To weigh or not to weigh

johninmn

Member
So I have a f250 and a 12k trailer. I know the truck is under 10k GVWR but being that the trailer is over am I required to pull in to the highway weigh station? I wont even be close to being overweight but I already know what the fine for running the scale is and do not want to pay it again.
Thanks
 
as long as your hauling your own stuff, and the total weight is not over the trucks tow rating, this means the truck, everything in and on it, the trailer, and everything on it,and the trailer tounge weight on the truck does not exceed the trucks gvw rating, you should be ok unless motioned to pull in, be advised a light duty 250 can have a gvw rating as light as around 6800 lbs, in some years, the truck and empty trailer may exceed that, if you use that combo id scale the whole rig and its load at a scale, then compare the reading to the card on the cab door, before i got to any dot scales so i knew if it would pass or not if its over the rated capacity, better find a heavier rated tow vehicle, if your hauling somebody elses stuff on your trailer, some places, your a commercial trucker and you better stop, if they dont want you, they'll give you the green light
 
(quoted from post at 16:34:03 08/16/12) as long as your hauling your own stuff, and the total weight is not over the trucks tow rating, this means the truck, everything in and on it, the trailer, and everything on it,and the trailer tounge weight on the truck does not exceed the trucks gvw rating, you should be ok unless motioned to pull in, be advised a light duty 250 can have a gvw rating as light as around 6800 lbs, in some years, the truck and empty trailer may exceed that, if you use that combo id scale the whole rig and its load at a scale, then compare the reading to the card on the cab door, before i got to any dot scales so i knew if it would pass or not if its over the rated capacity, better find a heavier rated tow vehicle, if your hauling somebody elses stuff on your trailer, some places, your a commercial trucker and you better stop, if they dont want you, they'll give you the green light

Never heard of "motioned to pull in" before. How do they do that? I always pull in if there is any way they could even THINK that they want me. They almost always wave me by. One time entering Nevada they wanted to ask about the Red Sox, and then wanted to know why I was wearing a Dartmouth sweat shirt.
 
the nearest one to here, there is always a cruiser parked out by the road with a cop in it,or standing by it, [ in case a commercial truck tries to bypass the scale, they'll go get him] the cop standing by will occasionally flip his litebar on and point to the entrance ramp, if he sees something he wants to look at on a smaller truck, usually its something like a 310 jd commercial backhoe or similer, on a pintle hitch trailer, all headed up by some guy in a 1 ton , dont know how they do it in your area
 
Read the sign as you approach the weigh station.
Do what the sign says. Haven't been there for a while, but Ne used to say "pickups with trailers must weigh". Il used to say " trucks over 4 tons gross weight", etc. Haven't even been near Mn scales lately, used to say "trucks over 12000# enter scale"
Willie
 
Son got pulled over the other day for going past one on I-29 in southern SD. He was running his 3500 Dodge dually with a 30 ft. gooseneck that he just bought and was coming home with. Cop gave him a warning ticket after he pleaded stupidity. Sign called for anything 8000 lbs. to pull in. He had a G JD on it at the time also.
 
I saw one Ohio state patrolman do it by walking out into the middle of 3 lanes on I-71, take his hat off, and wave it at a red Ford Ranger.
 
This question comes up often and the answer seems to be 26000#and up .I have a 2011 Ford F-350 single axle diesel with a 32ft gooseneck tandem axle that has 2 12000# axles that I haul my farm tractors and machinery, hay ,or whatever needs to be hauled.I have a CDL,Med card,but do not have my DOT # on truck.I usually stay in Ia.and havent had any problems and was passed by a DOT car today on four lane and had a tractor and plow on.They seem to like big rigs a lot better.My day will probably come.I dont weigh but probably should.
 
The particular scale I will be driving by says all trucks over 10000 lbs must pull in to weigh station. So what im wondering is because the truck is not over 10k but the trailer is am I required to pull in? Ill be hauling 3 ATVs and a grill so weight will not be an issue.
 
Keep in mind that it is not just about IF a truck is over weight, it is about the GVWR, the gross vehicle weight rating. Matters not if you have a load of air on a brand new rig, it is about it's capacity or rating.
Then, IF the truck is overloaded, or the driver does not have all paperwork, numbers, lisenses, insurance, etc., the fines can begin.
 
Crossing scales is going to be differant from state to state.I just brought a new trailer across I-80 in ILL. and their scales was anything over 8 ton. Here in Indiana all trucks cross scales including pickup trucks pulling trailers. It also includes all rental trucks.
 
