Do you ever go down the road in your rig and wonder, “Do RVs Have to Stop at Weigh Stations”?
Tell me if you?ve done this before:
You?re going down the road in your RV, trying to make your next destination and you see a sign for a weigh station.
The sign says all truckers must exit for the weigh station. You wonder if you should pull over.
If you?re like me when you see that sign and just starting out, your first thought is usually:
What are Truck Weigh Stations for?
Weigh stations were put in place originally to allow states to collect on fuel taxes from the larger, commercial vehicles. This tax was in exchange for the vehicles using the state roads. Usually due to the extra wear and tear that happens on the roads from these larger rigs.
Private vehicles and personal RVs are typically exempt.
Side note: when you see a truck say ?not for hire? on the side, it?s usually to suggest that they are private and exempt. This can be found when a race car team is going down the road.
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Do RVs have to stop at weigh stations?
Especially when they have the specific truck weight sign you start to calculate what your rig might weigh and if you fall into the same category and if you need to pull over.
Good News
The weight stations are for commercial use only so if you?re in your personal RV, then you don?t have to worry about pulling over to get weighed. All those signs are strictly for commercial, buses, and, in some states, agricultural.
Each state might have slightly different wording and if you think it involves you, feel free to pull over. The benefit of doing this is you can find out how much your rig weighs. Knowing your weight is actually helpful to know for your tire capabilities so it?s not all bad if you do pull over.
For instance, in Pennsylvania and some other states they showcase the follow regulations:
Regardless of size, the following vehicles are subject to inspection and weigh station examinations: (1) agriculture vehicles when using public highways; (2) passenger and specialty vehicles towing large trailers; (3) large recreational vehicles, and (4) trucks.
If the authorities believe that your rig is over the size, you might be asked to pull over, but this rarely, if ever happens.
You can read through the weight station requirements for all the states and Canada from AAA. Check it out to see if your state requires it. But keep in mind that most of these pertain to commercial or agricultural use only.
http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/weigh-stations/
Many long time RV?ers have driven for over 20 years, throughout the lower 48 states and have never had to pull over to a weight station.
Over to you: Do you have a story about pulling over for one of the weigh stations while driving down the road in your motorhome, travel trailer, or fifth wheel?
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That’s good to know that there would be a lot of different laws in different areas, so if you feel like you might need to pull into the weigh station would be a safe idea to do so. I feel like if you knew that your trailer was light enough, then you won’t have to worry about it. I might have to rent a truck scale to make sure that my trailer is light enough before I take it on any long trips.