How does the DOT determine who gets pulled over for a weigh?

Got the same answer in Perryville. Truck was washed and polished. Why me? We had an open bay and you were in the scale! Also I was on the scale on 301N in Upper Marlboro. Was gettin an over axle ticket and while I was inside the Trooper cussed and then said he let one go heavy. Gave him the green instead of pull around.

 

I got pulled over a while back buy a DOT guy up north of Spokane on HWY 2. Guy asked if we get bonus $'s for clean inspections. Yes Sir. So he took my info and did his thing and came back with a clean level II walk around. He passed me when I was headed to the paper mill loaded so he knew I was in the area. Anyways head off up the road 10 miles and the scale thats 90% closed had 2 officers at it. Its the kind that has the scale plates but no house so the one guy motions me over to the inspection area with out even crossing the plates. Walks up to the window and says he is going to do a walk around and I say your buddy got me just up the road. He goes oh really?! Yes sir and I hand him the inspection ticket and my license. He goes that "guy" but I can see the wheels in his head going that @@&&&$$!!!!!%%%#### as he writes my info on a sticky note and hands me the stuff back as says you're good to go. I was hazmat so they where trying to get their quota of hazmat inspections done. Lol

 

I've been chosen twice with a brand new clean truck. Inspector told me the one time they were looking for an easy Target. Ok no problem truck has 2500 miles on it let's go.

 

Back in the day, I had a PrePass, but it didn't work in the PNW. See, OR and WA wanted you to have THEIR pass, and if you didn't, you'd get redlighted at every single scale, closed or not. Now, it's been a decade since I've been up in those parts, and things may have changed, but that's how it used to work.

 

Never you mind the scales etc.

Always visit a CAT scale as soon you are loaded. pay the 11 dollars or whatever it is now to be sure you are lawful in your weight matrix. Axle and gross. Some states check your wheelbase from kingpin to rear center hub of trailer axle. And so on.

Once legal, quit worrying about the scales you hit. Focus on the actual process of running them either weigh in motion or the old school platforms. If it requires you to be at 30 mph, be at exactly 30 so that everything works well for you as you run through.

If you cat a load and find the axles over but under gross, shift the axles and cat again. Until legal.

If you are over gross, either you have a permit (Containers...) or you have to go back to shipper to remove some of that weight. Worse case scenario you map out scales on your route and burn the fuel prior to the first one sufficient to get under gross. Be very careful when driving light on fuel. Again go back to shipper to remove weight.

After you have done everything, stop stressing about scales. They will do what they will do. One morning long ago, I had 20 trainees examine my flood lit tractor trailer back in the 80's at 4 am sitting on a maryland platform while a senior hat bear pointed this and that end to end what was wrong with me. (Beginning with a 73K or so gross weight violation at 80K.... and working back... with the particular tractor trailer I had back then.) They let me out after 10 minutes, after I had made plans to quit trucking should 20 trainees stuff my cab and inspect ticket me to death....

 

Because they don't know you or what you are hauling. Most scales pull in 10% randomly to weigh. You were under the threshold they set on their weigh in motion scales so they let you go without a more accurate scaling needed.

 

We run light all the time, have great CSA scores across the board, run prepass and try and keep our equipment looking decent, so it is seldom we get inspected, about a year ago I had just pulled my Pete out of the beacon, all shined up and feeling good, I was also empty at the time, (hate washing my truck and trailer when loaded)

I get about 30 miles down the road and get the red light to pull in, going across the scale with a loaded, old, mud caked log truck in front of me, I get pulled around back, WTF? So the inspector was a good guy and we were ####- chatting, I said, so why me and not the mud caked loaded log truck in front of me, his truthful answer was he had time for one more inspection before going home and he wanted to stay clean! lol