Good weighing practice

Information about good weighing practice can be found here.

 Good weighing practice

  1. Regular checks should be made to ensure that there is clearance between the plate and its surrounding frame. If the weighing machine operates using a lever bottom work, the plate should swing freely endways.
  2. Regular checks should be made to ensure that the weighbridge is properly balanced when unloaded and the indicator shows zero. The weighbridge operator must know how to balance the weighing machine.
  3. The balance of a weighbridge will be affected by the accumulation of dirt etc. on or around the plate. This should be regularly cleaned to avoid any excessive build-up. Beneath the plate, levers or load cells may be affected by the build-up of dirt (sand) and should be cleared as necessary. If your weighbridge is prone to such contamination a regular maintenance programme should be implemented. In a pit mounted weighbridge, balance and accuracy may be affected by a high water level in the pit which ‘floats’ the levers or the bottom work. In such circumstances pumping facilities should be available and the weighbridge operator will be expected to know how to use it. The most common cause of ‘balance’ error is due to rain on the plate. During periods of rain the balance should be checked and adjusted more frequently and again as the plate dries.

Weighing procedures

  1. It is advisable to weigh all vehicles without passengers or driver. If this is not possible or if the personnel refuse to leave the vehicle a note should be made to this effect with details of the number of persons on the vehicle. This note should be made on the ticket and on any other record. This information is required because certain persons may wish to increase the GROSS weight of the load by addition of passengers and if and when the tare weight is taken without passengers the weight of the load appears heavier. Weighbridge operators should take special care whilst passengers are on or in the vicinity of the plate.
  2. Where practical the weighbridge operator should check the load for himself and if this is not possible the ticket should indicate the load as stated by the driver. Weighbridge operators should be aware that persons bringing loads to be weighed may conceal heavy items amongst the stated load. This heavy article can then be discarded and the goods delivered to a purchaser. For example, Concrete blocks with scrap metal. The load is identified as scrap metal and following weighing the concrete is discarded and the scrap metal sold at the higher weight. Therefore the weighbridge ticket would be properly completed as ‘scrap metal/concrete’.
  3. The operator should always check any vehicle registration number for himself rather than rely on the driver.
  4. The weighbridge operator should have a clear view of the plate and ensure the vehicle being weighed is positioned on the plate. Weighbridge operators should be aware that persons requiring a weighing may deliberately leave a wheel over the edge of the plate to reduce the weight shown. This is either done to reduce the tare weight (and therefore increase the apparent weight of the load or to appear below the permitted legal weights for overloading purpose.
  5. It is illegal to undertake a double weighing where that weighing will be used for a trade transaction (for example, a load of hay for sale elsewhere).

 

Drivers sometimes require a weighing to ensure they are not overloaded on individual axles.

It is permissible to undertake weighings of individual axles, but the ticket and records should clearly indicate what type of weighing was carried out and which axles were weighed. The ticket should be endorsed – “Weights found are not for trade purpose”.