Excerpted: If you have to ask that question, you're probably not a trucker. A weigh station is not a place to get your car or boat or camper weighed. It's a place where the states enforce federal and state weight regulations. It's also where the states enforce log book (hours of service) regulations and permit requirements such as IFTA, registration, and various state permits.

There are different types of stations truckers have to deal with. There's your plain, ol' regular weigh station- such as you'll find in Ohio, Illinois, Georgia and most other states. There are ports of entry- such as you'll find in Wyoming, Arizona and Utah. There are agricultural inspections- such as you'll find in Florida and California. There are immigration check points- found mostly in the southwest. There are check stations and random roadside inspections and pull-out areas- which you'll find scattered throughout the country in unmarked and mostly unknown locations. You can't count on "the enforcers" being where you expect them to be at all times.

Some of the confusion comes from the many different names truckers have for weigh stations. We call them weigh stations, of course. But we also call them scales. Sometimes we call them Coops. And Chicken Coops. And Chicken Houses. We ask other truckers on the c.b. radio, "what's Ohio doing?" (or Colorado, or Alabama). And the reply might be, "all locked up." Or, "the coops are open and weighing your wagon." Or, "they're checking your ground pressure." The weigh station might have "the big word out." Or they might be "working." You never know until you get there.

This year's CVSA Roadcheck took place June 5-7th. The numbers are in, and the numbers cast truckers in a bad light.

In all, 708 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspectors performed 62,370 vehicle inspections in 1,449 locations around the country. 6.2 percent of non-hazmat drivers were placed out of service. 3.5 percent of hazmat drivers were placed out of service. 21.5 percent of non-hazmat vehicles were placed out of service. 17.7 percent of hazmat vehicles were placed out of service. The numbers of violations were up from last year. Last years numbers were up from the year before. Let's hope the trend doesn't continue next year.

Most drivers who were placed out of service had log book violations- mainly falsification. Others were driving while disqualified. And still others were driving while under suspension.

Most vehicles were placed out of service for brake defects. Others were placed out of service for problems with their lights, unsecured loads and bad tires or wheels.