Weigh Stations Could Be Costing You More Than You Think

Have you ever wondered how much it costs your business each time a driver has to stop at a weigh station? Drivewyze decided to find out. The company analyzed data from 13 million individual site visits nationwide from September to October of last year. 

The average time it takes a driver to pull into a weigh station and re-enter the highway is three minutes and 37 seconds, which is equal to $9.26 in lost productive time per pull-in. These costs can add up for a carrier who has multiple drivers out on the road. 

Carriers know when they are getting inspected, but often times they might not realize how often they are getting pulled in and waved through. Here’s a breakdown: 

• 25 percent of trucks pulled into weigh stations are out in less than a minute 
• 25 percent are in and out between 48 seconds – one minute and 18 seconds 
• 25 percent range from one minute 19 seconds – two minutes and 21 seconds 
• 25 percent runs from two minutes and 21 seconds – eight hours 

The average pull-in times also varied by state: 

• Massachusetts with six minutes and 33 seconds 
• Wyoming with six minutes and 32 seconds 
• New York with five minutes and 47 seconds 
• Pennsylvania with four minutes and 24 seconds 
• West Virginia with three minutes and 44 seconds 

 

One solution is to institute more bypass systems in heavier-traveled areas. For example, one truck in Minnesota bypassed a weigh scale 14 times per day and saved 13 hours or $2,005 per month for that single truck. 

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