When in doubt pull thru, If they don't want you you'll get waved on. If you drive past and they come after you chances are the fines are going to start.
What is the GCVWR of the 250? My 11 450 has a GCVWR of 30k. Truck GVWR is 19,500 + Trailer GVWR 14,000 = GCVWR (of tags) 33,500 so techincally I'm over weight empty. It all depends on wether they look at actual weight or lisenced weight.
 
im my f250, 350 and 450, latter 2 duallies.. and a 16' tandem, or my 28' gn tandem.. I've never pulled into a weigh station in any of the southeast from fl to texas and georgia. lousiana, mississippa, alabama.. etc.

never been chased down.. etc.

i'm private / non commercial, hauling my stuff with my trucks.. class e license.. etc.
 
i have a one ton dodge and a 48 foot gooseneck with 12,000lbs axles which makes me 78 foot bumper to bumper and i have texas farm plates never pulled in one been to illinois, indiana, iowa, louisiana, mississippi, arkansas, and oklahoma
 
It is a matter of time.
Even bootleggers got by back in the day, but it still did not make it legal.
In the case of your truck, you have a lot of weight to deal with, especially when loaded to or past rated capacity.
If you have an accident, your life will never be the same.
Best get the million dollar plus insurance, CDL, etc. You will need every advantage in court.
 
Really? I haven"t driven I-80 lately but I"ve been in Indiana 40 years and never pulled in with my trailer or a rental. How do you know this?
 
DaveK go to a site called Coops are open Indiana. It tells who has to and who doesn't have to cross scale. It also tells what some of the fines are. Ill. post their stations that any truck over eight ton must cross scale.
 
They don't care so much about gcwr as whether or not you paid for the license for the vehicles and that you aren't over the licensed weight.
 
What I was told if your truck has a gross of 8000 lbs and your trailer has a gross of 14000 lbs that is a gross of 22000 and if the scales says trucks over 12000 have to weigh you have to pull in and weigh weather you are loaded or empty. I think it is just better to go through and not have them ccome after you.

Bob
 
(quoted from post at 19:16:39 08/20/12) They don't care so much about gcwr as whether or not you paid for the license for the vehicles and that you aren't over the licensed weight.

BINGO!

RATINGS have nothing to do with it. It's all about how much weight you paid for when you registered the truck and trailer.

On large commercial trucks, it is just a coincidence that the factory ratings and the registered weight are the same. They also happen to be the maximum amounts allowed by DOT law based on the number of axles and the size of the tire tread footprint.

In the case of commercial trucking you want to be able to haul the maximum allowable by law to maximize profits. That's why you'll even see 1 ton duallys and goosenecks registered for as much as 33,000lbs gross.
 
I drive an old "88 Ford F-250, and a "92 Dodge 250 Dually. I pull an old 8 x 16 tandem axle trailer and an old 28' single wheel triple axle gooseneck. I haul one tractor at a time with the smaller trailer, two at a time with the gooseneck, generally about 50 Hp tractors, usually with some implements included. I have hauled from Louisiana to Iowa to Virginia to Florida and all points in between, for about 12 years now. Never stopped at a scale anywhere. Never been bothered by DOT or any other police. I would rather ask forgiveness than permission, but I think the deciding factor must be whether one is hauling commercially. My old equipment makes me look like I'm just hauling some stuff to the farm. So, you guys with newer pickups, get out there and beat it up a little, throw some mud on it, kick some dents in it. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.
 
It probably depends on the state. Iowa has signs up before the scales "All Trucks Over 6000 lbs Must Weigh". If you see a sign like that, I"d pull in.
 
(quoted from post at 06:09:37 08/22/12)
BINGO!

RATINGS have nothing to do with it. It's all about how much weight you paid for when you registered the truck and trailer.

All depends on the state. In Michigan my truck has farm plates that are based on the empty weight of the vehicle, and my trailer is registered by its empty weight. It isn't registered for any maximum weight.
 
(quoted from post at 06:56:44 08/27/12)
(quoted from post at 06:09:37 08/22/12)
BINGO!

RATINGS have nothing to do with it. It's all about how much weight you paid for when you registered the truck and trailer.

All depends on the state. In Michigan my truck has farm plates that are based on the empty weight of the vehicle, and my trailer is registered by its empty weight. It isn't registered for any maximum weight.

This very discussion led me to find out the laws here in Michigan, I couldn't find an official michigan.gov website with the info, but I found another that seemed to be accurate. The understanding I came to, here in MI, is that "commercial vehicles" need to pull in to a weigh station. The law also defines a "commercial vehicle" as any truck, trailer, or combination weighing over 10,000 lbs. Right in the document it says that these laws pertain to private and commercial haulers. The way I read it, My 3/4 ton, (about 7,000 lb empty) hooked to my Gooseneck (5,500 empty) will make me have to pull in, at least in MI. -Andy

http://www.truckingsafety.org/faq/faqgen.htm
 
Exactly, private or commercial. If you have a dba you are
private. It also states at the front of the CDL book, if it is
personal property the CDL laws do NOT apply. You can load up
a tractor-trailer with your PERSONAL property and drive it from
Monroe to Escanaba and need NOTHING but an operator
licence.
 
