Hey, so I'm moving next week as a part of my relocation for a job with the Navy and I was wondering if anybody here had any experience with this. Specifically I need to weigh a moving truck when it's empty and full so I can get reimbursed for the cost of my move, and I'm not sure exactly what the procedure for that is. I know they've got the commercial vehicle weigh stations along major highways at random points, but is there somewhere else I can/should weigh the truck? If I'm just supposed to take it to one of these weigh stations, what's the procedure for getting a weight ticket? Is it pretty obvious? i.e. drive in, stop on a scale, park up somewhere nearby (I'm guessing there's spaces) then walk into a trailer to get a ticket or something?

I'd just like to have an idea of what I need to do before I go and try to do it. Nobody has explained to me so far where to get the tickets or how to get them, and I've got my ideas, but if you know of an easier/suggested way to get the weight tickets for just such a situation let me know!

Thanks.

7/10/2009 2:57:30 PM

That's pretty weird that they want you to weigh it. They pay by the pound?

Pretty much all recycling facilities and private landfills have a vehicle scale. That's how they know how much to pay you (or you pay them) for dropping off a truckload of recycling or trash. I'm sure most of them would do it for you. You might want to toss them a five for their troubles.

7/10/2009 3:11:26 PM

I honestly have no idea. My best advice would be to call the State Highway Patrol, I think they are the one's who run the weigh stations. They could probably point you in the right direction. Let us know what you find out.

You might also try sending a PM to BigBlueRam, he'll probably have some idea.

7/10/2009 3:12:24 PM

i'm not sure if you can do this at the weigh stations you're talking about

my mom runs the store at a feed mill outside of goldsboro. they have truck scales for weighing how much grain is delivered. she gets military people from seymour johnson AFB in there all the time. she weighs the truck/trailer empty, they go home and load it up (usually they throw in some cinderblocks and other shit), and then they come back and she gives them a weight ticket with the difference on it.

the govt pays you to move by the pound and mile, i think.

7/10/2009 3:19:25 PM

Basically I'm authorized to move up to 18k pounds, and I only have 4k pounds to move. The government is moving some of my stuff and I'm moving the rest, but the stuff I move I have to get weight tickets for. The weight tickets are simply to show the unloaded & loaded weight so they can figure out how much I'm moving. If the amount they moved + the amount I moved is less than my maximum allowed amount, then I believe they'll reimburse the rental truck cost with no questions asked.

^ That's what I was wondering about because I'm going to be moving in a tiny 10' moving truck. I just didn't think I would use the state-run commercial scales for this. Aren't there those R/T truck stops or whatever they are scattered all over the place? I wonder if those have scales...

7/10/2009 3:29:33 PM

you better find some heavy shit you can borrow/have for free

7/10/2009 3:30:48 PM

Weigh it with a full tank.

Also, if it's just a small moving truck I would avoid stopping at a commercial weigh station. That's just asking for Howie Long to give you shit.

[Edited on July 10, 2009 at 3:34 PM. Reason : .]

7/10/2009 3:32:50 PM

i would start calling places like grain and feed distributors/buyers

7/10/2009 3:33:51 PM

^^^ They don't pay me per pound. I'm paid for whatever receipt I have from the rental truck.

[Edited on July 10, 2009 at 3:34 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2009 3:34:04 PM

oh, word. USAF is by the pound

[Edited on July 10, 2009 at 3:34 PM. Reason : unless they recently changed]

7/10/2009 3:34:33 PM

you better find some heavy shit long ass way to get to where you want to go can borrow/have for free

[Edited on July 10, 2009 at 3:38 PM. Reason : s]

7/10/2009 3:38:30 PM

^^ Maybe it is, but I got the impression they would ONLY cover my expenses and only if I got the tickets done correctly.

I did some more searching and, for some reason, found some results this time.

http://catscale.findlocation.com/

Public scales are apparently all over the place. I gotta drive a bit out of my way to get to these, but hopefully that won't be an issue. I may also load up the truck, weigh it on the way, THEN weigh it again after I unload it, because to get to a weigh station near here I'd have to drive 33 miles out then 33 miles back (fuck that).

[Edited on July 10, 2009 at 3:48 PM. Reason : Jeeze this is gonna be tight. I'm probably going to run over my allotted mileage.]

7/10/2009 3:43:54 PM

^i was going to suggest that. lots of truck stops have scales. i've weighed lots of vehicles (for engineering tests) without incident. i think its like $10 or so, but i really don't remember.

7/10/2009 6:40:09 PM

If you can, get a Budget truck. They allow unlimited mileage. My bf and I just moved up to Indiana and got a Budget truck for 4 days, unlimited miles (it's ~750mi from Raleigh to Bloomington), and we only paid $250.

7/11/2009 4:54:15 PM

i've seen quite a few public scales at truck stops and the like

7/11/2009 5:20:40 PM

^^ Yeah, too late to change the reservations really as I've got a uhaul truck scheduled. They DID have a pretty good price and 500 miles of travel, but I let my parents talk me out of it.

That's hopefully the last time I let them do that, lmao. It's cool, the uhaul should be easier to load/unload.

7/11/2009 11:26:15 PM

NeuseRvrRat covered it. Just do what he said and you'll be fine. You may not know completely what you're doing, but the people at the truck stop probably will.

You're not a commercial truck, you've got no business driving through weigh stations.

