Few customers walk down the aisle in a retail outlet and and consider the process involved in getting those available items on the shelves for purchase. However, truck drivers know that if the trucks stopped rolling, the stock pile of merchandise from finished goods to raw materials would dwindle and disappear within three to 10 days.

The Department of Transportation limits the gross weight that a vehicle can carry over the roadways in the United States. Accurate weigh scales are imperative to preventing the impounding equipment and cargo, allowing safe delivery. When weighing an “18-wheeler,” the gross weight must not exceed 80,000 pounds, which includes the weight of the semi-tractor and the trailer, fuel and the cargo, but the total weight is only part of the picture. Undue stress and strain on tires and axles can cause breakdowns and accidents.

Distributing the cargo weight to ensure no axle carries more than its maximum load weight not only aids in safe driving and accident prevent, it also reduces maintenance costs on the equipment itself. Truck drivers weight their loaded vehicles and trailers often and have proof of load weight distribution when required to stop at a state-run weigh station. Not only must the gross vehicle weight be correct, so must the axle weight.

Regardless of how often a truck and load are weighed, if the scales are not accurate, it’s all just guesswork. For confident performance and system versatility, many manufacturers, warehouses and transportation companies consider using industrial weighing scales by FloorScalesDirect.com.