Weigh Station Surprise

That sucks.

 

Just because you scale out at a shipper or a "CAT" scale for that matter, doesn't mean you pass their scales. The best reason to get a "CAT" Scale is because they will stand behind their scales and go to court with you,, That's all though, doesn't mean the DOT is scared of them or anything...lol Sorry to hear you got ticket though. Was it for "over gross" or "over axle"?

 

Well, you can't blame them for not putting too much stock into a scale ticket from 3 or 4 days ago, that may or may not be the same load/trailer as is on his scale today. Things change. Fuel is different, or maybe one of the scales was "wrong". I'd hazard a guess that more then 40% of the "legal for trade" scales across the nation are off by more then 2% (including CAT), and most that are off, will read "lighter than actuality".

When you have a scale ticket that reads a gross above 79,800, you have to play the game of Russian roullette because odds are somebody's scale along the way will be wrong. Question is, whose? And/or can you get lucky and bypass all of the "critical scale watchers". Do you feel lucky? I guess not, not anymore anyways.

 

DOT scale people couldn't care less about your scale ticket. They only use their own. Had a lot of problems with that in Tennessee for a long time, then the feds discovered Tennessee scales were rigged for the purpose of generating revenue. Tennessee was the most corrupt state in the nation for many years concerning DOT and trucking. When Keith Bissel-D was head of the TN Public Service Commission, Tennessee was like a Mafia controlled state. His mafia DOT cops would even show up at trucking companies in their uniforms and solicit reelection campaign money for him and they did this year round. The reason for the continous solicitation of money was twofold; #1 - he could keep any money for himself that wasn't used for reelection campaigns and #2 any trucking companies that didn't contribute were unmercifully harrassed and fined heavily any time they were inspected at weigh stations and roadside inspections. Thank you OOIDA for your lawsuits that finally put a stop to Tennessee's Mafia.

 

Still curious on the specifics...
Was it over gross or over axle? Also, what were the weights?

 

My only question is how much fuel did you have onboard when you initially scaled? Then how much fuel did you have when you hit the scale? Just asking as I was stupid enough to over look this minor detail a when I started trucking. Like you I got a overweight ticket. If you had more fuel when you scaled heavy, then when you scaled good, that may have been the cause.

 

Axle does not count towards CSA so your better, than if you got cited for "over gross".

 

Weigh it again and take the time to go to court! That is your obligation to our industry.