YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri Claire McCaskill

September 24, 2003

Report No. 2003-93

Better targeting of overweight trucks and less predictable weigh station operating hours could enhance state's truck weight enforcement program 

This audit reviewed how well the State Highway Patrol manages its truck weight enforcement program, which helps keep potentially damaging overweight trucks off Missouri's roadways.  State and federal laws state trucks generally should not weigh more than 80,000 pounds.  State law further establishes the penalties for weight violations.  Missouri has the nation's 6^th largest highway system and ranks 13^th for truck miles traveled at 12.6 million miles a day.  The following highlights the findings:

Available data not used to target overweight trucks

Although the patrol collects data concerning total vehicles weighed and total overweight tickets issued from scale stations and portable units, patrol personnel do not analyze or compare the data between stations.  In addition, some of this data was not always accurate.  The patrol could use this data to identify where enforcement is most needed.  Auditors found enforcement activities concentrated at a limited number of fixed scale locations.  Patrol personnel could not explain why some counties had no or very few overweight tickets. (See page 3)

Predictable weigh station hours allow truckers opportunity to break law

Auditors found weigh stations operate predictable hours, often open during midday, and closed late evening and early morning.  Just over half the stations are still open at 10 p.m., with the number steadily declining after 10 p.m.  For example, auditors found in Mound City, the commercial vehicle traffic was lighter overnight, but the percentage of overweight vehicles increased from 16 percent at 8 p.m. to 23 percent at 4 a.m.  Auditors also found portable scales operate less frequently than permanent scale locations during evening and early morning hours.  (See page 8)

Most tickets issued between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Officers issued 64 percent of all overweight tickets between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Several patrol supervisors said scale station hours do not vary much month to month. (See page 9)

Data reporting system cannot be used to analyze enforcement resources

How patrol officers count vehicles is not consistent from one scale location to another.  Some officers use a manual hand counter, while others estimate the number of vehicles weighed.  Auditors found two stations which inflated vehicle counts to keep the weigh stations from closing due to low activity.  (See page 11)

Complete Audit Report