If you're moving long distance and have decided to rent a truck you may be wondering, do I need to stop at weigh stations? This is a very common question which is spurred by the fact that there is no universal answer. Truck rental locations will usually tell you that you must indeed stop at all weigh stations whereas an Internet search will likely yield the opposite. To help our customers or anyone completing a self service move with a rental truck we have put together this quick guide.
Weigh Stations and Rental Trucks
To make a very confusing answer to this question as simple as possible we abide by a single rule: Most states do not require non-commercial vehicles to stop at weigh stations, so if you are hauling personal property you can generally pass right on by. With that said, if you are unsure you should always stop. It is very likely that you will be waived through the bypass lane.
There are two important exceptions to this rule:
- At the border of Florida and Georgia the Florida Department of Agriculture requires all trucks, trailers and explicitly "rental trucks" to stop for an agricultural inspection.
- In several parts of New Mexico, Arizona and California rental trucks are required to stop for immigration check points.
State by State Regulations
If you'd like to know more about the individual states that you will be passing through you had better be prepared for a lot of work. As previously mentioned, there is a lot of confusion surrounding this topic because there is no official answer. If you call an individual states Department of Transportation you may get varying answers from different people. For the states that we could find we listed a brief summary and a link to their website for more information.
NOTE: Many states officially indicate that truck rentals weighing more than 10,000lbs are considered commercial vehicles and should stop at weigh stations. Just about any rental truck larger than a 10' truck has a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000lbs.
| State | Stop Required? | Summary |
| Arkansas | Sometimes | Only commercial vehicles. This includes truck rentals hauling commercial goods. |
| California | Sometimes | No official ruling however some weigh stations may have signs that indicate rental trucks must stop. |
| Georgia | Over 10,000lbs | All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop. |
| Indiana | Yes | All trucks are required to enter open weigh stations |
| Kansas | Over 10,000lbs | All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop. |
| Maryland | Over 10,000lbs | All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop. |
| Nebraska | Yes | All truck rentals must stop. |
| Ohio | Over 10,000lbs | All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop. |
| Oregon | No | Truck rentals hauling personal property do not have to stop. |
| South Carolina | Yes | Truck rentals hauling personal property must stop but will likely be waived through. |
| Washington | No | Rental trucks carrying personal property do not have to stop. |
Although these links point to the government website that oversees weigh stations in their state, many do not have a published response. Most of the information we have provided is directly from an e-mail or phone call with a state official authorized to speak about this matter.
