Scale ticket: what it shows, how to read it, and when you need one
A scale ticket turns a weight argument into a number. It's the record from a certified truck scale of what each axle group and the whole rig weighed, at a specific place and time. Carriers use it to make sure a load is legal before driving far, to settle disputes about weight, and to bill by the ton on aggregate work. This guide explains what a ticket shows, how to read it, when you'll need one, and how the cost is handled.
Below is an original EXAMPLE ticket with the weights checked against the federal limits, and a fan explaining each part.
CERTIFIED SCALE · TICKET 004417
EXAMPLE Travel Center, I-40 Exit 000 · 2026-10-08 14:22
Truck 21 · Trailer 5301 · Weigh 1 of 1
| Steer axle | 11,800 lb | |
| Drive tandem | 33,650 lb | within 34,000 |
| Trailer tandem | 33,900 lb | within 34,000 |
| Gross | 79,350 lb | within 80,000 |
| Tare (empty rig, earlier ticket) | 33,200 lb | |
| Net (cargo) | 46,150 lb |
Weighmaster: ________ · Scale certified by the state
Limits shown are the federal Interstate limits for a tandem and the gross (23 CFR 658.17). Steer weight is usually limited by the axle and tire ratings. State rules can differ.
Reading a scale ticket
Where and when
The scale
- Location, date, time
- Proves where and when the truck was weighed.
- Ticket number
- Lets anyone verify it with the scale.
What a scale ticket shows
A typical ticket from a multi-platform truck scale shows:
- Steer axle weight.
- Drive tandem weight.
- Trailer tandem weight.
- Gross weight, the total.
- Where and when: the scale's location, the date and time, and a ticket number.
- Identification: often a truck or trailer number you give at the scale.
Some tickets also show a reweigh, or the tare if you're weighing empty.
How to read axle weights
Read the axle groups first. A truck can be under the gross limit and still overweight on one tandem because the load is too far forward or back. On the federal Interstate system, a tandem may carry up to 34,000 pounds and the gross may be up to 80,000 pounds, lower when the bridge formula requires it. States set their own limits on other roads and sometimes allow more. Steer weight is usually limited by the axle and tire ratings.
Sources: 23 CFR 658.17(d), checked October 2026; 23 CFR 658.17(b), checked October 2026
If a group is heavy, the fix is usually sliding the trailer tandems or the fifth wheel, or moving freight, then weighing again. The max payload calculator shows how much cargo your rig can legally carry, and the trailer load planner estimates where weight will land before you load.
Gross, tare and net
The gross is what the loaded truck weighs. The tare is what the empty rig weighs, usually from a ticket taken earlier with full fuel and the driver aboard. The net is gross minus tare: the weight of the cargo. Dump and aggregate haulers often bill by net tons, so their tickets matter as much as an invoice. Keep a current tare ticket for your rig; it's the basis of every payload calculation.
Heavy freight pays when the weight is right before you roll. Our dispatchers check declared weights against your rig's payload and ask for scale reimbursement on the rate con.
Get heavy loads plannedWhen you need a scale ticket
- Heavy loads near the limit: weigh after loading, before you leave the area.
- The shipper's weight looks wrong: the bill of lading weight doesn't match how the truck feels or how the freight is labeled.
- The broker requires it: some rate cons ask for a ticket on heavy freight or before releasing payment.
- Weight-based billing: aggregate and bulk loads billed by the ton.
- A dispute later: a ticket taken at the time is the strongest answer to a weight claim.
Check the weight on the bill of lading against the ticket. If they disagree, tell the broker before you drive far, with the ticket attached.
Using a truck scale
Certified truck scales sit at many truck stops and travel centers, and some shippers, quarries and grain elevators have their own. At a typical truck stop scale, you pull onto the platforms with each axle group on its own section, give your truck and trailer numbers over the intercom, and collect the ticket inside or receive it digitally. Some scale networks offer apps that send the ticket to your phone without leaving the cab. Pull fully onto the platforms and stop with the axles centered, or the reading can be off.
Scale tickets and weigh stations
A scale ticket isn't the same as a weigh station. Weigh stations are run by the state, and their scales decide whether you get an overweight citation. A certified commercial scale ticket is your own check before you reach one. A ticket that shows you legal, taken shortly before, won't override the state's scale, but it shows you acted in good faith and helps you find the problem: often a heavy tandem that a slide would have fixed. The cheapest overweight ticket is the one you avoid by weighing first.
Scale costs are pass-through
When a broker or shipper requires the weigh, the scale fee is a reimbursement: you pay it and get the same amount back. Put it on the invoice in the reimbursements group with the ticket attached, just like a lumper receipt. It never counts as revenue, and our dispatch fee never applies to it. The rate con, or the original freight tender, should say whether a weigh is required and reimbursed.
What to check and document
Scale tickets are one of the documents covered in our guide to freight documentation.
Dump trucks live on scale tickets. Our dump truck dispatch desk checks weights and ticket requirements before you book, and you approve every load. Send an application.