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A Scale of the Larger Type
Marietta, Georgia, USA
14 March 2013, 10:32 EDT
© 2013 Charles M. (Chuck) Lampman, All Rights Reserved.
Much of the transportation of goods in the world is by large trucks and tractor-trailers, and each has to be weighed according to the laws of the jurisdictions in which they operate. Thus, with the help of my neighbor and good friend Jim, who navigated these big rigs for nearly 40 years, we drove to a nearby YRC corporation freight yard, and caught one of these rigs being weighed.
The scale is the square panel under the front wheels of the rig. As he moves forward each axle in turn will be weighed to determine the weight of the entire rig. An illuminated sign in the distance in front of the truck tells the driver the weight of each axle, in this case, 12,500 pounds.