Truckers Avoid Weigh Stations By 'Dodging The Scales'

Hundreds of thousands of truckers are on Texas roads with you every day. One of the ways our state helps ensure your safety is by mandating stops at weigh stations.

KXAN Austin News has uncovered a legal loophole, allowing some drivers to skate through under the radar. In trucker lingo, it's called "dodging the scales."

There are 76 permanent weigh stations operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The state makes truckers stop at those weigh stations, among other things, to make sure their loads are not too heavy, check their brakes and wheels, and make sure truck drivers are getting enough sleep on the roads, things that could put you at risk.

Failing to stop at any weigh station by disobeying a weigh station signal is illegal. The shortcut that saves truckers time and money is called "dodging the scales" by taking a detour. Currently, there is no law in Texas that makes it illegal to take a detour around a weigh station by taking another route.

"If they're trying to get around us, they're going to be illegal," said DPS Trooper Jeff Sones.

Exit 208 near San Marcos on Interstate 35 South is a truck driver's escape route.

"They'll take that exit," said Sones.

That's all to avoid Sones at the weigh station just a mile down the road.

"Every day, there's trucks that get off on the service road," said Sones.

Then, Sones said, they get back on I-35, barely slowing down.

"It's a time thing for them, that they've got to be at a certain location at a time," said Sones. "As a citizen, I would definitely be concerned."

The troopers man the weigh stations to keep you and the truckers safe. Their job gets even tougher when they're battling a Web site called Coopsareopen.com.

Truck drivers use the term "coops" for weigh stations because of old laws for weighing trucks that hauled chickens across the country. The site shows truckers how to dodge the scales by detailing detours around weigh stations. The information is available with a premium subscription and lets drivers share shortcuts across the country.

KXAN Austin News discovered a business card publicizing the site at a truck stop along I-35.

"I didn't know that existed," said Trucker Wayne Price, as he looked at the business card.

Price is a veteran of the road.

KXAN Austin News' Matt Flener asked, "Have you ever gotten around weigh stations?" Price said, "Yeah."

Though he said he doesn't dodge scales any more, he said the site is useful for others looking for a way around.

"If they got a problem and don't want to get caught, it would be useful," said Price.

"While it may be legal, it certainly isn't anything I know the local law enforcement nor us as an industry condone," said John Esparza, president of the Texas Motor Transportation Association.

Yet the TMTA fought against a bill two sessions ago to outlaw dodging at the weigh stations.

"It was a very broad piece of legislation," said Esparza.

That bill died in the Senate.

"From our perspective, that is also something that can be fixed at the local level," said Esparza.

Esparza said local police departments should stop truckers getting off before the weigh stations, not just DPS troopers.

"They should have to stop," said driver Finn Solheim.

As the law stands now, regular drivers said both the industry and the state should do more to stop the practice.

"It's unbelievable all the accidents I see here in Texas when you have the nice highways like you do," said Solheim.

"I'm not for it, I'm against it," said Gilbert Garcia, another Texas driver.

Others who saw the "Coops are Open" business card said the highways are the other victims.

"Who pays for these county roads? We do! Who pays for these highways, we do!" said Garcia.

"That ol' boy shouldn't be going past there," said Sones. "He probably took an exit to avoid us."

Back down the highway, the troopers said with so many trucks, there's not enough manpower.

"We do what we can out here," said Sones. "As a citizen, I would definitely be concerned."

All while the escape route stays open. KXAN Austin News also got a statement from the "Coops Are Open" Web site operators.

Flener asked if it was unsafe to give away information about getting around weigh stations.

A company spokesman responded by saying "Absolutely not! We do not advocate unsafe truckers, and we don't advise truckers to avoid weigh stations. We provide accurate information about the legality of certain routes and about rules, regulations and enforcement procedures that vary from state to state.

"There is a lot of information out there about the DOT, but it's not easy for drivers to find it. We operate a Web site that answers the questions truckers are asking about truck scales, weigh stations, and DOT rules and regulations.

"The Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas is by far the most widely used map among truckers. But weigh station locations are often incorrect, missing or unclear on the atlas. We document the location of the actual weigh stations, including the exit before, exit after and exact mile marker. This is all public information. We just gather it.

"Maps and mapping software also lack other information truckers want. A trucker can use mapping software to attempt to go around weigh stations and encounter unexpected low bridges, weight limits, truck restrictions, and roadways that are unsafe for trucks to travel. We warn truckers that if they are thinking about taking a certain route, they'd better think twice.

"In other cases, we provide acceptable and legal routes to take. There is no guarantee that enforcement officers won't be patrolling those routes. In fact, many states regularly set up impromptu enforcement check stations.

"Enforcement officers and drivers alike can access the same information on CoopsAreOpen.com."

KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas; February 18, 2008

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