Scale discrepancies.

Ever heard of a butchers thumb?
I'd assume a scale was certified at some recent point but how would a customer know they are short 500lbs.


Ours are done by the state annually.
Different freight but our meters are proven annually too.

 

I’ve been ticketed twice over the years, to the tune of a whopping $30, both times in Florida, outbound with a load of glass and inbound with a load of marble rock. A few weeks back I loaded zorba in Pensacola, scaled out around 79,500 I could tell by my tare weight their scales were off, got to Anniston and scaled in heavy around 77 and change, most of my work is tonnage rate so accurate weights are a plus, for the most part we always get it right or close, but there are those times when shippers scales are wonky.

 

Most of the places we weigh are within 100 lbs of each other. The state certifies them once a year and the county Weights and Measures Dept. does the same.

 

I had this problem last week. The salt mine loads on a scale and has you pull up, back up, and do all sorts of dumb ####, and guys dump the clutch then slam on the brakes. So you know that suckers out of calibration. I loaded Colorado legal at 85,000. 452 miles later I hop on the scale at the dairy and I’m 87,880. Like @Trashtrucker1707 I’m paid by the ton so I don’t care, but if I would have gotten popped with some portable scales, the DOT man might’ve.

 

I always find a cat scale even if the customer has one. Cat will back you up. Customer wont.

 

This right here.

 

Sucks in hopper work where you’re paid by ton.
You’ll show loading 50000, unloading 49300, trailers empty. Their scale will be off, and over 500lb difference they’ll want photos to prove your empty.
Then pay you on the lightest weight if they can.

 

I found the same CAT scale was at least 100 pounds off when weighing the same truck and trailer. The only difference was 1 trip around the parking lot. My tanker job had us getting loaded while sitting on a customer scale. It might be 20 pounds different from 2 different times weighing the same truck trailer, product just minutes apart. The customer scale was certified maybe every month or 3 months at the most. A dedicated truck from the scale company showed up and put specific lead weights on the scale and recorded the display amount.

 

Solid waste can be hit or miss. Scrap yards are always scamming, don't know how they don't get shut down. I've hauled pup trailers to be scrapped that weighed 2600lbs.

Every other place I've been to hits with 200 lbs and have the state coming out and testing or being calibrated. Here in WA I'd often get loaded up to 105,300 and never more. Limit is 105,500. Almost all scales were accurate to within 60-80lbs of each other if they worked.