Are weigh stations a waste?

When there are "drivers" who wash their face in the windshield buckets or take dumps off their catwalks, I don't think drivers should be trusted to self regulate.

 

Interesting comment. I recall seeing some industry articles come out around the last DOT week regarding effectiveness of fixed scales versus roadside enforcement. As-in, look for the trucks that thread traffic, tailgate, etc and single them out for a roadside check. Several studies pointed to substantially greater violation counts. Basically a correlation between careless or reckless driving habits translating into an equal lack of care with logbooks, pre-trips, etc.

So not random rest area enforcement. Actually doing inspections as part of traffic enforcement. The main objection they had was officer safety. For some reason they don't like getting on a creeper when parked 4 feet away from 70 mph traffic.

 

Don't buy that 'revenue generation' line. If they weren't there, no one would be running legal or safe. The highways would be worse than they are now. And the guys manning them didn't take the job to generate revenue for the government. They are there to try to maintain some level of safety on the roadways.

 

Maybe. But they are closed more and more. Where is the safety then?

 

You're right, it does seem like the weigh stations are closed a lot more. But I've also seen an increase in commercial cops driving around, pulling trucks over for road side inspections. They're out in SUV's!

 

Indiana has them in the squads as well.

Seems they drive by and get them on the road. Seems to be more.

 

Austin, TX PD has their own CMV enforcement section and I've seen other city CMV cops elsewhere. They have no problem doing a level 1 just off the road or interstate anywhere in the Austin city limits. I think the public raised enough concerns about many of the Mexican trucks and the aggregate haulers that were rear-ending motorists left and right there for several years, and they decided they had to do something.

I'm sure it generates a lot of revenue, but I seriously doubt it comes anywhere near the costs to have all those specially trained cops, additional office personnel, SUV's, and other special equipment and such that is required.

 

You certainly see alot of the activity in Texas.

 

We have city cops who are dedicated to commercial traffic in Decatur AL, too,

 

Nothing wrong with 85k or even 38 k on tandem, here in canada we run the same axles and and trucks and yet magically we can scale 39 700 lbs on a set of tandems, and easily gross 92 000 lbs on a regular 5 axle, i dunno why your laws are so silly down there