Running weigh stations

Back in '07. I missed the exit for the scales just south of Charlotte, NC on I-85. I pulled over on the shoulder and sat there for a couple of min. I didn't know what to do. So I decided to go to the scale house. When I walked around the hood of the truck, an officer walked out of the scale house and waved me on. I've never missed another one.

 

I blew past one I had never seen open before.

I was piloting an empty flatbed I looked over shrugged my shoulders and held up my hands like "What?".

I did not see the mountie dash for his car so I kept going.

 

When I was younger, I went with my dad to.bring a busload of Mexican exchange students back to.Las Cruces, NM. They brought their Mexican registered bus over and my dad and I rode with them in the bus. We passed the Anthony POE and sure enough, a NM Commercial Vehicle Enforcement cruiser came after us. The officer was pretty understanding. He followed us back to the scales and the driver had to.purchase a trip.permit. No.tickets were issied.

 

I ran the Southbound scale on I-75 in Michigan, just north of the Ohio line, one time. I was going through a divorce and my mind wasn't on what I was doing at the moment, I looked to my right as I was passing the scale and it was like...OH ####!...I continued on and a Bear pulled me over. The bear was pretty cool when I told him the story and he saw that my trailer was empty. He said he would have to write me up for something though and fined me for my log book not being up to date. The log book fine was about $100 cheaper then the running the scale sign so I couldn't complain too much....that was in the early 1990's.

 

Lol lots of outlaw truckers out there. Saw a Swiftie miss the coup on 231 on I90 in Washington once. If you've ever out there you know the next exit is like 245. Well the poor guy got there and backtracked all the way back to the scale.

 

At that point you would think if they didn't come after you.....

 

With all the scales talk, remember the CHiPs episode where Ponch and Jon were working at a weigh station?

 

glad you brought that up

i learned a valuable lesson

i was talking on the phone to a friend of mine, he was driving south on 95 on the HOV lane and missed the scale

if you know the scale, the hov doesnt connect back to the local lane for about another 2 or 3 miles, he got back on and wanted to turn around

i told him to keep going, if no one stopped you

he wound up turning around at the next exit and came back to the northbound scale, then flipped around and came back south

when he got to the south scale, DOT told him over the speaker that they were glad he came back because they had his picture (they saw he hadnt been wearing his seatbelt the first southbound trip.......yes, they photographed him, even knew he wasnt wearing his glasses)

but after a brief friendly chat over the speaker, they let him go without a problem

if it had been me, i would have gotten a hefty fine because i would not have turned around

so i learned a valuable lesson ABOUT THAT SCALE

 

Years back I was driving WB on I-44 in Mo. Singing along to the radio, minding my own business, and started into the left lane to pass a slower truck. Then I realized why he was going so slow. The scale was open. Plenty of room to pull over on the shoulder in front of the coop....so I did. put on flashers, and took logbook and stuff inside. I felt like a complete knucklehead walking across in front of the trucks i was supposed to be in line with. DOT officer gave me a bit of a butt chewing for not paying attention, looked at my paperwork, and sent me on my way with just a verbal warning. I try to be more careful. He told me in addition to making me go to the next exit and circle back to be weighed, he could have given me a hefty fine. If I hadn't stopped and admitted my screw up, and he'd have had to chase me down, thats what I'd have gotten.