UHaul & Weigh Station Requirements (Jackson, Tupelo: rental, homes, college)

[Rick In Madison]

Will be moving one of the kids to Mississippi for college in a U-Haul.

Searched the web to find out whether or not U-Haul trucks that are not shipping commercial goods have to stop at a weigh station. I found one site that listed each state and gave guidance.

https://www.moving.com/tips/does-my-...weigh-station/

Mississippi was a "no". However, I'm looking for guidance from those of you who may have known local information. Greatly appreciate your assistance.

[Listener2307]

I am an ex trucker.
The only state that I traveled that requires U-Hauls and the like to stop is Florida. Weigh stations are for commercial trucks who must keep log books, and have weight limits on the various axles.

[Rick In Madison]

Originally Posted by Listener2307

I am an ex trucker.
The only state that I traveled that requires U-Hauls and the like to stop is Florida. Weigh stations are for commercial trucks who must keep log books, and have weight limits on the various axles.

Thank you.

[An Einnseanair]

What Listener said. Basically, if it doesn't require a CDL to drive it, usually it isn't required to stop at a weigh station.

A CDL Class B is required to drive anything with a GVWR over 26,001-lb, and the max size I've ever seen available from a general-public rental company (U-Haul, Hertz, Penske) is 26,000-lb.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Listener2307

I am an ex trucker.
The only state that I traveled that requires U-Hauls and the like to stop is Florida. Weigh stations are for commercial trucks who must keep log books, and have weight limits on the various axles.

Actually Florida only requires moving trucks to stop at the Agricultural Inspection Stations. However over 20 other states do require them stopping at Weigh Stations.

Simple solution, if you don't want to deal with the hassle of stopping, use trucker websites to look up the locations of Weigh Stations along your route. Then exit the highway before the Weigh Station, drive around and re-enter on the other side. The last time I did it in California, I exited the freeway at the exit just before the Weigh Station, drove 2 miles on a parallel residential street, then stopped at a gas station to fill up, and got right back on the freeway. In the time I would have been dealing with the Weigh Station BS I was fueling up.

[Listener2307]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Actually Florida only requires moving trucks to stop at the Agricultural Inspection Stations..............

Florida:

https://www.fdacs.gov/Agriculture-In...ction-Stations
Who Has to Stop at an Inspection Station?

The following vehicles must stop and submit to inspection:

• Trucks,
• Rental trucks,
• Vans,
• Trailers AND
• Any vehicles carrying agricultural, horticultural or livestock products

Who Does NOT Have to Stop?

The following vehicles can bypass inspection:

• Private passenger automobiles with no trailer in tow,
• Travel trailers,
• Camping vehicles,
• Van conversions,
• Motor homes AND
• Pickup trucks that have visible access to the entire cargo area and are not carrying agricultural, horticultural or livestock products

[An Einnseanair]

Wow, the info on this is incredibly complicated when it should be simple. Comparing the link posted by the OP and this one, the first four states are exactly the opposite on either list. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas. One site has yes, no, no, no; the other has no, yes, yes, yes.

Both agree on Mississippi, with "no" on both sites.

To be safe, either call the Department of Transportation or Highway Patrol for each state you'll be traveling through, figure out how to bypass them, or just stop and roll trough the scale.

[Listener2307]

FYI for those who have never driven through a scale......
You don't generally stop at all. When you pull off the freeway and go through the line at about 15MPH you will be given either a red light or a green light. The green light tells you to just drive on through and the red light tells you to peal off and talk to the officer. The lights are controlled by the officer who is watch traffic, sometimes from a tower.

When I was driving a Class B rig I pulled through even though I didn't have to (I didn't know) and always just got passed through.


The "Weigh in Motion" scales you see are just what they say. There are scales embedded in the highway for 18 wheelers. They weigh you as you pass over and the next set of lights gives you your instruction: "Truck Pull Into Scale" or "Truck Bypass Scale".


They pull 18 wheelers into scales for a full inspection, sometimes. It's a random thing, and we get our brakes checked, logbook, weight - the whole works. For that, we pull into the shed you see sometimes so that the inspectors can get underneath the truck and look at everything. If everything passes (I always have) they put a sticker on your truck and you, in theory, don't have to do it again for a year.....
Did I say random? Not quite! Cattle haulers NEVER get the full inspection when they are loaded. No one wants to get underneath a trailer full of stomping, defecating, urinating cattle! Bull Haulers, as we call them, get free reign.


So it won't do you a darn bit of harm to just get in line with the 18 wheelers and go through.


If our OP is coming from Madison, WI I would recommend coming through Paducah, KY and then through Dyersburg, Jackson (TN) and Tupelo. It'll bypass both St Louis and Memphis. And it's a pretty drive on lesser traveled highways. It's a little shorter in miles, too.

[Rick In Madison]

I will be driving from Madison Alabama and I know my route will take me along HWY 22 and it has a weigh station.
As some have suggested, I could take 178 into Fulton and bypass the station but I'm not sure its worth the time. I do remember being stopped in Florida when I drove by a weigh station back in the 80's. Pulled over and opened the back of the truck up; nothing but furniture and clothes for college. I think I had a Penske rental truck at the time.

Tried to find some information from the MDOT site but no luck. I'll attempt to contact MDOT by phone and seek an answer. If I cannot gain any conclusive information, my plan will be to drive by the weigh station. The truck I'll be driving is 20' U-Haul with bedroom furniture and other college-bound items. I don't think weight will be an issue.

[Listener2307]

That's a good plan, Rick.
Even if they are open they won't care about your Uhaul.
Florida's issue is with agricultural products and their associated pests.