When truckers know there is a weigh station ahead, they will get into the right lane to be ready to exit. If they have a transponder in their truck for a pre-clearance service (PrePass, Best Pass, Green Light or Norpass), they may not exit, but they’ll get in the right lane until their transponder gives them “the green light.” Sometimes the weigh station is closed and the truckers don’t have to exit the freeway.

But when truckers don’t know there is a weigh station ahead, they may get caught out in the left lane. If they are passing slower moving vehicles (most likely other truckers who have slowed down in preparation to exit to the weigh station), they may have to do some tricky driving to get over into the right lane in time. Or they may miss the exit altogether and pull over on the shoulder of the freeway. These truckers walk into the scale house with their paperwork in hand and their heads hanging low.

You can blame the trucker for not being prepared in those instances, but what about weigh stations that have been closed down for a while? What about new weigh stations or scale houses that aren’t marked correctly on the trucker atlas? Truckers want to be prepared, but sometimes there are factors that at truck driver just can’t control.
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Tags: Weigh Station, PrePass, Best Pass, Green Light, Norpass

Any trucker will tell you that a truck stop that treats truckers like kings and queens is a good place to stop. In recent years, many of the old time trucking hang outs have closed their doors, leaving mainly the big boys of truck stops- Travel Centers of America (TA), Petro Truck Stops, Loves Travel Centers, Pilot Truck stops and the like. The old timers recall truck stops from the 76 chain, Ted’s of Ashfork and Quartzite, Arizona, and others- including more recently the Bosselman Truck Stops and the Rip Griffins. The new timers won’t even know what you’re talking about.

Gone are the days of high service diners with personal service. Here are the days of the standardized trucker themed menu with more concern for corporate methods than merit. And, though truckers appreciate standardization in some areas, they don’t like the way standardization seems to squeeze out that personal touch at the truck stops.
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Tags: Travel Centers Of America, Petro Truck Stops, Loves Travel Centers, Pilot Truck Stops, Bosselman, Rip Griffins