Quote :

"If you can, get a Budget truck. They allow unlimited mileage."

Military will reimburse the actual cost. If it costs him $500 to move they'll give him $500. If it costs him $250, they'll give him $250.


Good luck, I've always done DITY and it has worked out for me.

7/11/2009 11:44:06 PM

so was it by the pound for you, jcashfan? my mom told me it was for the USAF guys, but she was probably wrong.

[Edited on July 12, 2009 at 12:23 AM. Reason : i have no idea what branch you're in]

7/12/2009 12:23:14 AM

It might also depend on how you move.

I'm moving about 1/3 of the stuff myself (computer, bed, clothes) because the government movers can't deliver my stuff this week (so 2/3 of my stuff will go into storage until I can set a date to get the rest of my household goods). If you move everything yourself they might offer you something else, I dunno.

7/12/2009 7:41:35 AM

Quote :

"You're not a commercial truck, you've got no business driving through weigh stations."

actually, nc weigh stations are usually more than happy to weigh you/give you a printout. i can't speak for other states, but i would assume the same to be true. they'd rather you have your load situated correctly, make sure you're not overweight, etc. than be out there as a hazard to yourself and others. i don't think i'd do it if i knew i was illegal on something, but if you're sure you aren't then no worries. just explain to them you're moving, and would like to make sure everything is within the limits before proceeding.

there's certified scales at most truck stops though, and it's only a few bucks.

7/13/2009 8:42:37 PM

Hey Mindstorm. I've been in the Navy for 12 years now, did about 10 PCS moves. it's very very easy. Just weigh your vehicle at any weigh station prior to moving. Oftentimes, the base will have a scale, but that is not required by any means. Weigh it empty, with no gas, and with no people in it. Then load up your stuff, fill up the gas tank, and weigh it again, preferably at the same weigh station. You can even do this in reverse (ie when you get to your final destination weigh it full, then unload it and weigh it empty.)

7/13/2009 8:52:11 PM

Yeah, this was less of a B than I thought it would be. Found a CAT scale at the miller mart in suffolk, VA and used that. $10 for a weigh and a reweigh. Turns out I only have about 1040 pounds of stuff that I moved myself. I wish there was a second, shorter option for that intercom to talk with the people in the gas station office though. It was like 5' above the driver's side of the uhaul truck, hahaha.

Got moved and the move was terrible in my opinion. Got lost like 3 times, uhaul charged me $38 for gas (even though the needle was in the same spot as when I picked it up, the people at the dropoff place were just picky), and it took about forty minutes before I could even start unloading my truck. I drove home so fucking fast once we dropped that truck off (at night) at the uhaul center. Haha, I hadn't been that happy to be back in Raleigh in a while.

7/18/2009 5:30:43 AM

Quote :

"actually, nc weigh stations are usually more than happy to weigh you/give you a printout."

Interesting. Good to know.


^ Yeah, the downside of a DITY is that you actually have to do the moving. I've moved 5 or 6 times since 2003 and with only a few exceptions I've pretty much moved every piece myself.

7/18/2009 8:37:48 AM

yeah, i've done full DITY every time. Made a bunch of money at it--probably $15,000 total, net (although you need to be moving a lot of miles for it to really pay off, and preferably with your own truck & trailer rather than a rental). Of course, even if you're having the gov't move your stuff, you're still a dumbass if you don't at least do a partial-DITY with full/empty weight tickets on the vehicle you drive.

CAT scales along the highways are acceptable, and they're all over the place at truck stops. Most bases also have a certified scale on base. Just google "certified scale" in whatever city.

What kind of car/truck do you have? If you're going to pull a trailer, I recommend considering buying your own trailer, as then you get paid for the weight of the trailer itself, not just the contents. This is not the case with a rented or borrowed trailer.

Any further questions about this, let me know. I've done this 3 times (from VA to FL, FL to WA, and WA to NC).

^ the good side is that, in addition to making $$$ in many situations, no sketchy movers lose/steal/destroy your stuff or take a month to deliver it to you.

[Edited on July 18, 2009 at 10:47 PM. Reason : ]

7/18/2009 10:46:57 PM

Heeeey, im a household goods counselor....

youll need 2 weight tickets, one empty and one full. try to make the empty one as low as possible, and the full one as high as possible. you submit that with the dd2278, gas tickets, toll receipts, receipts for any equipment you rented (like the truck), a set of orders, and the dity checklist they give you.

you can weigh your car anywhere, try transfer stations (dumps). keep the receipts as you will be reimbursed for that as well.

NOTE: when you turn in gas receipts, you still get reimbursed mileage for your PCS entitlements. you also dont need receipts for tolls on your PCS move. so turn in all receipts with your DITY move rather than your PCS move.

How did you get authorized 18K lbs? you got to be an O-6 or higher or have extenuating circumstances.


You get 95% of the govt constructed cost.

7/20/2009 8:18:29 AM

How? I have no idea. My orders limited me to 18k pounds.

The nice lady responsible for travel will be coming in to talk to us at some point about how to get reimbursed for the trip over here and gave us a nifty packet. Guess I'll look at that at some point.

I'm guessing I got authorized for 18k pounds (max) because this is a manpower shortage position, I'm a civilian, and the travel lady knew that hardly anybody they hired would hit the limit or get anywhere near it (so fuck it).

7/21/2009 9:33:32 PM