Weigh stations

[TravelingBethelite]

Didn't see a recent thread of this, so yeah.
To prompt discussion: Have you ever seen one open, and if so, where? Did where you see it have any influence on whether it was open or not? I don't ever recall seeing open.

[cpzilliacus]

Didn't see a recent thread of this, so yeah.
To prompt discussion: Have you ever seen one open, and if so, where? Did where you see it have any influence on whether it was open or not? I don't ever recall seeing open.

In many states, weigh/inspection stations are only open at random times.  Maryland is an exception - they tend to have theirs open for much longer times (I will not state more specifics than that). I know of stations in Virginia are also open 24/7 or sometimes 24/5.

Weight enforcement is also taking advantage of so-called virtual weigh stations, where sensors are buried in the pavement, and the details are sent to nearby patron vehicles, who will go after and stop trucks after passing over the sensors that appear to be overweight, over-height or over-length).

[SteveG1988]

I-81 in VA is normally open for all 4 stations. Rarely will i get a bypass, one is down for repairs right now, the one down by Roanoke.

[1995hoo]

I have seen many of them open many times. The ones on I-95 near Dumfries, Virginia, are almost always open. I've also seen some that seem abandoned, including the one on I-85 in Virginia.

It seems like the one on I-95 in Maryland at the Susquehanna is usually open when I go that way, whereas the one on I-270 in Maryland seems like it's usually closed.

The ones on I-95 in Florida have always been open any time I've gone through, although a lot of trucks bypass them with something called Prepass (I gather this must be something conceptually similar to E-ZPass but for weigh stations).

[jeffandnicole]

I've seen the one on 295 in NJ open much more in the past than I do now.  When it is open, almost always the trucks go over the WIM scales at 35 mph then are bypassed back onto 295.   It's a rare day when I see a truck stopped at the station; even rarer to see a truck in the massive parking lot or in the barn in the back, which has a depressed area to more easily look under the truck.

NJ also used truck mobile units extensively; many times on 295 at the Scenic View plaza (yeah, the same place that prohibits trucks).  But in similar fashion, I haven't seen them for years there either.

[DJDBVT]

I've seen the weigh station on I-91 NB in Vermont just over the Mass. line open on several occasions over the past several months. It was open yesterday when I went by.

[realjd]

I've seen them open many times. Opening times are randoml but the ones right past state borders tend to be open more often from what I can tell, or ones at chokepoints like the one in Islamorada in the Keys.

[mariethefoxy]

I've only seen the one on I-495 Long Island Expressway in Nassau open ONCE, its a horrible design requiring trucks to navigate  two 5MPH turns then dumps them onto the Service Road and they have to go past one traffic light before they can get on the highway again.

The two Suffolk Weigh Stations past Exit 65 I have NEVER seen open, then again I rarely go out that far east.

[D-Dey65]

I've only seen the one on I-495 Long Island Expressway in Nassau open ONCE, its a horrible design requiring trucks to navigate  two 5MPH turns then dumps them onto the Service Road and they have to go past one traffic light before they can get on the highway again.

That's because it was added in the area where the on-ramp from Bethpage State Parkway should've been.

The two Suffolk Weigh Stations past Exit 65 I have NEVER seen open, then again I rarely go out that far east.

I've rarely seen them open either, but I know those were closed rest areas with lame modern adaptations.

[SteveG1988]

Just got pulled into one via prepass (i will explain later what it is) and had the scale neon light go "Go ahead" not sure what that's about, i-55 in MS approaching TN, if anyone has a clue what that was about let me know, it's annoying at times.

Prepass basically allows the computer at the weigh station to know what company you work for, and determines if you are a bad company or not. If you have a low safety/compliance score, like your trucks are in bad shape, your're always over weight, etc, you are more likely to get pulled in. Some companies are not allowed to have it. It's sort of like a TSA Pre-Check, they're using the good faith of a track record to allow you to bypass the scale. Inside the cab is a blue box with 3 lights, Green Yellow and Red, yellow is a warning for battery life. Green means you get to stay on the road and keep going, red means come on in. Each company has a DOT# on the side of the rig, the prepass sends that ahead. You can look up the score of any company, tickets, accidents, over weight, etc all add up to what you get. I do think there is a fee for each prepass you get by a scale.

[Chris19001]

I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one open in PA.  It must have been in the 1990's.
Considering the amount of commercial trucking through the state and the considerable revenue that could come in from overweight penalties alone, I don't pretend to understand why they aren't staffed. 

[doorknob60]

In Oregon, I rarely (but not never) seem them open on US or State Routes, but the ones on I-5 and I-84 I've seen open plenty of times (probably more often on weekdays). I don't know much more than that as I'm not a truck driver.

