Good Question: Why do we have weigh stations?
MINNEAPOLIS — You've probably driven by a weigh station along a Minnesota highway. Unless you drive trucks, you've probably never stopped at one.
That had Joe from St. Mary's Point wondering: Why do we have weigh stations? Good Question.
Minnesota highways can handle a lot, but even the road has its limits.
"The roads are built off certain volumes of traffic mixed with the legal weights," Sgt. Derek Livingston said.
Anything beyond that can drastically shorten the lifespan of a road.
"There's some studies out there that say even 1-3% of vehicles that are overloaded can decrease the life cycle of the roadway by 25%," Livingston said.
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Livingston is a commercial vehicle inspector with the Minnesota State Patrol. They oversee the nine weigh stations across the state.
In Minnesota, vehicles over 10,000 pounds need to stop at weigh stations and they need to stop at every one as long as they're open.
After entering, they drive over a "weigh in motion" platform and tire scanner, which determines if they can continue onto the highway or pull in for a full weigh.
They check different weight points on the truck. The total weight can't exceed 80,000 pounds — unless they have a permit from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
"When a truck pulls in, we're looking to see if the current registration is displayed, annual inspection, carrier name and DOT numbers," Livingston said.
They also check much more.
"Making sure the driver isn't on a cell phone, making sure they're wearing a seat belt. Those seem strange but I'll bet seat belts, we get two or three a week," Livingston said. "If we see an issue, we send them up to the inspection lot."
Curtis Rosenburg is a truck driver of more than 20 years, but he knows from experience — safety comes first.
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"It's part of the job. I've been out here long enough, nothing bothers me," he said.
Some states exempt buses and RVs from having to stop at weigh stations, but they are required to in Minnesota.
"Really it's safety. Safety for all motoring public. We all have family members that travel on the roads so it's very important to all of us that work here," Livingston said.
