what is the purpose of weigh scales on the interstate/highways
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Think of yourself standing on a wooden platform. The plywood, the 2x4s, and even the nails holding it together all have a rating for how much weight they can support. Now think of a treadmill- same thing, except you are moving with footfalls striking the platform with every step- your entire weight plus the momentum of you falling on your one foot: running is just controlled falling. So while your weight might be 200lbs, what’s really happening is 25lbs per square inch of your foot (just making up numbers here) hitting the conveyor belt with each step. Considering it would be completely catastrophic for both you and the treadmill if your foot was at 100lbs per square inch(going through the conveyor into the floor) they’ve engineered this particular treadmill to withstand 50lbs per square inch: more than enough wiggle room to make aure all that happens isyou complete your workout.
Tires are the shoes, and the axles are the feet of a vehicle. An engineer has calculated how much weight goes through the square inches that are actually in contact with the road surface, and they have determined that the max vehicle weight is 80,000lbs. More specifically, 12,000 for the front two tires, and 34,000 /8 for the other sets of tires. Those weigh stations measure each of those 3 sets of tires to make sure all are in compliance.
It is possible to get permits for other tire configurations: someone can engineer a set of 40 tires on a trailer to support a heavier load. A truck can also have two sets of steering tires. This is still more likely to cause additional wear on the road, and the fees mitigate that risk to the state.
In Idaho, it’s not just the weight. There are roads there with hairpins that a standard semi truck could not successfully negotiate with the tandems all the way back. The permit to operate there requires the driver calculate the tightest turn the truck can make, and they are restricted to certain roads if that turn is wider than what they’ve built in the mountains there.
Most states operate their weigh stations only upon entering the state: the main concern on the interstates is interstate travel. Police have the authority to pull over and weigh any truck, though: highway patrol has portable scales in the trunk.
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