[SteveG1988]

I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one open in PA.  It must have been in the 1990's.
Considering the amount of commercial trucking through the state and the considerable revenue that could come in from overweight penalties alone, I don't pretend to understand why they aren't staffed. 

3 weeks ago i-81 northbound entering PA from MD. Frequently open.

I40/55 in AR at the bridges.

[roadman]

The weigh stations on I-93 in Windham (NH) are open about every forth or fifth time I pass them.  However, can't say the same for Massachusetts.  In my 35+ years of driving Massachusetts interstates and freeways, I have yet to see the State Police deploy portable scales at any of the pulloff areas signed as weigh stations - this even after they upgraded most of them around 2000 to be gated off and include illuminated advance signs.

[vdeane]

The one on I-87 north in Clifton Park appears to open relatively frequently.

[roadman]

The one on I-87 north in Clifton Park appears to open relatively frequently.

Agreed.  I don't go through Clifton Park very often in the course of an average year, but it seems that every time I do, the weigh station is open.

[SectorZ]

The weigh stations on I-93 in Windham (NH) are open about every forth or fifth time I pass them.  However, can't say the same for Massachusetts.  In my 35+ years of driving Massachusetts interstates and freeways, I have yet to see the State Police deploy portable scales at any of the pulloff areas signed as weigh stations - this even after they upgraded most of them around 2000 to be gated off and include illuminated advance signs.

I've realized those Windham ones have been open a tad more often since the widening project started a few years ago. I rarely saw them open further before that time.

[thefraze_1020]

Every weigh station in WA is different in terms of when they are open. Some I have never seen open for years, others are rarely open, others are open about half the time, and some are always open.

The weigh station on Southbound I-5 at Bow Hill Rd is always open; take it from someone who drives this road every day and night.

[Rothman]

The one on I-87 north in Clifton Park appears to open relatively frequently.

I'm surprised we closed the one down at the southern/eastern end of "Free 90."

[Darkchylde]

I've seen the one on I-12 westbound, just after I-55, open a few times. I've also seen one or two in Texas open during my various travels through there.

[SteveG1988]

Interstate 155 in TN has a frequently open, unmarked on any atlas "weigh station". I put it in quotes because they never scale, just inspect. No Pre-pass, nothing, they open it, all trucks come in, and get inspected.

[DandyDan]

I have seen the ones on I-80 between Lincoln and Omaha (both EB and WB) open, but only at night.  I don't know if I have ever seen an Iowa weigh station open.  As for Missouri, I did see the NB I-29 just south of the Iowa border open once.

[Jardine]

I haven't resided in Illinois since the early 90s.  I recall a brouhaha in the media shortly before I left that it cost Illinois $10 to collect $1 in overweight fines.  I don't recall if the damage cost averted to the road surface from enforcing the load laws amounted to the other $9 or not.

Ever wonder what the max fine is for Iowa ??

It would be in the vicinity of $200,000 more or less.  Assumptions being 2 million pounds of lead would fill a standard semi trailer, it would not collapse from the load, Iowa has a scale that goes that high, the load could be pulled far enough to attract DOT attention, would not destroy any bridges (unlikely these days) or the road surface sufficiently so as to prevent moving it and the fine is still around 10 cents a pound.

[webfil]

The province of Québec has 59 of them, located on expressways as well as highways.

Ministry of Transportation establishes thawing zones (depending on the latitude), along with thawing periods (from late March to late May in southern Québec) where weigh station are open 4 to 8 hours per day (average), but some crucial locations are open 24 hours. Legal load limits are lowered by 8 to 20% during thaw periods, as the roadway is 30 to 70% more vulnerable to pothole formation.

Otherwise, strategic openings allow the road safety patrol to perform planified operations : holidays, move peak (majority of the people moving do it around July 1st up here), etc.

Pretty sure that weigh stations are not a waste of money up north considering the fragility of the roads in Spring.

[Kacie Jane]

Every weigh station in WA is different in terms of when they are open. Some I have never seen open for years, others are rarely open, others are open about half the time, and some are always open.

The weigh station on Southbound I-5 at Bow Hill Rd is always open; take it from someone who drives this road every day and night.

Most of the ones I can recall off-interstate look as if they've been permanently closed for quite a while,although they usually still have normal signage (i.e. nothing other than the appearance of the station itself to indicate that they're closed and never opening again). Specifically I'm talking about SR 99 south of Federal Way, SR 410 west of Buckley, and SR 503 (I forget exactly where, but somewhere on the east-west leg between Woodland and Mt. St. Helens).