Weigh station questions

I am saying ''green prepass + red "truck must enter" : I am going in

I don't rely only on the little "thingy", as the OP says.

 

You are going in unnecessarily then..
Do you also go in for red prepass + truck ok to Bypass ?

 

Got it from the horse's mouth--

 

Yep. Flashing yellow light meas bypass. Louisiana is the state that wil have an HP sitting on the onramp from the scale, flash the sign for you to bypass, and give you a big ticket and a pamplet on how you should obey the prepass ibstead of the electronic sign.

Georgia got rid of their prepass and open and closed signs. They have the electronic sign only. But they have every other sign and then some.

Truck in front of me is told to enter. Im given the bypass, 11 wide and 98000lbs. Permit says to go in. I go in sign says to obey the arrows. Another sign says ALL PERMITTED LOADS KEEP RIGHT. They give me the green arrow left, I keep right. Scalemaster is waiting for me at the scale.

Confused?

 

and when on the scale that has red and green traffic light, do not, for the love of god ,stop when it's GREEN !! roll through slowly. if they want you to stop they will hit the red light.
speed limit says maintain 35, why are you going 15???

 

I was on US35 westbound, or do they call it northbound? I had just crossed into Ohio from West Virginia, and I saw the signs for scales at the rest area. I slowed down to pull in, but the truck in front of me didn't. I thought "does he know something I don't?" I pulled in, and one was taking off in a cruiser. I left after weighing, and I saw him pulled over. "Nope, I guess he didn't!"

 

Sometimes the scales have the Prepass system shut down and it gives no signal, or it isn't able to read your tag.
Especially going through Oregon, it is hit or miss whether you will get a light when the scale is closed, I think depending on how they shut the system down, and as Scottied67 showed us, every once in a while they will have the scale closed and forget to update the Prepass system and you get a red light.

The signs at some of the California scale Prepass say to follow In-Cab signals if the scale is open, so if you get a green or red, you obey it.
However also in California, when the scale sign says Scale Closed, it also says 'Do Not Enter", and they mean it! Lol
I went in once to Cordelia when it was closed because I needed a reinspection for a truck I had repaired, and I got scolded for entering on the Do Not Enter sign. (I also got it signed off lol)

So in California, even if you get a red light, if the sign says "Do Not Enter", then don't go in! The Prepass does not override the Closed sign.

In other more enlightened states they actually may have truck rest areas at the scales so you can always enter to park, so if you get a red on a Closed scale, it is simple to pull through and make Prepass happy, and they should give you the green light and send you on the your way (and if you enter voluntarily when you get the green light, or the scale is closed, you can use the bypass lane and not have to drive over the scale), but it really comes down to reading the signs and simply following them.

Yes, if the scales are open, and you don't get a green or red light, you go in! Very important lol

And if the green light comes on after you are committed to the exit, don't worry about it, just go through. In that case, if they have a "Bypass" lane and no contradictory signs or arrows, you can bypass, but if in doubt, always drive across the scale.

For bypass lanes, you have to watch the signs, because they vary even within states. Some places they are signed as "Bypass" and then another sign says for empties to use it. With this if you get the green "Bypass" light you can use it to even if you are full.
However, if it is just labeled for "Empty", then don't use it unless you are empty! They probably have a scale plate along the way somewhere to catch loaded trucks trying to sneak past, and you just violated a traffic sign if it is labeled for empty only.
So again, watch the signs and follow them lol
As far as speed, watch what the exit speed sign says coming in, and if you see no other signs, go a little bit slower than that.
If the scale lanes have 5mph signs, and the bypass/empty lane doesn't have a sign, but is right next to the scale lanes, I would probably go the speed of the sign you see next to you!
If it isn't clearly posted, err on the side of slower and safer, and never assume, even if every other scale in the state is another way.

Once in the scale, slow down enough to be able to read the signs. *bangs blackboard* Read The Signs!

They will tell you which way to go, or arrows will, but if in doubt, drive across the scale, and don't drive through any red lights!

I am pretty sure that any place that has a Prepass system installed has Weigh In Motion scales in the highway to get a close idea of your weight, sometimes miles before the scale house.
So if even if the scales are closed, the system will note your overweight status, and you and your company will probably get pulled in a lot more frequently for a while
A lot of scales also have weigh in motion scales in the exit ramp because the slower you go, the more accurate the reading is, so sometimes when I have been right on the nose on weight on an axle group, I will get red lighted in, and then when the preweigh scales show it am legal, they bypass me to the bypass lane before I ever get near the main scales.
A lot of this is automated, and then the scale officer can override or want to take a look at a truck.

The states that have the electronic "Truck bypass scale" signs I believe are using a separate system for them then the Prepass. Basically it allows them to have the scale Open, but keep most trucks out to avoid backups, but still catch any overweight trucks. Then by regulating how often they tell a truck to enter, they can keep the inspection guys busy.
(I just watched scottied67's video, and the Arizona trooper confirmed that the electronic signs are for the non-prepass trucks)

So if you have Prepass, just follow its directions, even if the electronic bypass sign says different, because it is not for you.

All that said, don't fear the scale!
If you inspect your truck properly (look up threads elsewhere here on proper pretrip inspections), and it is in good condition, then even a Level 1 is just a bothersome delay. The people who try to figure out how to avoid the scales are usually the ones who have a guilty conscience! Lol
Yes, I love having Prepass and almost never getting red lighted (we have a good fleet), but I don't fear getting pulled in either.
So remember that while the guys in there can make your life hell if you have something wrong, they are also the guys who keep the falling apart rust buckets and the no rest in 4 weeks super truckers off the road, making it safer for the rest of us, so if you treat them like professionals doing the job the People have assigned them to do, and you work with them, chances are they will at least be professional, and sometimes even make things a little easier if they can tell that you aren't a blatant violater

 

Remember that if you were in California, the Closed sign would say Do Not Enter, so then the sign trumps the Prepass lol

 

Whatever you do, DON'T DO THIS!!!