Stopping at scales when empty with a flatbed...

Ya i always go in even when empty....if they have a empty lane or they will usually just bypass u to freeway ...id just rather not give dot a reason to give me a ticket for bypassing a scale house or really give them any reason at all for me to pay them my hard earned money

 

You are a Commercial Vehicle. You enter the open scale. Your empty status is no meaning for weight enforcement. However there are like a thousand other things a Scale House can do for enforcement to you. So it's still worth it to have you pull that Commercial Vehicle in that open scale, even if it is empty. (For the State, Not always for you)

It IS nice when Mr Scale Man waves you empty, wave back with a big smile and proceed around the platform.

One of the most outrageous scale encounters ever was in New Market Maryland. I was 80000 with a short Mack and 40 foot tanker bulk cement. Lawful weight was 77400 I think. Anyhow It's 4 AM I-70 eastbound empty pending Baltimore Rush hour. I was bound for Mt Airy. Scales were open. Pulled in. Nothing going on. Just me.

Sat on scale being weighed. Sat some more. Looked into coop's bay windows and realized I had top hat Trooper with a baton point point point point end to end of my 18 wheeler in the glare of the flood lights. There were 20 trainees with white shirts, no hats taking notes and eyeing that Scale Readout apparently discussing the 77400 rule for my rig.

I had mental imagery of 20 people inspecting my tractor trailer and vomit rose in my craw. Then planned my permanent exit from the industry. I think it was my second scale visit ever, my 14th day driving a big truck for wages and was such a nooblet it was painful.

Things calmed down and got the green light. From that point on Union Bridge became a Md26 travel route to Baltimore with none of that scale crap.

 

GA and NC are bad to pull you in even if they can see that your empty... If you have a prepass/drivewyse in your truck sometimes they will let you bypass... GA won't anymore but NC/SC will sometimes... MT is bad to pull you in even if your empty and CA is too... I would go in if empty unless otherwise given instructions..

 

When the sign on the highway says “all trucks” you figure you still qualify?

 

“FAlure to obey a traffic control device” is the award you earn for bypassing an open scale. Oklahoma even likes to pull me into the scale bobtail. They have a real hard-on for us at the Texohma scale. One scalemaster has made it his personal goal to harass us over some of our trucks having “inc.” on the door instead of “incorporated”. He was up to 6 tickets last I heard.

 

Yep. $500 fine and an inspection in some parts.

 

Florida will pull you in loaded or empty. Heck, I was pulled into the same scale twice on the same day and I was bobtailing both times.

 

Most states require commercial vehicles to enter a scale.

 

Weight is just one small thing they check when you go in the scales. They are checking tags, lights, noticeable safety violations, many other things.
Some super coops can read your tag, run your dot number, tell if your brakes are working, and all your dimensions. All before you ever get to the scale. Some even log into a database to talk with other scales you’ve been through, to check for OOS violations.