Weighing your truck on a certified scale

Updated October 18, 2026

A weight-distribution calculation is only as accurate as the weights you give it. Weighing on a certified scale confirms the load and lets you measure your equipment’s tares once and for all.

Where to weigh

Truck stop public scales: many truck stops in Canada and the United States have a three-platform scale open to drivers for a fee.
Company scales: at the shipper, the receiver, a quarry or a sorting center.

Roadside inspection stations are for enforcement; they are not a weighing service for carriers.

Weighing on a three-platform scale

Pull on slowly and stop so that the steer axle is on the first platform, the drive tandem on the second and the trailer axles on the third.
Stay still with the parking brake set while the scale reads.
Use the intercom or kiosk to give your details, then collect the ticket.

The ticket shows the weight on each platform, so on each axle group, and the gross weight. Compare each value with the limit that applies to your trip.

If an axle group is over

Note how much each group is over or under its limit.
Adjust the trailer slider or the fifth wheel, or move pallets if you can.
Reweigh: most scales offer a discounted reweigh the same day.

Measuring tares for AxleLoad 53

Tares matter most for an accurate calculation. Measure them once, with your usual fuel level:

Tractor alone: weigh the tractor without the trailer. The first platform gives the steer tare, the second the drive tare.
Empty trailer: weigh the combination, coupled and empty. The trailer tare is the combination’s gross minus the tractor alone.

Enter these values in the Equipment card. Also note the slider and fifth-wheel positions when you weigh.

What changes the result

Fuel: diesel weighs about 7.1 lb per US gallon (0.85 kg per liter). 100 gallons add about 710 lb, mostly on the steer and drive axles.
Mis-declared pallets: 100 lb off per pallet across 26 pallets is 2,600 lb.
Off-center freight: a heavy pallet pushed against the rear doors loads the trailer axles more than planned.

Open the AxleLoad 53 calculator →Free, in English, French and Spanish. Works on a phone in the cab.

More guides

AxleLoad 53 user guideHow to plan a load in AxleLoad 53: regulations, equipment, pallets, reading the gauges and saving loads.Axle weight limits in Canada and the United StatesSteer, tandem, tridem, gross weight and the Bridge Formula: the limits that apply to a tractor with a 53-foot semi-trailer.Balancing a 53-foot trailer: slider, fifth wheel and palletsHow pallet weight splits between the kingpin and the trailer axles, and how many pounds each slider hole or fifth-wheel notch moves.Quebec spring thaw: zones, dates and load reductionsWhy allowed loads drop every spring in Quebec, how the thaw zones work and how to plan your loads.California’s 40-foot kingpin-to-axle ruleWhat California’s 40-foot KPRA rule measures, how to check it on a 53-foot trailer and how it changes your axle weights.Loading and axle weight glossaryKingpin, fifth wheel, slider, tandem, tridem, gross weight, tare, Bridge Formula: loading terms explained simply.AxleLoad 53 frequently asked questionsAnswers about the calculation, accuracy, regulations, spring thaw, accounts, the subscription and privacy.About AxleLoad 53 and contactWho builds AxleLoad 53, where the load limits come from, and how to reach us.

This guide is for information only. Legal limits change and depend on the road, the season and your permits: always check with the competent authority. Certified scale weights govern.