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Who Must Stop at Scales?

California's "Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facilities" are commonly called weigh stations or truck scales. These facilities are operated by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), not by Caltrans. However, Caltrans receives many inquiries about weigh stations. This page is designed to answer some of those questions.

California Vehicle Code Section 2813 outlines who must stop at weigh stations and inspection stations:

2813.  Every driver of a commercial vehicle shall stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection of the size, weight, equipment, and smoke emissions of the vehicle at any location where members of the California Highway Patrol are conducting tests and inspections of commercial vehicles and when signs are displayed requiring the stop. Every driver who fails or refuses to stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection when signs are displayed requiring that stop is guilty of a misdemeanor.

California Vehicle Code Section 260 defines "commercial vehicle" (bolding and underlining added):

260. (a) A "commercial vehicle" is a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit or designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.
(b) Passenger vehicles which are not used for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit and housecars are not commercial vehicles. ...
(c) Any vanpool vehicle is not a commercial vehicle.
(d) ...

STILL NOT SURE IF YOU NEED TO STOP?

For more information re. who must stop at the scales, contact the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as follows:

PHONE CHP HQ: CHP Commercial Vehicle Section at (916) 445-1865.

E-MAIL CHP HQ: Start at their main website at: http://www.chp.ca.gov. Scroll to the bottom to the brown bar and click on the link "Contact Us." Then click on the link at the 4th bullet that says "Email the CHP." That should generate an automatic e-mail already addressed to CHP and ready for you to input your question.

PHONE WEIGH STATION: If you know which weigh station you will be passing, you may call the facility directly. See the scale facility list for phone numbers.

CONTACTS

Caltrans Legal Truck Size & Weight Work Group
Casey Robb
Manuel Fonseca

Return to the Caltrans "Office of Truck Services" page.

Revised 12/10/08.