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Winged_One's avatar
Winged_One
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014

Have you ever pulled into a weigh station?

Have you ever pulled into a weigh station to be weighed?

We were having a discussion elsewhere on weigh station requirements. One that stood out to me was Minnesota's requirements, under the AAA page:

All vehicles with a GVW rating in excess of 10,000 lbs. must stop.

So I contacted the State of Minnesota. That got me too the Department of Public Safety. Here is what he sent back, along with the applicable statute I requested.

Clause (d) refers to a truck or combination of vehicles. A 1-ton pickup, by Minnesota Statute, is a truck. Further, Minnesota Statute defines gross vehicle weight as the actual loaded weight of a vehicle or the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating, whichever is greater. So, your 1-ton pickup is subject to enter weigh stations if the truck or combination weighs greater than 10,000 pounds, has a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, or is licensed for greater than 10,000 pounds.

I’ve answered your questions individually below. I hope that clarifies things for you. I am an RVer myself and have often pondered many of the same questions for my own purposes. Happy travels!



1) When you say "truck that is licensed for or weighs more than 10,000 pounds GVW", are you saying truck as in tractor (such as used as part of an 18 wheeler), or does your definition include pickup trucks? A 1-ton pickup, by Minnesota Statute, is a truck.

2) I have a 2013 Ford F350 Dual Rear Wheel pickup. A typical pickup sold to the public, for use in hauling our non-commercial 5th wheel RV (see attached picture). Would I need to pull into a weigh station with this combination? If it weighs, has a GVWR, or is licensed for more than 10,000 pounds, is required to enter weigh stations in Minnesota.

3) My F350 has a GVWR of 14000 lbs. However, its actual weight is about 8000 lbs. Would I still need to pull into a weigh station? Yes, because it is a truck with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds.

4) My Gross Vehicle Weight for both F350 and 5th wheel is 23,120 lbs. Does this require me to pull into a weigh station? Yes. See # 3.



Now, I have never pulled into any weigh station. But I may not have gone by any in any State that required me too, including Minnesota.

For those living in, or traveling through Minnesota, that meets this criteria, have you?
  • yes I do for free weigh when they aren't busy never been told to move on. FL GA . its more important for us "C" to stay on top of it.
    usually get a free print out. Fl has 4 point on newer stations. better then CAT
  • We have pulled into a closed weigh station to weigh our trailer & SUV in order to know what we weigh. Then we write it down and put that info in the glove box, as a precaution against someone saying we were overloaded therefore caused an accident.

    And we have gone to a certified scales also and received a "verified document" as to what we the weights are .. this latter we did when we drove across the country to Maine down to Florida and back to Washington State, kinda like insurance to have an 'official document'. Yes it cost, but worth it for peace of mind.

    But no, have never been ordered to stop and get weighed.
  • I have never pulled into a weigh station in any of the 49 states in North America.
  • When I went through Minnesota a couple of years ago, I never stopped.
  • I'm not sure how it is states side (heading through the US in Sept. so I'm interested to know as well), but here in Alberta and BC as well, it specifically says "Recreational Vehicles Exempt" on the weigh station signs.
    If Minnesota does require it. I may have to find a a way to avoid going through there on my way across the country, just to avoid the delays.

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