Pennsylvania Senate panel advances truck weigh system bill

A Pennsylvania bill one step closer to passage would adopt a truck weigh system already in use in nearly all states.

The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance an amended version of a bill to direct the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to establish an electronic weigh station bypass system for trucks moving across the state.

Supporters at the statehouse tout bypass services for reducing dangerous congestion at weigh stations. Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, has added that bypass services reduce emissions by saving fuel and reduce lost time waiting at weigh stations.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, described the system to committee members.

“It will equip the state police with a new tool to enforce motor carrier safety across the commonwealth, at their discretion. The technology will screen a driver’s safety record. If the commercial driver is in good standing, they can bypass the state police’s inspection station,” Langerholc said.

He added that the bill, HB1410, would provide access to additional funding from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s innovative technology deployment program.

An amendment to the bill calls for creating a GPS- or infrastructure-based program to provide PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission with authority over weigh-in-motion stations.

“In fact, bypass services incentivize carriers to maintain their safety record and provide credentials to law enforcement in advance,” Ward said in a memo to legislators. “The local economy benefits from bypass services as well, reducing the overall cost of moving goods.”

She notes that 47 states already participate in the national bypass program.

HB1410 next heads to the Senate floor. If approved there, it would move back to the House for consideration of changes before it can go to the governor’s desk. LL

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