Is it legal to go around the scales?
 

Dodging the Scales: the great trucking-American passtime.

do it in Michigan and get busted doing it its a pretty hefty fine. buddy of mine did it about a year back going around the grass lake scale on 94. i don't recall the fine bu i do know that it was pretty hefty

By dodging the scales do you mean actually pass by them or take an exit before the scale exit and go an alternate route?

It all depends on what area you are in.

In many areas if you jump off and back on within a few miles of a scale house and do not have business on the route you took then yes it is often illegal.

In other areas it is perfectly acceptable to take an alternate route, just make sure that it does not look like you purpose for the route is to bypass scales.

yep-you can get ticketed for bypassing scales-Better make up a good story in advance on why you're on a road that goes around them.

Nope never legal to bypass a scale. Must be hiding something and if you are caught well be ready for the book to be thrown at you.

I will agree with Uturn, it really depends, many by pass the scales on I-40 in West Memphis, Ar using U.S. 70. In Ca many of the locals complain about trucks by passing the scales in Santa Clarita using the frontage roads right in front of the scales, however Ca Dot says it's a perfectly legal route and there is nothing they can do about it. However in other places they will try to hang you.

Re: Is it legal to go around the scales?
 

I guessing you are heavy with that big bunk truck. :roll: :lol:

Re: Is it legal to go around the scales?
 

I will just say that I am pleasantly plump at times.

Bypassing Casaic CA Scales
 

[ In Ca many of the locals complain about trucks by passing the scales in Santa Clarita using the frontage roads right in front of the scales, however Ca Dot says it's a perfectly legal route and there is nothing they can do about it.

Just an update on bypassing the Santa Clarita scales on the frontage road. That road is marked as a 7,000 lb weight limit. The road also takes you right by CHP's front door. I would not recommend that bypass route for that scale.

Only time I've passed them is when traffic conditions wouldn't let me over or the scales state otherwise, ie, yesterday on I-495 (Capitol beltway yesterday) or one that states when scale is full to bypass it. 99% of the time I've pulled in though.

Re: Bypassing Casaic CA Scales
 

My fault not the side where the scales are but the south side of the interstate the old highway road, however it's been a while since i needed to use that road maybe it has changed.

Legal....maybe...fast....no!

I try to keep my books up to date and BOL's ready anytime on the road in case I get pulled in. The better prepared you are at the scale house, the less likely you'll get a lever 1,2, or 3 inspection. Last night at the Manchester, TN scale, they were opening each drivers door! When they saw my paperwork/insurance/BOL's ready to roll, they waved me through after climbing up and peeking in the sleeper. Took me 20 min to get through that scale :x

BTW- If you bypass the Manchester scale- you're an idiot. I did that with a straight truck a few years ago and that was horrible!

Now, see, that's the kind of thing that really pisses me off. I probably would have gotten pulled around back because I keep my door locked and I don't beleive that they have the right to open your door and look in your truck without a warrant. I would have expressed that belief and since cops are not famous for their tolerance to disagreement I expect I would have done a Level 1.

Of course I would also have felt good about making them adhere to the Constitution.

True, but the DOT has the right to inspect any truck they wish. Besides, if I was a cop, and someone refused to open, the first thing I would suspect if that the driver is hiding something :wink: I play "yes sir" "No sir" and, as it played out, worked well for me. The harder the time you give them, the harder time they give you.

Oh, I understand that. And for the record there's nothing in my truck that I would care if they found, but I'm a firm believer in keeping them honest. Refusal of a search request is not probably cause and any judge in the country would laugh them out of the courtroom if they asked. Will this tactic get you back on the road with maximum speed and minimum hassle? No.

I might be wrong but I expect yoopr would do the same.

Opening the door
 

I have heard both side of the right to search arguement. I will no longer agree to have anybody look in my truck. I was pulled over one night and the officer accused me of running 93 mph. I had my cruise control set at 76 mph. The KS speed limit was 70. I grabbed my phone and started to dial. It was 0300. I guess the cop thought it was a little weird that I was calling someone at that hour. I told him that I was calling my compnay so they could run a speed audit off the Qualcom (total BS). I then informed him that my truck was gearbound at 87 mph and as he could see were on flat ground. (more BS). He cahnged his tune real quick.
"How about I give you a warning." He then wanted to search the truck. I informed him that my wife was asleep in the back. He jumped up on the running board and started to look around. So let's see, an officer tries to railroad me on a speeding ticket he knew was BS. I could have watched him pull a bag of cocain out of his pocket, throw it in the truck, and boom - I am in jail.

If someone wants to search the truck, they will have to have another officer from another agency with them. That is the only way I would ever consent to a search. I have been told by police officers that your refusal to consent to a search, cannot stand as probable cause to seach you. The officer has to have some probable cause to search ypu.

Heck, the officer at the Ashland OR scale TOLD me how to get around the scale... as did a TX DOT officer regarding the Huntsville scale...

If I'm on a legal truck route, I don't sweat it. If I'm NOT on a legal truck route, I only sweat it a little teensy bit. As long as it's good road, I don't feel any guilt!

speaking of inspections, what are the levels of inspections and what do they entail/what are the differences?

After I had a TX DOT search my truck I will never allow a officer to search my truck again without probible cause. I consented to a search because I have nothing to hide from them and after thier search was done and they turned up nothing, not even a light burned out. My truck was completely destroyed, my movies and clothes were all over my sleeper my paperwork was all over the cab, and they crawled all over the load and crushed some of the boxes that ended up being refused. When I saw what they had done I had thier supervisor meet me at the next truck stop in Willis TX and he told me that they did not have to put anything back and they could do whatever they felt was nessary to complete their search.

Destroying the truck
 

That is total BS. I have heard of that happening to others. If they are going to search and destroy - I will not consent!!!! If they want to go in the trailer, They have to remove all "metal" items that could scratch the cars. Then they have to sign the paperwork that they were in there. So if any damage claims come up..... Tossing a guy's truck is crap!!!

Who won this poll?

Can anyone elaborate closely on bypassing those Santa Clarita scales..?

Re: Is it legal to go around the scales?
 

There is a Provision in the Books for Evading scales

D&mn right it's legal. Here in Texas the service road (Yankee translation: frontage road) often runs within fifty-feet of the scale house so they know you're doing something wrong. I rarely do it since I'm a good boy and do everything right. :roll: :wink:

I did it once in Virginia when I was a thousand pounds over and had no trailer brakes... in a snow storm... hmm.. best not to get into that with all the goodie-goodies around here. :wink:

yeah and now every county, City, and municipality in Texas has their own version of DOT :P

I had a pickup in San Marcos and immediately after leaving the shipped I u-turned back to go south on I-35. There is no entrance ramp there, so I was on the frontage road. The scale is right there but there is no access to it from the frontage road.

A trooper saw me go by, got in his car and chased me down. I explained where I just came from (pointed at it, actually, from where he stopped me), and showed him the manifest. He let me go. So you know they are looking.

Another driver from my company left the same place in a 26' box truck once and they motioned him across the median to the scale. No way would I comply with that, box truck or big truck or not.

As an aside, the New Waverly (not Huntsville) scale at the 101 on NB I-45 out of Houston can be bypassed easily via the exit before and US75. There is a tire shop right down the road which makes a handy excuse. I've never done it -never had to, don't care to- but there's the 411 if you want it.

-p.