Weighing at Cat Scales

CarnationSailor wrote:
I get the impression that those posting specifics believe that all CAT scales have the same number of "platforms", communication options, and pricing structure. However, the CAT scales I use in the Seattle area are not at all like the ones described here so it seems the specific steps suggested might be useful somewhere else, they wouldn't apply to the CAT scales I use.

Any thoughts on this?

Pricing might vary a little but just like McDonalds, it's a franchise deal, so CAT discourages wildly different pricing schemes.

Substantially cheaper re-weighs is a function of why truckers use their scales. They may need to redistribute the load to get all the axle groups within the legal limits (overload tickets start in the 4 figure range). So if they miss on the first pass, they go adjust the load and then re-weigh until they get within limits. CAT has a guarantee that they will assist in the court case if you get a ticket after using their services.

Yes, it's possible the platforms may vary but generally there will always be at least 3 if they are dealing with interstate semis as truckers can get a ticket for an axle/axle group being over the limits...so they need the steering axle, the drive axle group and the trailer axle group at a minimum. They could have more. For most RVs that works out fine.

I suppose, if you drive a short wheel base SUV towing a 15ft travel trailer, you might run into spacing problems getting the load spread over 3 platforms laid out for commercial trucks but full size trucks towing 25ft+ trailers won't typically be an issue. Worst case pull over and look at the scale before using it if you aren't sure.