You are driving a U Haul truck, maybe you are moving to a new city or state and you want to know if you have to stop at weigh stations during your travel. That is a very good question. Let’s see if we can’t figure it out.
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Do U-Haul Trucks Need to Stop at Weigh Stations?
Yes, some U Haul trucks do need to stop at weigh stations. If the U Haul truck’s GVWR is greater than 10,000 pounds, you will have to stop. GVWR means Gross Vehicle Weight Rating in case you didn’t know.
Why Do Some Trucks Not Stop at Weigh Stations?
Some trucks do not stop at weigh stations because they weigh less than 10,000 pounds. If a truck’s GVWR is less than 10,000 pounds, they do not have to stop. All trucks are not required to stop.
One reason that some trucks do not stop at weigh stations is because there are scales built into the roadbed. As truck drivers approach the scales that are embedded into the right lane of the freeway, they will get a green light telling them to bypass the scales.
On the other hand, they may get a red light telling them to enter the scales with their truck. Another way that trucks can bypass the weigh station is by using PrePass.
If a truck has a PrePass transponder in the windshield then they will still get a green light or red light. Green means go and bypass the scales, and red means enter the scales and stop.
Some trucks do not want to stop at weigh stations and so they do whatever they can to bypass the weigh station. There are systems put in place to assist truck drivers who do not want to stop at weigh stations.
We mentioned PrePass but we’ll discuss PrePass further later in the article.
How Do You Avoid Truck Weigh Stations?
One way to avoid truck weigh stations is to just not stop as you drive through. However, this is not going to go over well for you. Highway patrol will chase you down and give you a big ticket and you’ll still have to enter the scales at the end of the day.
Another way to avoid truck weigh stations is to use PrePass. There are other companies that do the same thing but PrePass is one of the main companies.
What Happens If I Don’t Stop At A Weigh Station?
If you don’t stop at a weigh station you can’t actually get weighed. There are scales in the road that can weigh the truck as you approach. However, you can choose not to stop.
Even if you do not stop, you will get chased down by highway patrol and be made to stop. So to avoid all of the commotion, I would simply stop when I am supposed to stop and keep going when it is not necessary to stop.
The only time it may not be necessary to stop is when your light turns green. If your light turns green, that means you are free to keep going.
If you choose not to stop at a weigh station then whatever happens next is kind of your fault. Highway patrol is going to track you down and if you keep going you will now be on a high speed chase from the law. Trust me when I say you don’t want those problems.
You run the risk of getting into a lot of trouble if you choose not to stop at weigh stations. You could lose your CDL or have it suspended. It really depends on how far this thing goes. If you are in violation and you try to keep from going to the weigh station, things aren’t going to go well for you.
Do I Have to Stop at a Weigh Station if I’m In a Rush?
You may have an emergency or be in a rush and don’t really have time to stop at a weigh station. Well, hopefully everything with your truck is good and it can bypass the scales altogether. If not, the scales will probably not take too long to weigh you so you should still go any ways.
It can feel like you don’t have any choice in the matter and you may want to take matters into your own hands but I’m here to tell you that it is always better to obey the law and stop as they tell you to. If you’ve been driving trucks for any amount of time you already know the routine and should definitely stop at the weigh station.
Nine times out of ten, you’ll be able to bypass the weigh station if you are already in compliance with the weight limit. The whole point of having you stop at a weigh station is to make sure you aren’t hauling too much weight. This is for the sake of you and others that are on the road with you.
So do the right thing and stop at the weigh station.
Must a U Haul Truck Stop at Weigh Stations?
A U Haul truck must stop at weigh stations if their GVWR is over 10,000 pounds. So it may be based on the size of your U Haul truck whether you’ll have to stop or not. It just depends.