Major highways have “weigh stations” in a couple of places around here. But the weigh stations are always closed. I have no idea what the weigh stations are for (except obviously they’re to weigh trucks).
What are weigh stations for? Are they for collecting some kind of tax on the trucks? Or are they for certifying that the trucks can cross bridges that have a weight limit? Are the trucks required to be weighed, or is it optional? If it’s required, and the weigh station is closed, where does the truck go to get weighed? Why does the government build weigh stations and then keep them closed all the time?
AFAIK, weigh stations are there to ensure that trucks are not carrying loads in excess of what they’re rated to carry. It’s a safety issue. I believe they’re also checking to make sure that commercial trucks have the proper permits for doing business in that state. If the weigh station is open, the trucks have to pull in. Even if the weigh station is closed, the possibility of it being open tends to keep the truckers honest. They can consistently avoid them by taking alternate routes, but that slows them down, which cuts into their profit (“Even drove the back roads so I wouldn’t get weighed…” - Willin’).
Manning the weigh stations all the time costs money, of course, and when state governments are strapped for resources, that’s the kind of thing it’s easy to cut back on. There are some, on the other hand, that are usually open (there’s one on I-95 in Maryland, for example, that seems to be open about three-quarters of the time).
They are used to check for overloaded trucks and to perform safety inspections, among other things. The problem is getting the trucks into them. One police department in my region has a portable version of an inspection/weigh station that they can setup on any road. As soon as they setup the equipment, the trucks magically start finding alternate routes to avoid being inspected. Unfortunately, it usually takes a well-publicized fatal accident to get a renewed emphasis on inspections.
There are usually weight limits on roads (to reduce wear). The weigh stations are used to check if the trucks are over weight. (The more cargo they carry, the more money they make, so there is an incenctive to cheat on the law.)
They aren’t kept closed, but there may be dozens of them in a state and only one or two crews to staff them. The weighers travel around the state and open a station for a day or a few hours, then go to another. Since they’re civil servants, they don’t work on weekends. However, if you travel weekdays, you’ll see them open from time to time.
In Georgia and surrounding states the weigh stations are manned by State Police and/or State DOT officers with some enforcement powers.
Around here they most certainly do work weekends. While traveling home from South Carolina last Sunday I saw 2 or 3 weigh stations open along I-20 and I-26.
Most long haul truckers prefer to do as much of their driving as possible at night and on weekends when interstate traffic tends to be lighter. Why spend a large chunk of your allowable drive time sitting in traffic? Law enforcement knows this. Weigh stations can and are open at anytime, 24/7.
There are also automated systems being installed that allow some trucks to bypass the weigh stations. Here’s a description of one of them, in Oregon and a similar one in Florida - many other states have similar programs.
Most (all?) of the weigh stations in Mass. don’t even have a scale at them. They are seldom open but when they are they either use a portable scale or only do safety and paperwork checks.
I have heard that states are required to build weigh stations in order to recieve federal highway funding, but there are no requirements on how often they have to be open. I don’t know how to find out if this is true or not but it would explain why states build weigh stations and never bother to open them.
The ones that are also agricultural inspection stations (say, in and out of Florida) are almost always open. That’s because they’re a lot more serious about, say, the medfly than they are about overweight trucks.
A friend of mine was once a trucker for a sketchy outfit that ran old worn-out trucks with loads beyond the weight limits. He described the game of avoiding the scales – he knew exactly where all of the scales were, the truckers let each other know on the CB when the scales were manned, and whenever he neared open scales he would call his dispatcher who would provide some roundabout route. Just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling about the trucking industry, doesn’t it?
In addition to ensuring that the vehicle is not overloaded, and that other papers are in order, stops at weigh stations are the only evidence the state has regarding interstate fuel taxation. We used to submit forms to PA, NJ and NY on a quarterly basis showing total miles traveled, miles traveled within a given state both laden and unladen, and gallons of fuel purchased, and where. Since each state applies road tax to fuel, they all want to make sure that if you’re using their roads, they are getting their revenue, either from fuel taxes paid at the pump, or with a separate check. This is why you’ll often find weigh stations located along main routes, shortly after the border.