Bow, Wash. — When a load that was too tall came through the Bow Hill Port of Entry before it struck and collapsed the Skagit River Bridge, an overheight warning appeared on a computer screen at the weigh station.
But Washington State Patrol Lt. Dennis Bosman said the one commercial vehicle enforcement officer on duty was busy dealing with a safety problem on another truck, saw the over-sized load go by with a pilot vehicle and the proper signage, and was not alarmed.
Height sensors at weigh stations only signal that a vehicle is overheight, and do not measure the actual height. It is the responsibility of the drivers of the truck and the pilot car to know clearances along the route.
Ports of Entry are staffed around the clock, but weigh stations are not. Bosman says of the 14 positions at Bow Hill for 24/7 coverage, three people are in training and three other jobs are vacant.
Of the 260 positions in the State Patrol's commercial vehicle division, there are and between 30 and 40 vacancies.
Bosman said he's having trouble finding qualified applicants. A supervisor said starting wages are about $35,000 per year.
Even fully staffed, the system is designed to keep freight moving.
More than 67,000 trucks in Washington have transponders that often allow them to skip weigh stations altogether. Trucks and trucking companies with good safety records are often allowed to bypass. Many trucks that do come through weigh stations pass scales slowly and do not stop unless told to do so by an officer.