Weigh stations are designed to check the weight of your vehicle using large scales, to ensure that vehicles such as large commercial trucks do not exceed the allowable weight. If you are looking to avoid weigh stations, you can take an alternate route or wait for the weigh station to close. The applications of the weighing stations will be of great help, regardless of the method you choose, as they will tell you where the stations are located and if they are in operation or not.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Take an Alternative Route
Step 1. Plan your route in advance
To avoid weigh stations, you should know if you will come across any during your route. Plan your trip in advance so you can know where the stations will be during your tour.
You can plan the trip with your phone, writing your destination in a map application. This will give you directions and show you the roads you will take
Step 2. Find out where the weigh stations are located
The easiest way to do this is by using an app, such as Drivewyze or Trucker Path. The applications will show you exactly where the weighing stations are, in addition, many of the applications also serve as navigation applications and will be able to give you directions, as well as show you the weighing stations on the same map.
You can also type "nearby weigh stations" into a search engine and a map of nearby weigh stations will appear depending on your location
Step 3. Change your route to evade the station
If there is a weigh station on your route, you will have to make some changes to avoid it. You can change your route in advance by looking at a map, or you can exit the highway before reaching the weigh station and take an alternative route.
- A map application will show you alternative routes that you can take that will take you to your destination, although they may lengthen the journey a bit.
- Make sure to check that the alternate route does not have another weigh station.
Method 2 of 2: Wait for the toll station to close
Step 1. Locate all the weigh stations along your route
You can use a weigh station application on your phone or by typing "weigh stations near me" into a search engine. The weigh stations will appear on a map and you can check if there are any stations on your specific route.
Step 2. Find a rest area or truck stop before reaching the weigh station
Rest areas will appear in map apps, some weigh station apps, and travel apps. Typically, there are more rest areas or truck stops than weigh stations, so you can easily find one before reaching a weigh station.
Use apps like Apple Maps, RoadAhead, or Rest Area Finder to find nearby rest areas
Step 3. Use a weigh station app to find out if the station is open
Once you are in the rest area, check a weigh station app like Trucker Path or ScaleBuddy to see the status of the weigh station. These apps will tell you if the weigh station is open or closed, so you know if you can keep driving or if you need to stay in the rest area for a bit longer.
When the weigh stations appear on the application map, they will be displayed in green saying "open" or in red saying "closed"
Step 4. Wait until the weigh station is closed before proceeding
Keep checking the weigh station app to find out when the station closes. Be sure to refresh the app for up-to-date information. Once the app indicates that the weigh station is closed, you can continue driving.
- The closing hours of the weighing stations are different for each station; it may take 30 minutes or up to several hours.
- If you don't want to wait too long, it would be best to take an alternative route.