If you run a trucking company or any other business that regularly uses semis, then you know how vital a truck scale can be. Overweight semis are quite dangerous on the road, which is why there are so many rules against them. To ensure that your company isn’t breaking the law, you need to have scales to check the trucks’ weights yourself.
However, the time will come when you need to replace this equipment. When that happens, you’ll want to be able to recognize it right away, which is why we’ve made this list of signs it’s time to replace your truck scale.
The Scale No Longer Works
Let’s start with the most obvious sign: the scale has stopped working. This could mean that it no longer outputs correct numbers or the weight fluctuates wildly when in use. Of course, the scales won’t work at all and just give you a blank screen in extreme cases. But usually, one of the previous problems will occur before it dies completely.
There’s Rust or Corrosion Damage
Unlike most other scales, truck scales are typically too large to use indoors unless you have a huge open warehouse. That means that your scale will be a victim to the elements and slowly corrode over time. While it’s never good when the outside of the scale begins to do this, it’s even worse when it happens to the load cells deep inside. If you start to see rust or corrosion on the exterior, you’ll want to check to ensure the internals are still intact.
It Has a Shock Loading Problem
Another sign it’s time to replace your truck scale is that it has started shock loading. This is when cases of massive overloading cause the scale to significantly skew its results. While zeroing out the scale or restarting it typically fixes milder forms of this issue, it won’t help with shock loading. Shock loading is when those techniques no longer remedy the situation.
Some Foundation Issues Have Occurred
While this last point isn’t about scales themselves, it can still cause issues with them. In the same way that heavy weights can break a scale, they can also damage the ground underneath them. Semi-trucks are so large that, given enough time, they will eventually destroy the scale’s foundation. Even though you could move the scale to a more stable area, there are times when the load cells will become damaged beyond repair since they use the ground as a base.
Even though repairs for these issues are possible, it’s usually better to simply replace broken scales. If that is your best course of action, then you should check out the semi-truck scales for sale that we have in our store. We’ll be sure to help you find a quality scale that will last for a long time.