Vehicle Weighing Key Terms
Whether monitoring a vehicle’s weight for safety guidelines or to complete business transactions, you should know what the information determined by a truck scale means to your business.
Key terms for weight-based sales, shipping and purchasing:
- Gross Weight: The total weight of the vehicle and loaded product.
- Tare Weight: The weight of only the vehicle.
- Net Weight: The weight of only the loaded product.
Key terms for on-road compliance:
- Maximum Allowed Weight: The maximum gross weight of a vehicle and the weight carried by each vehicle axle within the legal limit range for on-road vehicles within a particular geographical region.
What makes a truck scale, a truck scale?
Foundation
Most new scales are installed with concrete aboveground or pit foundations. Depending on state or regional requirements, scales can also be installed in a shallow pit instead of the deep pit required by older mechanical scales. A pit installation requires less space than an aboveground scale since longer approaches are generally required for aboveground configurations. However, pit-styles require sump pumps and drains and are generally more vulnerable to corrosion due to potential standing water.
Weighbridge
The truck scale’s body and driving surface are called the weighbridge. Weighbridges are composed of steel or concrete decks and are typically manufactured in modular designs that are connected during installation.
Indicator
The weight indicator, also called a controller or terminal, can display basic weight functions and serve as the command center for a weighing system with truck in/out programs to control the entire truck scale system, including any remote displays and printers.
