I have a 26' straight truck rated at 25,950 lbs that needs to go from TX to Minneapolis. We loaded today and our actual gross weight is 26,940 lbs. I have called the port of entry in MO and IA, both of whom say that the vehicle would need to be off-loaded to meet the GVWR because of the commodity (HHG). In anyone's experience, is there a percentage or poundage of leniency? The driver does not have a CDL by the way. I was hoping to be able to purchase an overweight permit, but it doesn't sound like I'll be able to. I'm tempted to chance it, but I don't want to get stuck at a weigh station and have to scramble to get another truck either. When I was less educated, I passed through a weigh station way more overweight than this truck will be, and nothing was said about it. Any advice/experience you can share would be greatly appreciated!

You definitely can't permit the load. With standard tractor - trailers, most scales will give you a few hundred pounds... some might give you a 1k, some might not give you a single pound. It's really a crap shoot. My guess is that since you're in a box truck, they might not mess with you, but you are taking a big risk. The scales are pretty easy to avoid in a box truck. I might be inclined to do it and stick to the back roads, but that's just me. I'm not recommending it.