There's a large station on I-84 in Connecticut just south of the Massachusetts border. I pulled off the road recently and watched the operation for a bit. Some guys they stop, while others are given a green signal which lets them continue back onto the interstate without stopping. What's going on there? There's a large shed that trucks enter and leave, and everything seems to be monitored by a crew in a tower. Additionally, there are overhead sensors across the highway and in the road surface back before the entrance. Was wondering what they are there for? Transponder of some sort? Plus, there's a posse of Troopers waiting for someone to pass by. They're on them like flies in a second. I saw them go after a pickup pulling a landscaping trailer. What gives?

 

i think it all has to do with the weight. You can only be hauling a certain amount of weight, and if you're over you get a steep ticket. Also, they check out the trucks for any mechanical problems such as checking the air brakes, lights, horn, and other stuff like that and i think the drivers log of hours that he/she has been driving on accasion. I live in CT and they have stories about the weight stations now and then and how they tend to ticket a lot of drivers.

later-mike

 

Here is the answer to some of your questions, I didn't actually read the whole article myself, althought I am also interested in the topic.

My dad works in the trucking industry, and he has told me about the transponders over the road before the station. I believe it's called a pre-pass. It helps eliminate having to get weight several times. If you get weighed once, the info goes to your truck. The next station you come upon, the info is sent to the weight staton and you can pass the station without stoping. I believe there are conditions upon which you would have to get weighed again, such as maybe after you have traveled a set number of miles. I may have not explained it exactly as it is, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Great question, I'm interested in seeing what others have to say about this issue. I've never stoped to watch the operation, I may have to do that next time I'm near one.

 

I've also heard that they can check for off road (red) diesel there, is this true?

 

Rumor has it that 'they' can have you scale your Ram as well for weight as well. DMV let someone i know was allowed to transfer Amatuer Radio tags to his 3500... Think the tags are only good for up to 8000lbs... the truck is stickered at 10,500ish....

I'd guess they could check them for red fuel there are as well too... seen a few of 'the dippers' on the interstate up here, not sure if they work for the highway patrol or DNR (or both) but they just run a long wire with a piece of cotton or something at the end down your filler neck... if it comes up even a little pink you are in for a pretty stiff fine. They seem to target pickups and stuff more than the semi's for dipping. At least to me it'd seem really obvious to see a semi tractor filling up at the off-road pump, probably have the sherrif there before he could finish fillin'.

 

There are over 50,000 traffic related deaths a year of which 4800 are truck related. But cars and RV's do not like trucks, don't want them around, think there are out there just trying to kill little children. Not everyone thinks this way but most of the public puts undue pressure on law enforcement and the government to "control the dangerous truckers."

Originally scales were to check for weight violations. Now they are "inspection stations" that check for anything and everything. Personally I think that the way they are built and operated is part display so that the voting cars see that they are finally getting down on the darn truckers. In the name of safety, the trucking industry is getting put out of business. Depending on which report you read, from 74% to 83% of truck accidents are caused by cars, not trucks. But the truck is always at fault in the eyes of the public.

The sensors you mention are radio controlled devices that communicate with a "prepass" device that allows participating trucking companies to bypass the scales unless it is desired to pull them in. By and large the big companies get checked little in comparison to the individual trucker or owner operator. On a large facility the truck is checked as it goes through for how high it is. how much each axle group weighs, they look for the proper numbers and permits, proper plates and so on.

It is a very large income potential for the states, some being worse than others. 100 pounds overweight on an axle can cost a trucker a couple hundred in fines or more. In some states he can be shut down until the truck is legal.

On a four hundred mile trip to Indiana from Birmingham, there is a Tennessee scale, ten miles further there is a Kentucky scale, later there is another Kentucky scale, at the line there is another Kentucky scale, a few miles further an Indiana scale, and so on. Besides this, in the daytime there are any number of DOT cars running and rest area type of temporary stops set up. Trucking is the most over regulated system in the country. I can be completely legal but will go many miles to go around a scale because of the harassment involved and all I am trying to do is make a living.

Another thing that cars do not understand, it is extremely rare that an inspection does not find some violation. The fire extinguisher is just below the green on the dial, is not mounted correctly, you locked up your brakes and there is a spot with not enough tread, God forbid if you have a flat. Soda cans on the floor will get a violation, you mention Connecticut, you must have white sheets on the bunk and properly made. At any stop the cop will use his flashlight to sort through your dirty under-ware looking for pills or contraband.

At night you must stop when regulated, only there is not room in truck stops, or rest areas, so falling asleep you pull on an exit and stop for a couple of hours. That will get you a ticket. And where do you spend this 34 hour weekend time? One by one the experienced truckers leave the business and new inexperienced drivers fill the positions. I am personally dropping most of my interstate qualifications to stay local, I am tire of it.

New scales are constantly being built, Georgia has half dozen in construction. They will regulate trucks until there is a big problem or the truck having had enough shut the country down. Want to see the economy fall, let the trucks shut down for 48 hours. Want an example, I was late with a report where I owed $1.18 to the Alabama DOR (department of revenue) for fuel taxes. I was assessed a fine of $5,650.00 including penalties. Yeah I got out of it, but instead of making my truck safer I was fooling with the DOR for weeks.

I don't have a sleeper, if I get checked more than ten hours from home I get massive fines. See the time I slept without a sleeper is considered "on duty not driving" so I am way over log time, big fines, possibly shut down "out of service" for up to several days by the new standards. An out of service conviction means your insurance goes up hundreds if you can get covered.

