Forum Discussion

rbpru's avatar
rbpru
Explorer II
May 07, 2016

CAT scale accuracy

Does anyone know the accuracy of the CAT scales?

Since the max Semi weight is about 80,000 lbs. One would assume the scales can accommodate about 100,000 lbs.

If the scale is accurate to 1 percent it would mean the Semi weight could be off by +/- 800 lbs. More important my 13,000 rig could be off by +/- 130 lbs. That seems like a significant amount.

I am wondering if anyone knows the advertised accuracy of a CAT scale.
  • A quick search yielded this information on the topic:

    Link

    This article concludes an accuracy of +/- 20 lbs for a 10,000 lb load and +/- 40 lbs for a 20,000 lb load for the CAT scales.

    In God we trust... all others bring data.

    Rob
  • I know that their slogan is "weigh what we say or we pay" I do believe that they are really accurate because commercial truck drivers rely on them being that way so they don't get fined for being overweight on the roads. That being said I also know that their weights are rounded to 20 lbs that's as accurate as they can be.
  • Heck a few sricks of fire wood could weigh that much. The only way to know for sure is to get several weights over a period of trips at different scales and take an average. BTW DOT scales when closed usually have the scales still on for free weights.