La Prairie Safety and Weight Enforcement facility
The station opened in June 2007 after several years of discussion between the state Department of Transportation and local officials. Many township residents and local officials didn’t want prime farmland turned into a slab of concrete topped with idling trucks.
966
Truck inspections conducted by staff stationed at the La Prairie Weigh Station between June 1, 2008, and March 5, 2009.
In addition, they conducted 489 roadside inspections away from the station.
5,426
Violations found during truck inspections at the station.
They found an additional 2,897 violations in roadside inspections away from the station.
537
Violations found at the station that put trucks out of service until corrected.
Another 305 “out of service” violations were found during roadside inspections.
347
Citations issued at the station.
An additional 137 citations were written after roadside inspections.
LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP — Call it the mystery of the little weigh station on the prairie.
Wedged against Interstate 90/39 south of Janesville is a small block building overshadowed by the swooping roof of a large garage.
It’s the La Prairie Safety and Weight Enforcement facility, operated by the Wisconsin Station Patrol.
The station opened in June 2007 after several years of discussion between the state Department of Transportation and local officials. Many township residents and local officials didn’t want prime farmland turned into a slab of concrete topped with idling trucks.
In response, the DOT said the station would make roads safer while at the same time keeping traffic moving and reducing emissions from idling trucks.
Now, many local folks wonder if the weigh station is ever open.
Commuters insist the sign always says “closed” when they drive by on their twice-daily jaunts to work.
Others grumble they’ve never seen a truck pulled in for inspection.
But here’s something that might surprise them: In the nine months its been open, station staff have done 966 inspections at the station plus 489 more inspections on the road.
That’s about 107 inspections a month or about 27 for each 40-hour week.
So why does it always looked closed?
Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Gary Bauer offered explanations:
Q: When is the station open?
A: From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some exceptions.
About 78 percent of truck traffic is on the road during those hours.
“We strive, as much as possible, to have the station open during those hours,” Bauer said. “Now in the winter time, we might not spend as much time at the station.”
Q: Why would they close the station?
A: During the messy winter months, vehicle inspectors often are called to deal with run-offs, accidents and traffic control, Bauer said.
During the summer, inspectors might be called to crash scenes involving semi-trailer trucks.
Inspectors also work on the roads, stopping trucks and doing roadside inspections.
Q: I’ve never seen a truck at the weigh station. Why is that?
A: Under the old system, trucks would pull into the weigh station and wait in line to be weighed.
Now, trucks pass over scales built into the road almost a mile south of the station. If a truck is more than 80,000 pounds, an electronic sign tells the truck to pull into the weigh station, Bauer explained
That means only overweight trucks have to come into the station.
Then, the trucks pass slowly over a second, more sensitive scale. If the trucks are overweight or have other obvious violations, they’re pulled into one of two bays in the garage, where they get a complete inspection.
When a truck is in the garage, it’s impossible to see from the road.
The station also does random checks, pulling in trucks to check for safety violations.
Q: It seems like every time I drive past the station the sign says, “closed.” Why?
A: When a truck is pulled in the garage, the “closed” sign goes on because the inspectors are working on that truck.
Each inspection takes about an hour.
“It gives the appearance that the station is closed,” Bauer said.
Q: What are the most common violations?
A: Being overweight, record of duty status violations and general safety violations.
“Record of duty” refers to the records truckers are required to keep showing how long they’ve been on the road.
“Weight is a very common offense,” said Bauer. “We’re a safety and weight enforcement facility. We want compliance with the safety measures, and the penalty is meant to be corrective rather that punitive.”
That said, certain violations, such as problems with brakes or tires or a lot of missing lights can result in the truck being pulled from the road until the violations are fixed.
966
Truck inspections conducted by staff stationed at the La Prairie Weigh Station between June 1, 2008, and March 5, 2009.
In addition, they conducted 489 roadside inspections away from the station.
5,426
Violations found during truck inspections at the station.
They found an additional 2,897 violations in roadside inspections away from the station.
537
Violations found at the station that put trucks out of service until corrected.
Another 305 “out of service” violations were found during roadside inspections.
347
Citations issued at the station.
An additional 137 citations were written after roadside inspections.