Alabama Weigh Stations & Ag Inspection

When Alabama makes you pull in

Alabama runs one fixed scale, on I-20 at Heflin near the Georgia line, open only part-time, plus weigh-in-motion plates and roving portable crews. When it's lit open, every truck is directed in. The law is officer-triggered: an officer who suspects you're overweight can order you to a scale, and refusing to be weighed breaks Chapter 9 (Ala. Code § 32-9-31), a misdemeanor carrying a $100 to $500 fine (§ 32-9-4). A closed scale means nothing; portable crews cover the rest.

Stations, bypass, and inspection

• Who must stop: Only when a sign directs
• Where the stations are: Alabama runs essentially one traditional fixed weigh station, on I-20 at Heflin near the Georgia state line, open only about 40 hours a week. Backing it up are weigh-in-motion plates embedded in interstates and increasingly common portable scales. Lit signs and ramp signals tell you when the fixed station is open.
• Bypass: PrePass and Drivewyze both operate in Alabama. Drivewyze PreClear covers the state's fixed and mobile sites (a busy one is the I-20 westbound Heflin scale), and PrePass reads at Alabama roadside transponder sites. Green means stay on the mainline; red or no signal means pull in.
• Ag / border inspection: No agricultural or produce inspection stations. Alabama enforces weight and safety only, through its one fixed I-20 scale, weigh-in-motion plates, and portable/roving crews.
• Fine for passing an open station: Refusing to stop, be weighed, or proceed to a scale violates Alabama's truck-weight chapter (Ala. Code § 32-9-31). Any Chapter 9 violation is a misdemeanor, fined $100 to $500, with up to 30 days possible (§ 32-9-4). Overweight loads must be offloaded to legal weight before you roll on.

More for Alabama