i was driving on I-35 the other day and I saw a sign that said "all vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more must weigh". so if I had a boat on the back of my truck which would put the truck over 10,000 would I have to weigh in, even if it is not a commercial load?

 

It's a weigh station for comercial rigs. Private drivers do not have to stop. They'll wave you thru if you do and laugh as your pulling back onto the freeway. They've probably got tick marks carved on the wall to keep track of private pickups pulling boats/campers that pull off.

 

Iowa can be real funny about that, the general rule of thumb is commercial weigh and non pass by. Now with that being said I have been in Iowa scales and seen them many times run out and chase someone down. I would call the DOT and ask, better to be safe then sorry.

 

I agree with Haulin in all reality its MUCH better to pull in be laughed at and waved through than get one on a bad day that chases you down and tickets you for driving by the scale. I dont know much about Iowa scales yet....

 

We went to Moab Ut from NW MN a couple years ago. 2 pickups, 1 with a gooseneck and 2 jeeps, and a pickup and car trailer with 1 jeep. We blew past the scales in IA, NE, SD, CO, and UT. Never had an issue. We are going again, but this time we will have 2 Goosenecks and 4 jeeps. I guess we will see. I am making sure I have a MN DMV manual with me though.

What is with the Scales in NE. Do they have scales imbedded in the right lane of the interstate? I looked like they had some sort of system to flag trucks down to pull in.

 

the guys in ia tell me that everyone must stop or they have a fit its better to stop then get chased down trust me

 

Some states are just "odd" And clearly there is not much of a "standard" when talking pvt vehicle's.

I was once chased down and stopped for "blowing" a scale with a Chevy van towing a open car trailer with a Bronco on it. I was not ticketed after the officer made me promise to stop next time. Three weeks latter same scale same van/trailer with a Blazer of a friends on it...we were yelled at for stopping "get out of here your not commercial" This happened in Wisconsin.

Iowa: I have never stopped at a Iowa scale..this last summer I was chased down, turned around and weighed, and fined $187 for not stopping. When I protested I was told I could be impounded for not having proof of who owned the load "how do you prove you own household furniture"

Nebraska: Never been stopped on the freeway yet...they have a system that weighs you in motion and well...........never been bothered. On the OTHER hand I was once stopped at a roadside weigh and ticketed for overweight generously. (who knew a enclosed trailer could hold so much weight in PVC fence) even the officer was surprised LOL

I have just given up trying to understand the laws and I just stop or drive by depending on my mood. Rare I have anything to hide so I usually just drive right on by.

NoRM

 

Its is possible, I saw a piece on tv about how modern scales are going to on the fly technology were trucks are weighted as they drive over a certain point and they are like within 10% correctm if you over like xxxxx pounds you will be diverted to weight in on a real scale.

 

This makes sense for them to do get an approx weight and if its that heavy stop and get a true weight think it would save a lot of hassle with like empty trailers stopping and such.

 

I can't remember if it was here or another forum but a member pulling a boat got stopped at a scale and they wouldn't let him go on with it because the boat had over 100 gallons of gas on it and they said it had to have hazmat placards . I know cars are classified as hazmat and require $1,000,000 liability but they don't require placarding or a hazmat endorsement .

 

I read the signs. If it says "all commercial vehicles" or some such, then I pass.

If it says "all trucks", or if it says something specific about weight (as the poster stated), then as I am in a TRUCK, and my tagged weight is above what the sign says, I would pull in. Let them wave me through - I am doing it as a courtesy, and it would be helpful if the state's DOT had more specific signs, but often they don't.

I passed an agricultural inspection station in Florida with my 3500 towing a 12' trailer with a WWII Jeep on it, and got stopped. Pickups towing trailers are required to stop at AG stations in Florida.

I have crossed a lot of scales as private, not commercial, not-for-hire, and never been laughed at once. Tickets can be expensive, and so can fighting them.

 

in Nebraska all pickups pulling trailers must stop

 

They are doing that in OR/WA right now and have been for a few years. I was ticketed on I-5 @ the Ridgefield, WA scale about 3 years ago. I got the red light on the in cab monitor. I was legal on the 4 axles right @ 50,000 lbs but someone had screwed with the 2 tag axle adjustments so the 2 center axles were over 34,000. The gal showed me the weigh in motion and the scale weight as I sat on it. The #'s were within 20 lbs total. Much closer than 10%.