Think I figured out why I'm getting redlighted every #### day!!

For those that remember I recently posted a thread about DOT suddenly being in love with me. Well I was redlighted tonight for approximately the 1,234 time in the last two weeks. Literally, if the scale is open I have been redlighted every single time. Well I had enough. Once I scaled I parked and went in to the office to ask the inspectors there why I keep getting pulled in as something had to be off. According to her and she was busy so I didn't get the fullest of explanations my prepass is only registered at 65,000 while I'm officially registered at 80,000. Apparently they can tell this from my prepass. Now I've had the same truck for 7 months now, nothing has changed except I got a new cab card. I'm fairly ignorant as to how prepass really works, so I ask this. Does her explanation sound plausible? Is a copy of my registration sent to prepass every year, is this where the screw up occured? How long to fix it?

As for now I only have 4 scales to cross before I go home, so four more unnecessary stops.

 

on the back of the prepass, mine says class 4. 5 axle combination >48' but <53'
call prepass at 1-800-773-7277

 

If you drive for a small fleet,it only takes a couple tickets to trigger a red flag and endless invites to the scalehouse.

 

Prepass registration is supposed to be a mirror of what is on your cab card. In fact, they ask for cab card scans to verify that info when you have a Prepass. It's possible that data is not right in the Prepass system, but not likely. It could also be possible that Prepass requested a scan to verify, and did not get it. They would suspend the service in that case. There are other things that could cause more frequent or constant red lights.

Could be that your carrier didn't pay the Prepass bill. Or, check your carrier's safety score, then look at the Prepass safety criteria. It's not an exact match, but a high CSA score would correlate to a high Inspection Selection System (ISS) score, which is what actually determines your pull in rate for normal operations*. You'd have to be a carrier to log into FMCSA and view the ISS score.

* I say normal operations, as the scalemaster can set the Prepass to "all trucks in." Based in Georgia, I get that a lot when near home. Also, several states also use weigh-in-motion to red light you. Hit the W-I-M heavy and your odds of a red light go way up. Your carrier can access a Prepass report that has a remark about red light status. It can tell you if the circumstances in this paragraph apply.

 

I work for a mega and a few months back our CSA score was bad, they informed us that we would be getting redlighted and pulled into the scale as we were at a 100% pull in.. most of the time we would just get a redlight and have to go over the scale, but we were also at a higher % for inspections. ..

Fortunately our CSA score is down and we are at a 10% pull in now.....

I did get a chance to talk to a DOT officer at a scale... and found out that when we pass a scale they only know the company name and what we weigh going over the street scale... I asked that because I was givin some wrong information from a driver who stated that the prepass tells them the company and the driver and the drivers personal CSA score... which is untrue..

So, if you are getting redlignted everytime it isn't personal, but cojld be your company is flagged for 100% pull in..

I used it to my advantage and do evertime we go on a high pull in rate.. we get a bonus for every clean inspection we have... so I just look at is as money in my pocket..

 

Here's what the Prepass report looks like (my truck). A few different examples in there. One I forgot is green light pull in. Those are times when my Prepass doesn't signal. No light = go in. Also, that gross weight is what they read off the W-I-M scale. It's not accurate by any stretch. My actual on that last trip thru the Troutville, VA scale was 78,000. They did put me on the platform to check.

 

It's not a high score, like I said the prepass is registered low according to DOT

 

Man it must be rough having to stop at every scale, I don't know how we made it before PrePass.:smt022

You don't remember those days, going in NM POE and getting a sticker to put in windshield every trip, same in Colorado, having to show AZ everything every trip. How did we ever deliver freight and get home?

 

A company I drove for couldn't get prepass due to their safety score.It didn't bother me having to stop.Logs, paperwork, permits were neat, legal and in order.I didn't worry too much about getting inspected.

 

my truck doesn't have a prepass (unlike what my company tries to convince me) and pulling into every scale is annoying, I do wonder how it used to work with more trucks at the scales.

I always told myself i'd never work without a prepass, apparently I listen quite well