loads of 150,000 lbs or more must have a permit, or permission to enter the state in order to buy a permit, before entering Wyoming and driving on state roads.

If you’re driving a larger vehicle and think you may need to stop at a weigh station, check the laws in the state(s) you’ll be driving through. Most trucks come with their GVW posted on the side to show you how heavy a load they can handle. If you’re ever unsure, stop at a weigh station anyways to avoid a hefty fine, and gain an idea about what your vehicle can handle.

Tips when entering a Weigh Station

Weigh stations are essential for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure you’re traveling with a safe load.

The Approach

weigh station

You’ll occasionally find signs like the one pictured above when driving along an interstate highway. Once you get within a half- to quarter mile from the station, signs will indicate whether it’s open or closed. When you come to an open weigh station, get in the right lane and in line for the scale. Some weigh stations will also note whether they have PrePass service, which will let you speed the process up significantly if equipped in your truck.

Some states have “Weigh in Motion” scales that weigh your truck on the roadway before the weigh station.  Weigh-in-motion scales will require you to stay in the right-hand lane and follow the electronic signs ahead of the station telling you to exit or pass.

Stay off the cell phone even if you have a “Hands-Free” device.  All your attention needs to be directed towards the weigh and inspection station.  Follow the speed limits set forth at the station.  If you accidentally pass up the entrance to the station, do NOT pull over to the shoulder and back up to the entrance.  You have already incurred a violation by passing the scale.  Keep going and hope that enforcement does not come after you.  It is extremely dangerous to back up on the roadway.

The Scale

Adhere to the speed limit as you drive toward and onto the scale. If you pass over the scale at the correct speed and with a proper load, you’ll be sent on your way in the bypass lane. The scale will give directions as to slowing and stopping. You may be asked to move right over the scale, or you may be asked to stop so they can weigh each axle.  If you are confused upon entering the scale, pull over and park in a designated parking area and come in to the station building and ask for assistance.

The Inspection

After you’ve been weighed, your DOT number will be entered in a computer system to ensure that your log is accurate in case you get inspected later. They’ll also pull your safety rating (no worries here if it’s your first trip), and check your equipment and hours of service, electronic logging device (ELD). If everything checks out, you’ll be on your way shortly. If there are any hiccups, prepare for a bit of a delay. Faulty or missing equipment will lead to a more detailed inspection, while a problem with your ELD can get you pulled off the road for hours until it’s sorted out. (Another reason to ensure that your ELD and equipment are always in good order!)

A good Pre-trip inspection is essential to visit a weigh station successfully!

And that’s it! It’s not so scary if you have everything in order, is driving safely, and cooperate with the weigh station employees; you’ll be on your way through in no time.