To Weigh or Not to Weigh...that is the question

State scales are the scales located along roads and highways for enforcement of weights and other FMCSA regulations. If you're unsure if your weights are legal, you'll want to weight your load before you cross them to avoid a ticket. Some shippers may have scales to weigh on, but absent that, usually you'll have to go to a scale at a truckstop (or some other public scale) to weigh out. The most ubiquitous brand of truck stop scale is CAT scale, you pull on to the platform and press a button on the speaker mounted next to the scale, and then they will get your truck number, trailer number and company name, then you go inside and pay $10 and they give you a ticket that shows your weights. If you need to adjust, you can slide your axles and reweigh for $1.

There are some scales in CA that are almost always open (I-10 WB Banning, I-5 SB Wheeler Ridge, I-80 WB Truckee, and so on.) Typically, the first scale on a highway after entering the state will be open. As far as the closed ones, many times they might be scales that are easy to get around, and they have mobile units out on other roads that can pull trucks and take them to that scale to weigh. CHP Commercial vehicle units are pickup trucks with caps over their beds. California does more commercial vehicle inspections than all other states combined.

 

Cat scale re weighs are now $2

 

Well crap. When did that change? I've been hauling nothing but cardboard boxes for the last 6ish months, so there hasn't been a need to scale anything.

 

Read thru the last few threads I started, SCALE IT...

 

Well from 0-34k you will probaply be ok not to scale it.
34-40 aok too.
Keep in mind Shippers Weights could be wrong.

If you have a Scale or Pressure Gauges on Truck or Trailer those are Helpful.

 

Well I'm glad you did. I just learned a lot from this thread. Thanks!

 

If you use a computer, or even the website on your phone, www.catscale.com to locate cat scales in the area and up to 50 miles away.

The scales on the Truckers road atlas are also marked using redballs with an arrow.

Florida scales are not prepass is one state you have to go through that comes to mind.

 

7.15 lbs per gallon I do believe. I always round up to 8 lbs just to be safe. Tanks will hold around 175 full, they are actually 100 gal tanks but you can't get that much fuel in them because of the position of the neck/fill tube. That said you could wind up in a light wt with only 1 tank instead of saddle tanks.

Prime tells you when and where to fuel LOL, I laugh at that because I very seldom follow it, and my FM approves as he knows I know what I am doing and leaves me alone. I haul alot of beer and spuds so I am usually really heavy, I hauled a load of bulk Sweet Potatoes last week and it seemed like they just kept adding the blasted things in the truck and watching the wt LOL. I thought at one point towards the end I swear I saw a guy adding them one at a time LOL.

As the Truck stops only give a shower for every fillup or 50 gals, pulling over for fuel daily is a good thing LOL. Also I only add fuel for what I am going to burn that day. I figure I will run 550 miles daily at 7.5 MPG so I add fuel based on that. Make sense?