Are coach buses required to stop at weigh stations in the United States? And why are weigh stations located near state lines? Finally in what kind of work do state troopers do at weigh stations?
10 Answers
No. Weigh stations are required for trucks. The purpose of the weigh stations is to weigh the cargo on the truck. Basically the weigh stations are at certain points. Those points are check points. The check points are at the end of the state line because if the trucks pass through to the next state with the incorrect weight then it becomes illegal. The purpose of the weigh station is weigh each truck for two reasons. The first is to make sure that the driver can carry the cargo safely without having too much aboard causing a risk to the safety of the driver or anyone else on the road. The other reason is because the states have certain weight requirements for trucks. They want to make sure that each truck meets the state requirement. Now as it relates to coach buses, they are not required because they are not carrying any cargo with the exception of people aboard. The state troopers at the weight stations check if the weight meets the standard and is passed if it does.
Friendly Stranger has the gist of it, the officers at the weight stations are specially trained in USDOT ( United States Department Of Transportation ) rules and requirements, and in addition to verifying that the truck is legally loaded, which is determined on a per axle basis, they often will randomly pull a truck in for a safety inspection, which will include at a minimum, a review of the drivers log and a walk around visual inspection of the of the truck including checking all lights and easily visible equipment such as tires, wiper, horns and the like. On rare occasions they will perform a random comprehensive safety inspection on a truck which will include inspecting the brakes, the fifth wheel ( the hitch between the tractor and trailer ) and an under body inspection of the tractor and trailer searching for cracked frame rails and / or damaged cross members.
These officers also put up with frequent CB jibes as drivers never want to be stopped – even when they are completely in compliance – because an inspection usually costs the driver about an hour of his available driving day, which subsequently puts the driver behind schedule – even when he and his truck pass inspection with flying colors! I have been there and even as a professional driver I respect those officers for the largely thankless job they do – without them, and the authority and recourse they wield, sadly it is true that many drivers / trucking companies would all to easily disregard safety in the interest of a few more percentage points of profit, the dedicated DOT officers of the United States are substantially responsible for the safety of the trucking industry as a whole and the safety of all highways for all travelers.
A Kentucky State Trooper told me today that school buses, coach buses, church buses, etc, must pull through weigh stations. There usually is a green light, as you pass slowly. If the officer manning the weigh station changes the light to red, you must pull off and comply with their investigation.
Weigh Stations In Va
No buses do not stop. Weigh stations are to prevent overloading trailers but may have incorporated smuggling inspections.
Weigh stations have a lane that is basically a giant scale, your trailer has it’s weight printed on it and a max load. Subtract trailer weight from gross weight and find Max load, if you’re over loaded you get a ticket and some used to dump part of your load, I doubt that happens anymore.
Yes there are several states that require buses to weigh. MO/KY/PA/MD/MS to name a few. GA and FL are questionable. This is in response to the rash of bus related fatality accidents recently.
a bus station is not a place where a bus stops, its a place where the bus is kept after its schedule is over, and cleaning, repairing works will be done there at the bus station, nothing but the place where some work regarding buses will be going on………….the same way happens at railway stations.. cleaning, linking of compartments, changing engines etcc… so ur workstation is a place u work according to ur needs….i think u got it,
If the sign specifically says “buses” or “motor coaches,” or says “All commercial vehicles,” then commercial motor coaches must stop. If it only says “trucks,” they do not have to stop.
Nope…….
no,