Letting your truck scale gather dirt and debris may not seem like a big deal, but it’s actually a much bigger issue than most scale operators realize. Keeping your scales clean improves their performance in both the short and long term, ultimately saving you money by prolonging the life of your scale and preventing damage and unnecessary repairs.
Here are just a few ways that regularly cleaning your truck scale can actually save you money and help your business run much more smoothly.
Clean truck scales avoid rust and corrosion
One of the most expensive things about the trucking business is replacing hardware. Keeping your scale dry can help you avoid a lot of the rust and corrosion that could come in and cause the equipment to deteriorate.
Inspect your truck scale daily to ensure that your pumps and your pit drainage system are both functioning correctly.
For surface mounted scales, make sure there is enough space between the structure and the ground so that everything stays dry. Pit mounted scales should be checked each month for ponding water, and a rust inspection should be conducted twice a year.
Beware of spring and fall
These seasons can be especially challenging times for keeping your truck scale clean. With water and debris potentially freezing inside the scale if temperatures drop at night, moving parts may not function properly the next day. Even if the problem begins with a noncritical component, it can quickly spread to more critical ones like a load cell connector.
A good way to prevent this issue is to invest in a drop pit, which collects debris from the truck tires as the truck enters the scale by acting as an oversized grate and forcing rocks and other forms of debris to pop out of the tire treads before it enters the scale.
Wheel washes and weekly inspections can also go a long way in keeping everything clean and well-functioning. You should also make sure to properly winterize your truck scales before the cold, snow and ice arrive.
Prevent steel deterioration
A dirty scale can create excessive friction, which shortens the lifespan of expensive hardware and may affect your readings too.
We recommend having your scale cleaned regularly so that moist, dirt and debris are not encasing the base plates which causes deterioration of the steel. Rust that is caused by moisture and water will attack the steel and become responsible for the replacement of steel scale components.
Dirty truck scales can be inaccurate
The bottom line of keeping your scale clean is all about staying in compliance. A scale that isn’t weighing correctly could mean that you’re held legally responsible for the ramifications of that reading, which will end up losing your customer’s trust and costing a lot more money than scale maintenance would have.
At least twice a year, have your truck scale serviced and aggregated by an Active Scale professional, especially around the spring and fall months. Active Scale is here to serve you with the best line of weigh scales, our maintenance professionals and much more. Call us toll-free today at 1-866-284-2223 for all of your electronic truck scales, portable scales and weigh system cleaning needs.
