Skipping the scales means a CMV inspection, ticket, possible out-of-service order, CHP warns

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is reminding truckers that they must obey signage directing commercial vehicles to stop at scale house facilities if they want to avoid consequences.

On March 1, troopers with the CHP – Grapevine Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility took to social media to scold a trio of commercial vehicle drivers for skipping the scale house:

“All Trucks Must Stop At Scales,” means all trucks must stop at the scales. We have been focusing our efforts on those trucks that are required to stop and don’t. Passing in groups won’t help you, as these three found out. You are guaranteed a roadside inspection, a ticket, and possibly an escort back to the scales for out of service.

The post generated hundreds of comments, many coming from members of the trucking community. See what drivers had to say below.

• “Now I’ve only been doing this since 1977. I’ve been through the Castaic and Wheeler Ridge scales more times than I can count. I’ve had one overweight at Castaic, and zero out of service. I’ve had one overweight at Banning. Again, never been placed out of service. No need to run the scales if you do the job right.”
• “Meanwhile 40 other cars are passing by the scale going 80 mph.”
• “Nobody’s gonna willingly go in that money pit just to risk getting stopped for no real reason, get their safety score dinged and possibly get a citation simply because you’re trying to meet a quota. You’re almost guaranteed to fail an inspection now. It all depends on what side of the bed the officer woke up on. I’ve never been put out of service but I’ve failed more than a few inspections for very trivial things.”
• “Got to make that revenue off them truckers.”

California Vehicle Code requires that “Every driver of a commercial vehicle shall stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection of the size, weight, equipment, and smoke emissions of the vehicle at any location where members of the California Highway Patrol are conducting tests and inspections of commercial vehicles and when signs are displayed requiring the stop. Every driver who fails or refuses to stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection when signs are displayed requiring that stop is guilty of a misdemeanor.”