So what's the deal with weight stations?

I've stopped at a local company that sells dirt, gravel and landscaping materials both retail and wholesale. When I've needed to weigh I usually stop and walk into the office and ask. I offer to pay but they have always told me to to pull up when I was ready. They've never been so busy I had to wait, but I will let a paying customer pull onto the scales first. They usually give me a print out that looks like a cash register receipt with my weights on it.

In the state of Washington, the weigh stations on the highways, not the freeways, allow you to read the scales when they are closed, which by the way, is most of the time.

I have weighed my set up three times over the years. It is a nice service.

CAT Scales has an app that's easy to use. Open the app drive onto the scales, put in the 4 digit code by the speaker and it does the rest. Of course you have to set up the app ahead of time with a payment source. After pulling onto the scales I received the weights on the app and it emailed my a pdf file of the weight ticket. $11.50 I believe.

We went through one of those kind of stops on the way to Carlsbad NM just outside of El Paso. Was a permanent building and inspection station. One LEO was at each of our windows asking us the same questions making sure our stories lined up and a third LEO with a dog checked out under our trailer and truck.

Horsedoc wrote:
We have bee required to stop in one of the border states. We were on I-10 and there flashing signs said "all vehicles must stop for inspection" We got flagged into the shelter and the autos were waved on thru the regular lane. Three nice LEO types wanted to know where we were from as I pulled up and he just tipped his hat and said something like 'go ahead, you're fine'
I suspct they were looking for illegals and we didn't fit the profile of a coyote.

Yep. This was a border control check, looking for illegals and drugs. A common occurrence on I-10.

We have bee required to stop in one of the border states. We were on I-10 and there flashing signs said "all vehicles must stop for inspection" We got flagged into the shelter and the autos were waved on thru the regular lane. Three nice LEO types wanted to know where we were from as I pulled up and he just tipped his hat and said something like 'go ahead, you're fine'
I suspct they were looking for illegals and we didn't fit the profile of a coyote.

Immediately after 9/11 , Florida required all trailers to stop . It only lasted 4 or 5 days ! I did once get ran down and pulled over pulling a TT because there were no windows on my home built truck topper but that was a Florida Ag Station . They were afraid that I was hauling smuggled potatoes , or watermelons, or prob citrus ! ,

I got flashed by a electronic sign in Arkansas a few months ago to pull in with my truck and trailer. Of course I did not and the wife asked why. I said we are not commercial, not paid and not for hire. Wasn't 100% sure it may not of been a safety type inspection but was prepared to say I didn't see the sign as I have no reasonable expectation to be looking at that sign anyways as a private individual.

New Buffalo is frequently open

ZINGERLITE wrote:
Living in michigan i've never seen one open! ha!

HaHa! Good one! And so true.