All these violations weather or not leading to a citation go into a computer file on your DOT number named "Safe stat" Anyone can look at this information. You are charged with no trial,no court, and if the record is bad, no insurance. A DOT officer has this information on his screen when he stops you. "Hey, this guy has had two violations for no sleeper, bring him in"

Who suffers for all this, besides the trucker, the public ultimately does. The cost of operation is passed on to the public in every product. My rates go up, it costs the dealer more to move a car, you pay more for the car.

The plan out there should be "How can we get these trucks safely through our area" not the current "Lets get them darn truckers, our budget is low this year."

Want a perfect example. Regardless of the surveys showing that 55 was more unsafe and put much more traffic on the highways, it was mandatory to drive 55 for years. The governments spend many millions hiring troopers, and for safety enforcing the 55 limit. Then they finally decided to raise it. Those many millions were just thrown away, for what? Accidents went down when the limit was raised. Some states still don't get it, 55 puts you to sleep, literally.

Getting off subject, scales, gotta go sorry....

 

so who should stop ?? ill be going to ohio in july pulling a enclosed trailer and will be right around 20g combined.... should i stop if the house is open ??? i always go right bye

 

As far as I know if your under 26001 GVW and not commerical you don't go into a scale....some states may be differant....you could be weighted and checked for red fuel and insurance at road side spot checks if they are doing a random check setup

I've seen some Rock Star luxury busses that are tagged as commerical that pull into scales but most times they get waved thru without being weighted

Like Haulin_in_Dixie said the DOT is not fun to play with anymore....if they pull you in for an inspection they will find something wrong with your rig....if your over weight up to a certain point its a big fine....if your really overweight then you must unload until your at or below your GVW before you can leave the scale

 

I agree with everything that haulin in dixie said....plus truckers are the only group of people that are GUILTY till proven innocent in this country.

 

Well there is another group thats GUILTY until proven inocent....thats any one with a commerical boat licence like tow boat or ships....if you have any kind of accident your are relieved from duty as soon are you can dock or tie you boat up and your outta work until your hearing clears you of fault

Anyone that steers and gears for a livin has to deal with differant standards then the general public does

 

What Haulin' said.........I drove for 8 1/2 years. That was long enough. That was when the government "de-regulated" the trucking industry. De-regulated my behind

 

_________________________________________
Quote:

"Cars and R.V.'s do not like trucks, don't want them
around.................."

_________________________________________

Haulin_in_Dixie:

Let me start off by saying that I respect what all the
truck drivers do for this country on a daily basis! My
brother is a driver for a large trucking company up
north and has driven OTR for many years. I hear him
say the same thing that you and the other members
are saying.

I also travel around the country alot in my Dodge CTD
pickups and I usually have the CB on channel #19.
What I hear,.....constantly, is a good number of the
truck drivers complaining about the "four wheelers"
and R.V.'s (they call them "Road Vermin" )
that are always doing something wrong in or around
them and what they would like to do to the respective
drivers of those vehicles!! Anyone who listens to the
C.B. can hear this! I also own a R.V. and have been the
recipient of some drivers comments when I have made a
mistake on the road. Maybe these are just a "few bad
apples" but I hear it nationwide. I know there are alot
of good, professional drivers all over the U.S. but a few
of the OTR truckers are sure making it hard on the good
ones!! And IMO, they bring on alot of the "regulations"
by some of their own actions on the road.

-----------
John_P

 

Haulin, I agree with all you have said. Three of my brothers were OTR drivers, and one of them was an owner operator. He started to tell me one day about all the fuel permits and such that he had to get for each state and how all that stuff worked. Made my head spin! I asked him how he managed to make a living having to pay all that crap.

The long and short of it is we need these trucks. I am taking an online business class, and one of the questions that the instructor put up to us was whether or not we would like to see big trucks banned from the road. The responses to this just blew my mind. One girl said that all the freight trucks haul could be hauled cheaper and faster by rail. How do combat that kind of logic?

I am struck every time when I go up and down the interstate, (and that is a lot!) how many cars you see sitting along side the road and how few trucks you see. I would think that most of these guys don't need Big Brother peeking over their shoulder telling them how to run their business. These guys know that their livelihood depends on that truck moving up and down the road in the safest way possible. There are exceptions to every rule, I know.

Lets give them a break. I have worked car accidents with semis and cars involved, and it seems that most of the people in the cars think these big trucks can stop on a dime. Most seem to have no concept of the time it takes to slow one down. We all need to check the mirrors and make sure we are safe.

Just my .02

 

sgrooms, just ask that girl EXACTLY how the things she buys will go from the rail yards to the stores. Ask her if the rail companies would be willing to build all the rail spurs necessary. Ask her to name something that she uses that has NOT been transported by a truck at one time or another. Ask her how she would feel with all the rail traffic running at all hours of the day and night close to her house. I bet then she would say we don't need rail either.
Tom

 

EXACTLY what Haulin said. Anybody that drives a 4 wheeler should spend 2 weeks driving a semi. Your attitude will change. I have been fined at the scales in a two week old truck for a bulb out. They will find something wrong. Ontario Canada has what they call truck jails. Impound for weeks if a brake violation is found. Overweight on an a axle with a dump truck? Better get the shovel out because you ain't gonna move until it is legal. Ran there for years and always bypassed the "coops". Drive by without stopping? Automatic fine. The motoring public are an ignorant bunch. Need a CDL for 26000+, don't need one for a motor-home or 5th wheel. See any logic in that??