nitestar
July 29th, 2005, 21:16
When you go into a scale you need to be sure you are not over the scale entrance ramp speed limit.
Same ticket for speeding as on the highway.
When on the entrance ramp to some scales you will see signs that tell you to maintain 100 ft distance.
Look at those and you will see that 100 feet is not much, but you better keep that distance or more.
Your average truck is 75 feet long, so you don't have much more than a truck length in a hundred feet..
At ramp speed watch how fast the 100 ft signs go past. That will be about 30 mph. Now figure it at 65mph and see how fast 100 ft goes past.
Kind of scary.
Remember that,
Failure to keep your distance can be cause to be called in for an inspection. Or worse you hit the truck in front of you, especially on wet or snowy roads.
I always figure , if my brakes fail where do I go and what would I do,
I keep the distance for the what if's. Helps keep you honest.
The "what if "happens all the time.
As you travel and you enter the scales around the USA you will see laying on the side or embedded in the asphalt , lug nuts that came off wheels on the ramp, pieces of broken brake drums , pieces of springs, binders and all sorts of things that cause accidents down the road.
Be prepared for a quick stop , the truck in front may be a newbie too and not sure of how to procede, or the driver is being hollered at by the scalemaster on the PA speaker.
Paying attention is very important and never get distracted to the point of losing control of the truck.
Example;
I was in the Limon Co WB scale on I 70.
Nothing bad but had to go in.
While in, a truck pulled up to the stop sign . Stopped. driver got the green light. didn't go. Green light again. didn't go. Scale master hollered on Pa to go. Driver still sat there.( in Co I think its yellow)
Scale master went out side and beat on the drivers door.
Driver had head phones on and was booging in his seat. Looked like quite a dancer to me.
Also high on something.
Needless to say he was cited and cuffed and stuffed.
My point of one way to being distracted to the point of losing control of truck.
Be safe, take care of you, you will come out on top.
Same ticket for speeding as on the highway.
When on the entrance ramp to some scales you will see signs that tell you to maintain 100 ft distance.
Look at those and you will see that 100 feet is not much, but you better keep that distance or more.
Your average truck is 75 feet long, so you don't have much more than a truck length in a hundred feet..
At ramp speed watch how fast the 100 ft signs go past. That will be about 30 mph. Now figure it at 65mph and see how fast 100 ft goes past.
Kind of scary.
Remember that,
Failure to keep your distance can be cause to be called in for an inspection. Or worse you hit the truck in front of you, especially on wet or snowy roads.
I always figure , if my brakes fail where do I go and what would I do,
I keep the distance for the what if's. Helps keep you honest.
The "what if "happens all the time.
As you travel and you enter the scales around the USA you will see laying on the side or embedded in the asphalt , lug nuts that came off wheels on the ramp, pieces of broken brake drums , pieces of springs, binders and all sorts of things that cause accidents down the road.
Be prepared for a quick stop , the truck in front may be a newbie too and not sure of how to procede, or the driver is being hollered at by the scalemaster on the PA speaker.
Paying attention is very important and never get distracted to the point of losing control of the truck.
Example;
I was in the Limon Co WB scale on I 70.
Nothing bad but had to go in.
While in, a truck pulled up to the stop sign . Stopped. driver got the green light. didn't go. Green light again. didn't go. Scale master hollered on Pa to go. Driver still sat there.( in Co I think its yellow)
Scale master went out side and beat on the drivers door.
Driver had head phones on and was booging in his seat. Looked like quite a dancer to me.
Also high on something.
Needless to say he was cited and cuffed and stuffed.
My point of one way to being distracted to the point of losing control of truck.
Be safe, take care of you, you will come out on top.