When I was OTR with Schneider a lot of my loads where out of the way of weigh stations, therefore I would pull through a scale maybe once a week and many times i could bypass the scales with PREPASS but now I have to drive through scales pretty much 2 times a day, once in Ohio and once in Michigan every night which is more than I am use to.

I have had the green light every time but I was just curiuos about exactly what happens if you get the red light and have to pull into the weigh station. I know they can ask for your logbook,medical card and CDL.

How intrusive are they into your logs?
Do they only flash red lights if you are overwieght?
Under what circumstances can they keep you from leaving?
What kinds of tickets and fines are common and how much do they cost?
If your tandems are not in the right hole what happens?

 

They'll go back 7 days. They may check your math for errors. They also have software for street level address to street level address. Another words, they can check your mileage from your starting point to the scale, and if they want to, check all the mileages for the past seven days. You may also be asked for toll tickets to check the time against your log. With everything else looking good, if that toll does not match your log, you're OOS.

They can flash the red at you anytime they get curious. Or, you may simply get lucky and be one of "every tenth truck".


Flat tire, air leak, fuel leak, falsification of log, and any violation that calls for an OOS.


I've never had a fine at a scale in OH or MI, but I've seen a few tickets other drivers have gotten in AR, IL, VA, and CA. I've gotten a ticket in VA for being 1,100 over on my drives and could not correct it. (Picked the load up at a freightliner dealership from another driver who was broke down. Didn't have to go far, just the other side of the scale.) $58. Only overweight I have ever had.

I've seen tickets that other drivers have gotten in WI, $1,100. In KS, $155. In IL, $1,400. In CA, $2.300. In ME, $3,700. (The driver that came back from ME with the $3,700 was asked for his toll tickets. He handed them all over, nearly a dozen, and all but 2 did not match his log.)


I've never had MI enforce the bridge law, but from what I've seen, in that part of the country, being in the wrong hole would mean you are heavy on one set of tandems. It also means a ticket. I have no idea what the fine is per pound, per hundred pounds or how they go. In VA, you have one hour to get your axles legal. If you can not make them legal, you get a fine. If you make them legal, you're free to go. But, if you get pulled around back for that, you better make certain ALL YOUR DUCKS ARE IN A ROW. They may look at everything else too.

 

I work for SNI and I get the red light occasionally, just follow the signs and roll through. Never had my log books or documentation checked.
Its probably a good idea though to pull in with a yellow light and if the station is open and you get no light at all, its not a bad idea to pull in as well.

 

What can keep you from being pulled around back is if ALL lights work, ALL mudflaps are in place, NO crap on the dash, your rig looks clean and mechanically sound, everything else considered.
The Texas scale on I-10 WB, just west of Brookshire, let me go without checking a thing 'cause a raggedy looking O/O pulled in behind me. Appearance can be everything. BOL

 

Do they look up trucks on their number and pull over those who have been fined or cited in the past for a complete inspection?

 

They CAN if they want.

 

Thanks for all the responses :lol:

I better start keeping my log books up to date. The scales are on I-75 just before you get to Toledo and the one right after you cross into Michigan. I figure it is a matter of time before I get a red light considering the fact that I have to go through 2 scales almost every night.

 

I heard if an O/O gets a bad reputation for being overweight, log book violations, or running a piece of junk that they would pull you over.

 

Well yeah charged, wouldn't you pull over a truck that you know has a rep for being put OOS? The local's around me always love to go after the log haulers because it is usually an easy overweight ticket. They also like to get the local trash haulers coming out of DC where the trucks are POS' with half the lights not working and mirrors missing.

One of the worst places to get stopped is in Stafford, VA by the locals. I have yet to see a truck that they stop not leave on it's own. Everyone has had the hook called on it. They have 2 officers and 1 Fire Marshall that is DOT certified and they have called the hook on trucks with a fire extinguisher that was not charged. Those 3 guys mean business and when interviewed by the local paper, they sounded like a couple of Super Troopers. :lol:

 

For me, at least, they generally take a cursory glance at my logs and then appear confused when they look at my Hazardous Waste Manifest. This is Texas scales.

Louisiana is almost always "pull across the scale and go ahead."

Yesterday I was running a four-placard load from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. I was carrying varying amounts of:

Class 3 Combustible
3 Flammable
4.1 Flammable Solid
4.2 Spontaneously Combustible
4.3 Water-reactive
5.1 Oxidizer
5.2 Organic peroxide
6 Toxic
8 Corrosive
Class 9 3082
Class 9 3077 (bulk)

I was placarded:

3 Flammable (this covers combustible)
4.3 Dangerous When Wet (5 lbs, but you placard any quantity)
Class 9 3077 (2550 lbs bulk containers)
Dangerous

Dangerous covered the 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6, 8, 9 (non-bulk drums/boxes) because although the aggregate weight was over 1,000lbs, I didn't have over 1,000 lbs of any of the individual classes.

We have a DOT exemption to carry all the classes in the same transport vehicle with certain packaging and segregation restrictions.

My manifest was 9 pages long. :twisted:


I got stopped at the scale in Refugio on 77 and the scale near El Campo on 59.

The second stop at the El Campo scale was no biggee- a quick glance at the log, open the side door so they can look at my fire extinguisher, and a glance at the manifest. The three DPS officers talked a bit about the placards.

The first stop was the Spanish Inquisition.

"Where are you going?"
"Where'd you come from"
"Shipping papers?"
"What placards are on your truck?" (???)
"Why do you have those placards?" (told him what I just told you)
"Is is secured properly?"
"Do you have your DOT Exemption letter?"
"Are you carrying any explosives or munitions?"
"Medical card?"
"Log book?"
"Extra bulbs and fuses?"
"Fire extinguisher?"
"DOT haz-mat permit?"
"Insurance?"
"Cab card?"

And on and on . . .

"Average rainfall in the Amazon Basin?" (not really)

Then I got a level 1.

Then I was free to go. I ALWAYS have all of my paperwork clipped together in my big metal clipboard so I don't have to dig.

Got a quick papers check today in Refugio as well. YMMV.

-p.