Avoid Weigh Stations unless you are invited to pull in by the DOT.
I’m often asked “Why don’t I just make sure that my truck will pass inspection and send them through a weigh station to help improve my vehicle maintenance scores?
“Purposeful inspections” are a very slippery slope.
Honestly, I’ve never seen it work out well.
For each clean inspection, you get a total of 3 “Time Weight” Points added to your SMS scores. For carriers with few inspections, those 3 time points can make a big difference in the VM score. The more inspections that you have, the less impact this “strategy” will have.
Let’s unpack this a little. First, “requesting an inspection” isn’t really a thing. Trucks coming in to weigh stations are carefully screened for a number of different issues. You can’t really roll through and just self-select into the inspection lane.
There is a reason that a very successful business (PrePass) exists…to help trucking companies avoid weigh stations.
You have to think about the situation you’re rolling into a bit more. You’re running your truck through a chicken coop literally teaming with folks whose job in life is to find mechanical defects with trucks and driver paperwork problems. These folks are paid to do a job and most take a great deal of pride in what they do.
Like surgeons, they aren’t paid to consult. They’re paid to cut.
To boot, most rookie DOT cops cut their teeth at weigh stations. So, you’re typically dealing with inspectors who are out to prove themselves and they will do just that.
DOT Inspectors prepare for a CVSA Level 1 inspection.
And, you’re rolling in there “asking” to be inspected? It’s like a personal challenge to an inspector to find something.
Employing a strategy of dressing up for the inspection “knowing that they will pass” is a huge gamble. Even the most buttoned up trucks being taken care of by the best mechanics can have undiscovered issues.
Then take that thought and apply it to most fleets out there. What is the condition of your equipment? What is the quality of the mechanics working for you?
Say that a truck gets busted for something that’s really nothing. (sometimes inspectors are just having a bad day and nobody’s leaving without a present).
“
Inspection, repair and maintenance of parts and accessories
” is a common violation that is given for something that an officer doesn’t like the condition of but can’t quite file it under a more specific regulation. Or, if a condition exists but they want to “cut the driver a break” and only cite them with this.
That’s a 2 “severity” point “thanks for wasting my time” violation. (which is really 6 total weight points to start).
All of these other factors considered, think about how many times this would have to work successfully to make an impact on the score versus the possibility of an inspector finding or inventing something.
I liken it to casino gambling without the entertainment value.
The smartest people stay as far away as possible and save their time, energy and money. If you end up inside there, you’re truly gambling with real money and the house almost always wins in the end. If you make it out with a clean inspection, you’ve seriously beat the odds.
Do yourself a favor and always avoid weigh stations. I promise, the better strategy is to invest time, energy and money into having a well maintained fleet and staying the hell away from those places while letting time eat away at your prior gambling losses on your SMS.
