One of the most time consuming and delaying parts about being a truck driver is the seemingly constant stops at scale house to check your weight. Although it is very important to not be hauling overweight trucks down the roadway without the proper permits, it would be nice if there was a way to avoid the lines at scale houses and the delays they cause.

There is a relatively new item out and being put into use by some states and it is called a transponder and works in conjunction with a weigh-in-motion (WIM) system. Some states are currently using this method and others have not started to yet or have chosen not to at all. The transponder is a device that gets mounted in the cab and is usually purchased directly from the governing state's department of transportation.

The way the WIM system works is that some weigh stations have WIM scales imbedded in the pavement of the roadway approximately half a mile ahead of the scale house. The truck drives over the scale and the driving speed weight is registered at the scale house. The transponder in the truck then communicates all the relevant trucking information (trucking company, truck size, registration, safety record, etc.) to the scale house. If everything is in order the scale house sends a return signal to the transponder mounted in the truck cab and a green light comes on meaning the driver is free to bypass the weigh station and continue on his way. If there is a problem, the red light on the transponder will come on and the driver will have to pull off the roadway into the weigh station for closer scrutiny of his load or records.

This system allows for a steadier movement of traffic, faster delivery times of goods and services, and less paperwork and man hours devoted to trucks that are operating legally. The reward to the trucking company of avoiding these delays can pay off for them in the long run.