# Question about highway weigh stations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-highway-weigh-stations/117716>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 7, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-highway-weigh-stations/117716 "2002-07-07T01:30:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![adjensen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@adjensen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adjensen)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-highway-weigh-stations/117716/1 "2002-07-07T01:30:57Z")

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Anyone know why these things (they’re all over the place, trucks are supposed to pull in and be weighed) are closed about 95% of the time? Are the employees always on vacation or something? 🙂

Seriously, I’ve driven all over the United States, and can’t remember the last time I saw one of these open. I’m sure that not having them open helps with traffic flow, but aren’t they supposed to serve some sort of purpose? Some states have a sign vaguely warning of “mobile patrols” when the stations are closed, but I haven’t seen any of those, either, and unless a truck was obviously overweight, I can’t imagine what they’d pull someone over for anyway.

I know that the stations aren’t out of date, because I saw a new one under construction today (on I-94 in Michigan near the Indiana border.) Of course, the one on the other side of the highway (construction long completed) had a “Closed” sign on it.

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-highway-weigh-stations/117716/2 "2002-07-07T01:40:57Z")

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they’re opened at random, that way the truckers won’t know which are open at any given time and cannot warn others too far ahead. having a few rotating open stations is far more effective and cheaper than having them _all_ constantly operating, where the deviant truckers can plan ahead and avoid the scales by taking an alternate route.  
i think i got this from the [imponderables](http://imponderables.com/) books by david feldman.

peace,  
~mixie

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-highway-weigh-stations/117716/3 "2002-07-07T01:43:16Z")

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[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101991&highlight=weigh+AND+station) my thread of 7 months ago asking basically the same thing.

As I was reminded, do a search first before posting a new thread.