(quoted from post at 17:43:26 08/27/12) Exactly, private or commercial. If you have a dba you are
private. It also states at the front of the CDL book, if it is
personal property the CDL laws do NOT apply. You can load up
a tractor-trailer with your PERSONAL property and drive it from
Monroe to Escanaba and need NOTHING but an operator
licence.

Hmm, I find that interesting. I just took my F endorsement tests last year, and I don't recall reading that in my CDL book. My book is also about 10 years old, though. May not have been in that book. I thought you needed at least an F endorsement. Maybe that is because a farm owned truck is for a business? -Andy
 
That is correct Andy. It is owned and operated by the farm
(business). Farm vehicles in MI do have some 'exemptions'
over other private and commercial vehicles. MI classifies
vehicles into 3 categories: personal, private & commercial.
Some rules do/ do not apply to all 3. That's why I tell people to
call the state police / hiway patrol talk to an officer, and get
their name & post #. I've had good results with Flint & Monroe
posts.
 
All I can tell you is the way we did it back when I was still a DOT Trooper. The signs went up, said "ALL TRUCKS MUST STOP". Anything that drove by that looked like it had a GVWR OT CGVWR over 10K was chased down. We didn't give out many tickets for ignoring the signs, but a few were issued.

Better to pull in and get waved through than to drive by and get a ticket.
 
Believe it or not many D O T officers will watch any road that goes around the scales, when you are caught on that road a big fine is sure to follow.
 
(quoted from post at 18:28:35 09/11/12) Believe it or not many D O T officers will watch any road that goes around the scales, when you are caught on that road a big fine is sure to follow.

A friend who used to be state DOT told me once how they used to love going out with the portable scales and catching the guys going around the weigh stations. The fines were way higher.
 
(quoted from post at 04:28:25 09/12/12)
(quoted from post at 18:28:35 09/11/12) Believe it or not many D O T officers will watch any road that goes around the scales, when you are caught on that road a big fine is sure to follow.

A friend who used to be state DOT told me once how they used to love going out with the portable scales and catching the guys going around the weigh stations. The fines were way higher.

Do they even use those portable scales anymore? I doubt if they are even legal unless someone from the weights and measures department is following along to calibrate and certify that portable scale everytime it is re-located.
 
(quoted from post at 06:22:48 09/12/12)
(quoted from post at 04:28:25 09/12/12)
(quoted from post at 18:28:35 09/11/12) Believe it or not many D O T officers will watch any road that goes around the scales, when you are caught on that road a big fine is sure to follow.

A friend who used to be state DOT told me once how they used to love going out with the portable scales and catching the guys going around the weigh stations. The fines were way higher.

Do they even use those portable scales anymore? I doubt if they are even legal unless someone from the weights and measures department is following along to calibrate and certify that portable scale everytime it is re-located.

I believe that here in NH there are only four scale houses but then there are many pull outs built specifically for the DOT to go and set up their portables.
 
(quoted from post at 17:07:50 09/12/12) I believe that here in NH there are only four scale houses but then there are many pull outs built specifically for the DOT to go and set up their portables.

Same here in Michigan they are building more and more turn outs that have the correct cement pad to properly weight a truck with the portable scales....
 
On one trip, I was South of Watertown,SD; and went over portables.. I got the OK to go wave, but being there were no trucks behind me, I parked off to the side and walked back to check out the portable readings.. The Troopers and I compaired the portable readings to a Cat scale reading that was taken the evening before in
Grand Forks,ND... Used a calculation of one pound per mile for fuel consumed; The Cat Scale and the DOT portable readings matched ...The trailer Axel weight readings were the same. If you ever do question the portables; request an escort to a certified scale....
 
I asked at the State Weigh Station yesterday..The sign says trucks over 10,000 pounds to enter station..
I asked specifically about pickups and trailers.
Best to pull in... or be chased down..
 
(quoted from post at 06:22:48 09/12/12)
(quoted from post at 04:28:25 09/12/12)
(quoted from post at 18:28:35 09/11/12) Believe it or not many D O T officers will watch any road that goes around the scales, when you are caught on that road a big fine is sure to follow.

A friend who used to be state DOT told me once how they used to love going out with the portable scales and catching the guys going around the weigh stations. The fines were way higher.

Do they even use those portable scales anymore? I doubt if they are even legal unless someone from the weights and measures department is following along to calibrate and certify that portable scale everytime it is re-located.


Yup, still use them. They are certified twice a year IIRC. Very, very expensive items too, hydraulically activated. You reset the zero each time you set them up. They're accurate to within a few pounds operated properly.
 

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