Got a new little gadget that will get you in a heap of trouble for defects. Neighbor got popped down by Richmond, shut him down due to a crack in the rim that he could not see from the outside. Looks and acts like a radar gun, DOT man stands to one side of your truck and pulls the trigger, within seconds he has results. Checks your tires, brakes and a few other things. Told him about the cracked rim, when he asked DOT to point it out, they pulled out a spray paint can and sprayed black paint on the rim in the area of the crack. Sure enough it showed up as a tiny little hairline crack, popped the wheel off, turned it around and the crack was much more noticeable between 3 lugs on the inside of the rim which of course when mounted on the truck, you cannot see it.

Speeds up inspections but catchs defects you simply cannot see unless you pull your truck apart on each PTI.

Good gravy...leave to to Virginia

It is most likely nothing more than a thermal imager. Some chicken coops are testing them for brake adjustment checks as you roll across. If your brakes are adjusted correctly, then they will glow brightly. The ones not adjusted will show up as cooler...which gets you the "go around" light. BOL

The "coops" around Knoxville TN have these. They are testing them for Oak Ridge National Labs. (saw it on history channel)

Well like I said, they do more than check your brakes for adjustment with it. That part is easy, you can use a handheld temp. gun than Joe Blow can buy at any auto parts store to check them yourself. He also put a steel plate on top of the tires and used another gun to shoot the tire for more detail as if he were checking the depth of the tread. Seems to be a pilot program like ya'll are saying, haven't heard or seen it anywhere else in VA yet.

most new weigh stations have what is simply an infra red laser. it only picks up heat. like the helicopters chasing cars at night. when your truck rolls across the scales, it sees heat on every brake drum. no heat means no friction = no brakes... PULL AROUND BACK & BRING IN ALL PAERWORK!!!!

there is very low tech gadget that will do the same thing, its called a pretrip inspection

Fredog,
I don't think you read this part. "sprayed black paint on the rim in the area of the crack. Sure enough it showed up as a tiny little hairline crack, popped the wheel off, turned it around and the crack was much more noticeable between 3 lugs on the inside of the rim which, of course when mounted on the truck, you cannot see it." BOL

popped the wheel off at the scale? I guess you dont need a jack or a wrench or an air compressor, you just "pop it off"

anyway. I was talking about brake adjustment, you should know before driving the truck if they are adjusted.

Fredog, he was not at a scale, it was a portable inspection. They deadlined the truck until the wheel was changed. The crack showed up when the DOT man sprayed it with paint on the outside, not something you normally do with a PTI, nor do you pop the wheel off to check the inside of the rim. They found the crack was much larger on the inside of the rim when the mechanic got there with a new wheel.

The brake adjustment, yes those little infrared temp guns work great for DOT to check you out. Not that it matters, the driver was not deadlined or cited for brakes, just a cracked rim.