What the officer asks at a weigh station
Updated 2026-10-27
At a weigh station, the officer may ask for your license, registration, logs and bill of lading. The officer may also ask where you are coming from, where you are going and what you are hauling. Since June 25, 2025, an officer can give you an English check if you cannot answer these questions in English. If you do not pass the check, the officer can place you out of service. Out of service means you are not allowed to keep driving.
Practice this out loudYour papers
The officer may ask to see your logs. An ELD is the electronic logging device in your cab. It records your hours and keeps your logs.
Can I see your driver's license, please?
Say it like this: Yes, officer. Here is my CDL.
Do you have your medical card with you?
Say it like this: Yes, here is my medical card. It is good until next year.
Can I see the registration for the truck and the trailer?
Say it like this: Yes. Here is the cab card for the truck and this is the trailer registration.
Can I see your bill of lading?
Say it like this: Yes, here is the bill of lading.
Can I see your logs?
Say it like this: Yes. I have an ELD. I will show you the screen.
Your trip and your load
Where are you coming from?
Say it like this: I am coming from Dallas, Texas.
Where are you going?
Say it like this: I am going to Atlanta, Georgia.
What are you hauling?
Say it like this: I am hauling frozen chicken.
How much does your load weigh?
Say it like this: The load is about 40,000 pounds.
Did you scale the load?
Say it like this: Yes, I scaled it at the CAT scale. I have the ticket.
Is anything on this load oversize or overweight?
Say it like this: No, it is a normal legal load.
Your hours and logs
Do you use an ELD or paper logs?
Say it like this: I use an ELD.
Can you transfer your logs to me from the ELD?
Say it like this: Yes, I can send them by web service. What is the code?
Your log shows you on duty but not driving for three hours. What were you doing?
Say it like this: I was waiting at the shipper for them to load me.
What the officer tells you to do
Pull into the inspection bay on the right.
Say it like this: Okay, I will pull into the right bay.
Turn off the engine, please.
Say it like this: Okay, I am turning off the engine.
Open the hood for me.
Say it like this: Okay, I will open the hood now.
Pull forward slowly and stop at the line.
Say it like this: Okay, pulling forward slowly.
What happens when I pull into a weigh station?
You drive over the scale. A sign or light tells you to return to the highway or to pull into the inspection area. If you pull into the inspection area, the officer may tell you which inspection bay to stop in. The inspection bay is the spot where you stop the truck for the check. After you stop, the officer may check your papers, ask you questions, or inspect the truck. The next two answers explain the kinds of inspection you may get.
What does a driver-only inspection check?
A driver-only inspection is called Level III. The officer checks your license, your medical card, your logs and hours of service, and your seat belt. The officer also checks your carrier's status, which means whether your trucking company is allowed to operate. The officer does not inspect the truck itself.
What is the difference between a walk-around and a full inspection?
A walk-around, called Level II, covers the same driver checks as Level III, plus the parts of the truck the officer can see without getting under it. A full inspection is called Level I. It covers the same checks as the walk-around and also checks parts under the truck, such as the brakes and steering.
How does the English check work?
The officer first talks to you in English as usual. If you seem not to understand, the officer asks a set of questions about your trip, your load and your job, and may say a question again in other words. If you answer the questions, the officer then checks whether you understand road signs. Oregon is one state that has published how it does the road-sign step. In Oregon, the officer shows you four signs and you must explain at least three of them. No interpreter, phone app or co-driver may help. If you do not pass the check, the officer can place you out of service, which means you are not allowed to keep driving. Under the CVSA out-of-service rules, you stay out of service until you meet the English requirement.
Does my accent matter?
No. The officer judges whether you understand and can answer, not your accent.