Do Rental Trucks Stop At Weigh Stations?

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Jun 28 2011

Jan 26 2017

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Do Rental Trucks Stop At Weigh Stations 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 do-it-yourself move with a rental truck, we have put together this quick guide.

When Does a Rental Truck Stop at A Weigh Station?

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, such as your household items, you can generally pass right on by. With that said, if you are ever unsure, you should always stop. It is very likely that you will be waived through the bypass lane.

But wait! There are two important exceptions to this rule:

Some states have 'agriculture inspection' stations at the state border. This is notably true in Florida. Agricultural inspections almost always require all trucks, trailers and explicitly "rental trucks" to stop
In several parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California rental trucks are required to stop for immigration checkpoints

In What States do I Need to Stop At A Weigh Station?

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 rarely an official answer. If you call an individual state's Department of Transportation you may get varying answers from different people. We've published a summary and links for the state's which have officially published information on this topic.

Many state's officially indicate that truck rentals weighing more than 10,000 lbs 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 10,000 lbs.
[How much does your rental truck weigh?] [What is the height clearance of my rental truck?]

State	Stop?	Summary
Arkansas	Sometimes	Only commercial vehicles. This includes truck rentals hauling commercial goods.
Arizona	Over 10,000 lbs	All vehicles over 10,000 lbs are required to stop. Yes, this includes rental trucks.
California	Always	All truck rentals must stop.
Florida	Sometimes	If a rental truck is being used to move personal property (not commercial) it does not need to stop. This does not apply to Agricultural Inspection Stations, all trucks and trailers, including rental trucks, are required to stop.
Georgia	Over 10,000 lbs	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 10,000 lbs	All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop.
Maryland	Over 10,000 lbs	All truck rentals hauling more than 10,000 pounds in personal property must stop.
Missouri	Over 18,001 lbs	All vehicles with a registered weight of 18,001 lbs or more must stop.
Montana	Always	All vehicles except passenger cars and pickup trucks under 14,000 lbs are required to stop.
Nebraska	Yes	All truck rentals must stop.
New Jersey	Over 10,001 lbs	All vehicles that weigh 10,001 lbs or more must stop.
New Mexico	No	Stopping is not required for any vehicle that is hauling personal property, regardless of size or weight.
New York	Over 10,000 lbs	All vehicles that weigh 10,000 lbs or more must stop. This includes vehicles that are pulling a trailer, if the combined weight exceeds 10,000 lbs.
Ohio	Over 10,000 lbs	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 responses received by an e-mail or phone call with a state official authorized to speak about this matter.