PrePass like the green light hate the red light!

PrePass can be a truckers dream or worst nightmare! What in the world is PrePass you ask?

PrePass is one of our transponders we have on our windshield. We have all kinds of gadgets on the windshield such as E-ZPass that allows us to go through approved toll booths and the toll is taken from our online account we save money and time with this one. We have Norpass that works similar to PrePass but works in different areas of the country. We also have our Lane Departure Warning System I have blogged about earlier. In the corner of the windshield is our antenna for our panic button also.

The following map shows you how many places in the United States that having a PrePass System can help you to keep from being weighed:

As a woman I hate to stand on a scale but as a truck driver I often get this privilege daily with a bunch of DOT officials checking my weight! As you can imagine I don’t much care for this and nor do I care to have to slow down and pull into a scale to get this privilege. One way to stay legal and keep this from happening is to have a PrePass and a NorPass transponder in the truck.
The PrePass system works in many ways to keep you from getting in line and lets you comply electronically with state weight, safety and credential requirements. I do not know how many of you non truckers have noticed the scale houses located in every state and they are often placed near the entry or exit to a state. About a mile before the scales that use Pre Pass a reader and a scale are built into the highway that you cross as a car and do not notice. As a truck you take the scale house ahead signs very serious. When you see the reader and the highway scales you want to be running at the legal posted speed or below and you want to cross the scales squarely without turning your tires at all. This will give the reader a correct reading of your weight.
When you cross the in-pavement scale, the computer reads your PrePass transponder which immediately identifies the owner, the truck number, who you are leased to, checks your safety rating and credentials and also if you are a legal weight (axle, gross and bridge formula!). Who you are leased to and their safety rating is very important as if you are leased to a company with a poor safety rating you more often will get a red light so the DOT officers can give your truck a visual inspection. When you get the green light on your PrePass or Norpass you are good to go and by pass the scale. Sometimes no matter how careful you are you get a red light and you get to be weighed – this is called a random inspection just to be sure every truck get reviewed once in a while. This at times is very stressful to us as we just do not have the time to have a level one inspection which can happen. You hear the dreaded words or you read the overhead screen driver pull around to the back and bring in your paperwork. When this happens you gather up your BOL and your truck paperwork and take them in. I do not bring in my log book unless it is requested. If you only have one copy of your HazMat paper work you also cannot bring that as legally it must be left in the door pocket or on the front seat. Once inside you show your paperwork, your license, your truck registration and insurance. Once all of this passes inspection the officer can tell you to have a good day or tell you another officer will meet you at the truck. The level one inspection can take over an hour if the officer is gabby or if he continues looking until he or she finds something wrong. Most officers though are easy to work with and professional and if it was just not for the time factor we would not dread this so much. When we are empty it is no big deal at all to have an inspection. So every time we all trucks in right lane scale house ahead we start watching our PrePass to find out how are day is going to proceed!

This is how the PrePass System works:

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