Most RVers drive past open weigh stations without a second thought, and usually with good reason. Those stations exist mainly for commercial trucks.
I’ll admit I’ve always done the same. I’ve never considered pulling into one, much less been required to.
Still, the popular belief that private RVs never have to stop goes a smidge too far. A posted sign, state law, or officer’s direction can sometimes send a personal-use motorhome or towable RV onto the scales.
Private RVs Usually Keep Going
A personal-use RV normally bypasses a weigh station meant for commercial vehicles, and some states actually spell that out. Oregon’s weigh-station guidance, for example, exempts recreational vehicles operated solely for personal use from reporting to an open scale.
That matches what most RVers experience. Many cross the country for decades without ever pulling onto a scale or being stopped for passing one.
The trouble starts when that common experience gets treated as a nationwide rule. Each state sets its own weigh-station requirements, and some laws reach beyond commercial vehicles (at least the way they are currently written).
Some States Use Broader Language
North Carolina offers one of the clearest examples. North Carolina General Statute § 20-118.1 requires a vehicle or combination with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more to enter a permanent or temporary weigh site when directed by signs or an electronic transponder. The requirement applies to vehicles generally, not just commercial ones. An exemption covers privately owned, noncommercial horse trailers built to carry four or fewer horses. No comparable RV exemption appears in the section.
Maryland’s published guidance also uses broad language. The frequently asked questions section of the state’s Motor Carrier Handbook considers a truck-and-trailer combination totaling 10,500 pounds and says the driver must pull into Maryland weigh stations. According to the handbook, signs posted before the stations direct all vehicles with a GVWR or gross combination weight rating over 10,000 pounds to enter.
Maryland Transportation Code § 24-111 requires drivers to obey signs, police directions, and qualifying electronic signals ordering a vehicle to stop for weighing. A first conviction for violating that requirement can bring a fine of up to $1,000.
Minnesota takes a slightly different approach. When a truck-weight enforcement operation is posted, Minnesota Statute § 169.85 requires the driver of a truck or combination of vehicles registered for or weighing more than 10,000 pounds to proceed to the scale. That requirement omits the word “commercial.” Depending on how the vehicle is classified, it could apply to a pickup towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel.
North Carolina and Maryland use weight ratings rather than simply looking at what the rig weighs that day. A 10,001-pound threshold can cover many motorhomes and truck-and-trailer combinations.
Private RVs are not required to stop at every open weigh station. However, some states post signs that cover all vehicles or vehicle combinations over a stated weight. Maryland, for example, uses signs directing all vehicles over five tons to exit at the weigh station. Technically, if the wording applies to your RV, you should enter.
Do Private RVers Actually Get Stopped?
A few RVers say they have.
Maryland: A Ram 3500 and Travel Trailer
In a 2016 Forest River Forums post, an RVer described towing a trailer with a Ram 3500 dually past a Maryland weigh station on I-95. A state trooper pulled him over and asked why he had not stopped.
The RVer said he believed the scales were only for commercial vehicles. By his account, the trooper confirmed the trip was personal and released him with a warning. Another member in the discussion said a retired Maryland commercial-vehicle officer had given him the opposite advice, saying private campers did not need to enter.
Pennsylvania: A Privately Used Bus
A converted-bus owner reported a similar experience in a 2024 Skoolie forum discussion. The owner said a Pennsylvania trooper stopped the privately used bus after it passed a weigh station.
According to the post, the trooper issued a written warning and instructed the driver to stop at Pennsylvania weigh stations in the future.
Michigan: A Diesel Pusher and Trailer
A third reported stop involved a large diesel-pusher motorhome towing a trailer. In a 2022 Good Sam discussion, a member said the motorhome passed an open Michigan scale while traveling with a convoy of Canadian RVs headed to Oshkosh. The member watched an officer leave the station and pull the motorhome over.
The group was later told it was a routine stop. The driver received a warning to obey weigh-station signs in the future.
Michigan Compiled Laws § 257.724 gives officers authority to make this type of stop. An officer who has reason to suspect that a vehicle’s weight is unlawful may require the driver to stop, submit to weighing, and travel to the nearest weigh station. The same statute makes knowingly refusing a direct order to stop and be weighed a misdemeanor.
The forum account never confirms why that motorhome was selected or if it had been required to enter before the officer intervened. Still, it provides another reported example of a private RV being stopped after passing a weigh station.
All three reports come from online forums rather than police records. The Maryland and Pennsylvania accounts came from the drivers involved, while the Michigan report came from another RVer who witnessed the stop.
A Traffic Stop Does Not Settle the Legal Question
An officer may stop an RV just to find out how it is registered or being used. That’s more likely with a converted bus, semi-based motorhome, heavy-duty truck, or large fifth-wheel combination.
These rules are easy to interpret differently, even for officers and experienced RVers. Reported stops show that these encounters do happen, but the final answer still comes from the state law and the exact wording on the roadside sign.
What Should RVers Watch For?
An “OPEN” sign by itself generally applies to whatever vehicles that state’s rules already cover. Read the full sign as you approach the station.
Pay close attention to wording that mentions:
- All vehicles over a stated weight
- Trucks with trailers or vehicle combinations
- Buses or motor coaches
- RVs or motorhomes
- Posted or lighted signs directing your vehicle class to enter
Always follow a direct order from a police or weight-enforcement officer. Any disagreement over how the rule applies can be handled later, but ignoring the officer can create a separate violation.
Owners of converted buses, semi-based motorhomes, and unusually heavy towing setups have the most reason to check state rules before a trip. Those rigs can look commercial, and some state laws use terms such as “truck,” “bus,” or “combination” rather than “RV.”
The Bottom Line
Private RVs normally roll past commercial weigh stations without stopping, which is why so many experienced RVers say the scales are for commercial vehicles only.
But that is not an absolute national rule. At least how it’s currently worded in a few states. A private RV may be required to enter when a posted sign covers its weight or configuration, or when an officer directs the driver to stop.
Most RVers will never run into either situation. The safest habit is simple: read the whole sign instead of assuming every weigh station works the same way.
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