 Weigh Stations and Ports of entry
Many drivers fresh out of Trucking school may benefit from reviewing this post and feel a little easier about traveling this great big country of ours knowing what will be expected of him/her.
If I have missed any pertinent information please feel free to add to it.
Different states will have different signs for making a driver stop. For example;
Pennsylvania will use flashing yellow lights when the scale is open and they want the trucks to pull in. They also utilize rest areas in addition to permanent scale houses.
In New York they use portable scales and will set up in rest areas. The officers will put out little signs about 1 mile away and another one at the exit ramp of the rest area. No prepass here fellas you better stop or they WILL chase you down.
In Virginia The scales are permanent and have big signs that read open or closed. They are usually open except for Holidays and days they have the scales being calibrated and/or serviced.
In Tennessee the scales have a sign stating if the exit ramp is backed up to this point (there will be a line painted on the exit ramp) then trucks may bypass the scale.
In New Mexico they have a "port of entry" which requires a driver to hold out a New Mexico (I think it is a fuel tax card) tax id card to a camera before proceeding back on the highway.
In Florida they will have "agricultural checkpoints" to question the driver what he is hauling. In the event they are hauling produce they will be inspected further.
In Oregon you (used to anyway do not know if this is still in practice) have to stop at the port of entry and (if you do not have 1 already on your truck) purchase an Oregon (puc?) plate before going on.
Once you pull into a dot scale there will be several different styles of scales as well;
Best and easiest are "rolling scales" where you drive over metal plates in the off ramp lane of the weigh station at around 40 to 45 mph and then follow electric arrows on an overhead sign to either go to the main scale or proceed back to the highway.
The next type scale is a full platform scale that weighs each set of axles and will have hash marks along the sides of the scale so A dot officer may see if the truck is overlength (in regard to bridge law or overall length) with just a glance. Depending upon the scale master they may make you stop completely before pulling on the scale then make you stop again once the truck is completely on the scale before giving you either a verbal command thru the speaker to go on, or pull around back ,or simply a green light to proceed. Many will allow you to drive at 5 mph over the scale and keep moving (so long as the light doesnt flash red).
The last type of scale (at least that I have encountered) is a small platform scale. This type scale is the worst as you must stop each set of axles on the scale and wait for the weigh master to flash the light to proceed to the next set or go on.
Just because your empty doesnt mean you will get a "bypass lane" either (an overflow lane that will direct trucks back to the highway if the scale is backed up). Many times you will put an empty truck on a scale and stop. This is not for your weight so much as it is a chance for the weigh master to type your dot number into their computer and check to see what the companies compliance rating is and wether they have the proper permits filed to operate in that state.
As you can see there are many different ways the states use for getting trucks to stop. If unsure what to do ask a veteran driver in your company, safety personnel, or even ask on the CB. Usually you will get several drivers willing to "clue you in."
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