Stopping at Weight Stations

Brett C · June 22, 2020

I just bought a 40' Prevost Liberty coach. GVWR is 42000. I just weighed it and it's about 35000. As I was doing some research, it looks like some states require I stop at weight stations.

What are the legal requirements?

Alie&Jim's Carrilite · June 22, 2020

You don't have to stop. Weigh stations are for commercial vehicles which unless you are in business you're not commercial.

Kirk W · June 22, 2020

Welcome to the Escapee forums! Alice&Jim are correct and they do not appreciate it if you do stop. There is no state which requires a privately owned recreational vehicle of any kind to stop at the port of entry or weigh stations.

ARGO · June 22, 2020

I beg to differ. Maryland scales are posted as "ALL vehicles over 5 T must cross". A big stink ensued several years ago because Grandpa with his motorhome (2 drive axles obviously over26K) was being ticketed for no CDL of any kind. FMCA jumped in & the law is not being enforced, but to my knowledge is still on the books. I dragged my rig across a scale maybe 7 yrs ago & the cop was pissed I came in. I asked if he knew what the word "ALL" meant & he chased me out, told do NOT return.

Kirk W · June 22, 2020

11 minutes ago, ARGO said:

Maryland scales are posted as "ALL vehicles over 5 T must cross"

Interesting. I wonder if there are any other exceptions? With the limit of 10K, pretty much any motorhome would be in that group, yet we traveled through Maryland with our 20K motorhome several times and were never bothered! This is from Maryland's MDOT website:

Quote

8. What vehicles must go through weigh stations in Maryland?

All vehicles with a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 10,000 pounds must stop at open weigh stations. Only vehicles that are operating in commerce may be subject to a safety inspection.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Kirk W

Chalkie · June 22, 2020

We were in Minnesota and came upon a weigh station with signage that included the words "including all recreational vehicles". This was a mile or so before the weigh station and when we got to it it was closed so we did not have to cross. Here is an interesting article concerning RVs and weigh stations.

https://camperreport.com/do-rvs-have-to-stop-at-weigh-stations/#:~:text=While there are specific state,weigh station in the USA.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Chalkie

podwerkz · June 22, 2020

Most weigh stations have a bypass lane, so if you are driving a more or less normal looking RV (motorhome, travel trailer, 5th wheel) and decide that you are required to pull in, and unless it is blocked or marked with a red X or something, many times it is acceptable to make a slow roll thru the bypass lane. Slow down, wave, if the officer motions to go ahead, you're good. IF he (or she) signals or motions for you to stop, then by all means, stop.

HDT RV drivers, you're on your own! 😎

Edited June 22, 2020 by podwerkz

Kirk W · June 22, 2020

2 hours ago, Chalkie said:

Here is an interesting article concerning RVs and weigh stations.

The author should be a politician. Her conclusion is that there is no conclusion.

Brett C · June 23, 2020

Wow!!! A definite maybe. Thanks everyone for your input. I guess if the sign call out RVs over 10,000 or 26,000, I'll pull in, otherwise I will sail on by.

Randyretired · June 23, 2020

1 hour ago, Brett C said:

Wow!!! A definite maybe. Thanks everyone for your input. I guess if the sign call out RVs over 10,000 or 26,000, I'll pull in, otherwise I will sail on by.

That is the way we do it with our HDT. I checked with the Colorado and Utah weigh stations and they said we didn't need to stop and please don't.

Ray,IN · June 24, 2020

On 6/22/2020 at 8:55 PM, Brett C said:

Wow!!! A definite maybe. Thanks everyone for your input. I guess if the sign call out RVs over 10,000 or 26,000, I'll pull in, otherwise I will sail on by.

There was a long thread on irv2 about this about 3 years ago. One resident posted the actual law, verbatim. The the responses from BMV state officials, and the head of the commercial licensing section and enforcement section.One man was stopped and ticketed for bypassing a scale, which began the thread.

My opinion of that thread is the same as yours.

Dennis M · July 1, 2020

Note my sig. We have been towing with the HDT since 2004. Have never stopped at a scale, never had an issue. I do have the correct non-CDL class license.

In North Carolina one time the DOT was conductind a safety check in a rest area that we pulled into and they totally ignored us.

GeorgiaHybrid · July 2, 2020

No problems with weigh stations but have gone thru the commercial lanes at California Ag Control stops because of our size. The only problems have been with the border control idiots. Their signage says ALL RV's into one lane and commercial trucks into a different lane. Several of them told me I was commercial (I'm not) and one swore I had to have a CDL (I don't) and that I have to go thru the commercial lanes (I didn't).

If the signage states all TRUCKS over 26K, you are on your own. Our KW is registered as a motorhome so I ignore the weigh stations and keep going.

Dutch_12078 · July 3, 2020

The only highway weigh stations we've stopped at were a few over the years that were closed and we knew they leave the scales on and we could read our weight on the visible display. Not a good place to try for individual wheel weights though...