Truck Scale Systems & Integration
Whether you’re hauling a heavy load of raw materials or finished goods, it’s crucial to capture accurate weighments. Today, manufacturing companies are integrating and automating their truck scales to increase efficiency in the scale yard, ensure measurement accuracy, and drive profitability in their operations. With integration services from Precision Solutions, your business can take full advantage of best-in-class weighing technology with a custom-designed, comprehensive truck scale system.
Precision Solutions provides highly customizable truck scale systems which can include any of the following features: integrated process control devices; customizable data management options; unattended truck scale system design; in/out weighing capability; and bidirectional weighing capabilities.
Integrated Process Control Devices for Truck Scale Systems
Any of the following features can be added to your truck scale system:
- Camera monitoring systems: Camera systems, as municipalities allow, can be used to execute legal-for-trade weighments without an onsite weighmaster. Camera systems can be complemented by license plate data-capture technology for traceability of trucks throughout the scale yard.
- Photo sensors, Induction Loops, and vehicle sensing: Photo sensors, induction loops, and other technologies can be integrated to automate weighing processes and control truck traffic flow in and out of the scale yard.
- Remote displays: Remote displays can be customized to display scale weight or to give instruction to drivers on the scale or in the scale yard. Precision Solutions offers custom programming to help move drivers through the weighment process with or without the presence of a weighmaster.
- Traffic control gates: Gates can be used in tandem with remote displays and vehicle sensing devices to control truck traffic in the scale yard.
- Multi-platform scale for axel weighing: Often, truck drivers attempt to capture axel weighments manually on a single platform scale – this process is time consuming and provides inaccurate weighments. Multi-platform scales can be used to simultaneously capture axel weighments. Photo sensors can be used in tandem with remote displays to ensure truck drivers capture accurate axel weighments on each platform which expedites the weighing process.
Customizable Data Management Options for Truck Scale Systems
Every business manages their data differently. With a truck scale system from Precision Solutions, manufacturers can integrate their scales with enterprise data management tools to ensure weighment data is managed thoughtfully. Truck scale systems can include any of the following features:
- Tie-in to existing databases, accounting systems, or ERP streamlines manual processes: Weighment data can be paired with driver or weighmaster inputs to ensure traceability and compliance in each transaction. Unique driver identifiers such as license number or employee number can be used to track transactions. Photos, signatures, and other vital data can be tied to transactions for use by management within their enterprise ERP.
- Remote truck scale data monitoring empowers management with real time data: Weighmasters and plant supervisors can remotely monitor weighments through custom PC programs created by scale integration specialists.
- Weighment data capture options open up new possibilities for layout in the scale yard: Every facility has its own space constraints. Weighment data can be sent serially, over ethernet, or wirelessly via Bluetooth or wifi. These data communication options ensure truck scale transactions can be captured digitally no matter where the scale is located.
- Weighment transaction storage eliminates downtime during network outage: Every operator fears system outages. Our systems can be designed to store transactions locally so operations don’t have to stop during a network outage.
- Weighment transaction reports provide insight into your operation: Your system can include a program capable of generating reports to help you gain insights and maximize efficiency in your operation.
Unattended Truck Scale Terminal
Unattended truck terminals enable drivers to capture truck scale weighments without the presence of a weighmaster. Compared to attended truck scales, unattended truck scales save you money by increasing weigh accuracy and decreasing the amount of necessary labor from day to day. With unattended truck scale ticketing, you’ll get readings within 0.5% accuracy and have your freight weight verified.
In the past, operators would use weighmasters to control the flow of traffic throughout the scale yard. Today, unattended truck scales can be integrated with vehicle sensing systems, traffic gates, remote displays, and programmable scale indicators to completely automate both the flow of truck traffic and the weighment process. Sometimes weighmasters are full time employees with a plethora of other responsibilities they need to attend to – installing an unattended system frees up vital time for key team members while ensuring each weighment is completed efficiently and accurately.
Fully unattended truck scales are ideal for operations that have multiple weigh sites or lower traffic volumes. This state-of-the-art technology allows for a high return on your investment that pays for itself in a matter of only months. With an unattended truck scale system, your business won’t need to build a costly scale house or employ on-duty scale operators. Instead, unattended truck scales use features including card/RFID readers, displays and ticket printers to keep track of load weights.
In/Out Truck Weighing System
In/out truck scale weighing systems capture a truck’s in and out weight, including the gross, tare, and net values. In/out truck scale weighing and ticketing systems can provide tickets with weighment values to the weighmaster and truck driver – such as in legal-for-trade environments – or the weighment data can be stored or sent to an integrated database or ERP. Depending on your needs, these systems can also store weighment data using customizable unique identifiers such as employee numbers or license plate numbers. Depending on the requirements of your regulatory body, scale indicators can be preloaded with truck tare weights so net weights can be captured with one weighment.
Truck scales with in/out weighing systems can be integrated with RFID tracking systems as well. Using an RFID tracking system, operators can easily track their onsite inventory of raw goods or finished products. In this situation, RFID scanners are mounted at the truck scale. When a truck pulls onto the scale, the RFID readers identify the truck, pulls all relevant information from integrated databases or ERP systems, and matches the stored information with the weighment.
Bidirectional Truck Scale Systems
Bidirectional scales allow for the weighment of trucks into and out of the scale yard on one scale. Often, facilities have space restrictions that require them to use a scale from both directions. Alternatively, operators may also recognize that their transaction volume is light enough to utilize one scale for both in and out weighments at their facility. Through custom programming, a bidirectional truck scale will identify the vehicle’s orientation and can signal remote displays or vehicle sensing devices to guide the driver into the proper location for weighment. If your facility is tight on space or truck drivers have difficulty navigating the facility, a bidirectional truck scale may solve your egress issues.
Bidirectional scales can be mounted above ground or in a pit. Bidirectional scales can provide both axel weights and in/out weighments with stored tare weights as desired. When paired with remote displays, traffic control sensors, and traffic gates, bidirectional truck scales can be entirely automated and be used as unattended truck scales.
Scale Integration Available at a National Level
Although Precision Solutions Inc. operates out of Eastern Pennsylvania, we extend our reach throughout the United States with our Integrated Solutions. Whether you’re a trucking company in California, an oil refinery in Texas or a pharmaceutical manufacturer in New York, we’ll help you automate your processes by integrating your industrial scales with custom software.
For more information on our service area, contact a representative today!
Partner With Precision Solutions for Your Truck Scale Integration
Precision Solutions has decades of experience providing our customers with a full range of commercial weighing solutions. Throughout more than 50 years of operation, we’ve been focused on creating win-win solutions for every one of our clients. We’re capable of repairing, calibrating, installing and integrating new scale solutions for industries from health care to manufacturing to chemicals. Whether you need to weigh trucks, consumer products or hazardous materials, Precision Solutions is committed to designing custom integrated weighing systems for your business.
Let Precision Solutions design a custom truck scale integration system for your business that streamlines your operations, saves time and money, and unlocks the potential of your operational data in real time. To learn more about Precision Solutions and our custom-designed systems, contact us today.
