For aggregate producers, the decision to purchase a vehicle scale requires consideration of a number of factors. Most businesses find the purchase of a vehicle scale to be a significant investment and one that requires substantial research to ensure the scale purchased will provide a satisfactory return on their investment.

In your selection and purchase of a vehicle scale, you will find that they fall under a variety of regulations including state and local regulations as well as federal. You must be cognizant of these regulations and take them into consideration when determining the total cost of the scale.

Local regulations may include construction permits, zoning, setbacks and others. Some cities and counties have their own legal metrology laws regulating the use of scales used in trade. Almost every state has a department of weights and measures that oversees the use of scales, including vehicle scales used in commerce, while several agencies of the federal government have their own set of rules for regulating the use of vehicle scales in special applications. While your local scale service company should be familiar with these regulations, it is a good idea for you to become familiar with them as well simply to provide you with the assurance that you will not be faced with an unpleasant surprise at some future date after your scale is installed.

A good place to start is with a call to your local weights and measures office. If you are unable to find a local telephone number for a local department of weights and measures, you should check with listings in your capital city. Another source of information is the internet where most state departments of weights and measures maintain a web site. A listing of state weights and measures departments can be found on the National Conference on Weights and Measures' web site at http://www.ncwm.net.

State weights and measures personnel will be happy to provide you with any requirements that are unique to your state. For example, some states have different requirements for the length, width, and slope of approaches to a scale while others may also have requirements concerning the minimum clearance beneath the scale structure. Most states will also tell you that the scale must have a NTEP Certificate of Conformance in order to be used in commerce. We will discuss that in greater detail later in this chapter.

The next step is to call your city's building code office to learn what requirements they have. Often, a building permit will be required for construction of the concrete foundation and approaches and for the wiring needed to power the scale. You may find that these services must be performed by contractors licensed by the city.

You should also determine whether there are local laws that regulate the use of the vehicle scale. These laws would typically be enforced by a local weights and measures department that you should be able to find in your phone directory. Remember that many cities do not have local weights and measures departments. To make sure, ask the people in your state office of weights and measures.

Cost justification

Table No. 1 Vehicle scale technology comparison.

Purchasing a vehicle scale is a major investment for most companies. To ensure that you are making a correct purchasing decision, you must determine if investing in the scale makes economic sense. In some applications, you have no choice and must purchase a scale, while in others it is viewed as a means of controlling costs or quality. Regardless of the reason for purchasing a scale, you should evaluate the economic return on your scale investment.