Weight enforcement policies are put in place because overweight vehicles damage roadways and shorten their life. When this happens more public tax dollars must be allocated to repair deterioration of roadways and bridges. One five axle truck weighs about the same as 20 automobiles, but impacts the roadways the same as 9,600 autos, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
If you are stopped at a scale and your truck is overweight, officers may elect one or more of the following enforcement options:
- Shifting or redistribution of the load may be required
- Off-loading may be required in certain situations
- Drivers of overweight vehicles may be cited
- Cash bonds may be required to insure a court appearance.
To avoid having issues and to comply with weight laws, make sure you know the weight of your truck/trailer when empty. If you have not filled up with diesel, you also need to consider the additional weight of adding fuel. Diesel fuel is approximately 6.943 lbs/gallon. So 150 gallons of fuel can add over 1,000 lbs of weight.
Knowing your weight when fueled up, allows you to know how much weight the shipper can add. If the load that the shipper is adding seems unbalanced or overweight, say something. Use your experience to recognize weight issues and load balancing. Being aware of overall weight and the limits per axle, can help prevent large fines, as well as citations.
