Truck Scales

A truck scale, weighbridge, or railroad scales are terms which are used to define a large category of scales. These are usually placed on top of a concrete foundation, which helps in weighing the contents of road vehicles along with the weighing of the road vehicles themselves. These also come in handy when weighing an entire rail. In order to weigh the load carried by the vehicle, one has to weigh the vehicleonce when it is empty and once when it is fully loaded.
There are a number of types of truck scales available and some of them are listed as follows:
 Digital for shallow pit
 Digital for deep pit
 Digital for the pitless type
 Electronic for the pitless type
 Electronic for the deep pit type
 Movable truck scale
 Rail truck scale
 Mechanical featuring digital type
 Mechanical truck scale
 Portable truck scale
 Portable ramp end scales
 Axle scales
Design
There are two ways in which truck scales can be mounted. They can either be surface mounted where it is mounted with a ramp that leads up to a short distance while the weighing equipment is placed  underneath. Alternatively, they can be pit mounted where the platform and weighing equipment is placed in a pit in a way that the weighing surface is at the same point as the road. These scales are mostly built using concrete or steel which makes them highly tough in terms of usage.
Earlier versions had the bridge installed on a pit which was rectangular in shape and which had levers installed in it that aided in connections with the balance mechanism. The most difficult detail of this design was the arrangement underneath the weighbridge, because the response generated from the scale has to be independent of the manner in which the load has been distributed.
In contrast to this, modern devices make use of a number of load cells which are connected with electronic equipment in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the sensor inputs. The weight readings taken from either type of the scales are mostly recorded in an office or a hoser hut which is usually nearby. Nowadays, a large number of truck scales are connected to personal computers that run track scale software which has the ability to print tickets while providing other features of reporting.
Uses
There are two main uses of truck sales. Firstly, they are used for trade purposes where the charging or selling is made in accordance with the weight being over the bridge. The other use of these truck scales is for check weighing gross vehicle weights and axle weights. This helps in stopping the possibility of axle overloading and often leads to heavy fines.
These are mostly used in industries which are responsible for moving or manufacturing bulk items. For instance, garbage dumps, household goods, bulk liquid and powder movement and electrical equipment.