Automated weighbridges have all manner of advantages that can help your business speed up its processes, and make the management of vehicles entering and leaving your site considerably more efficient. They can also cut your long-term costs by eliminating the need for someone to man your weighbridge, allowing you to redeploy your staff in a far more cost-effective way.

Meanwhile, using automated traffic management and number plate recognition cameras in conjunction with your weighbridge will not only improve the flow of traffic in and out of the site, but can also make your site safer and more secure.

But what are the processes, software and hardware that combine to make this happen? This month we’re going to take a closer look at how weighbridges work and how they can be automated.

1. Traffic Light Controlled Entry

As the vehicle approaches your weighbridge, traffic lights indicate whether the driver should wait (red) or if it is safe for them to enter (green). With all processes being fully automated, the minute the previous vehicle is out of the way the next can enter, ensuring that congestion and delays are kept to a minimum.

2. Alignment Sensors 

To make sure the vehicle is correctly positioned, a series of sensors situated on either side of the weighbridge detect if the vehicle has come to a stop in the right place, with a lighting system (separate to the enter/exit traffic lights) used to indicate when the driver should stop.

3. Number Plate Recognition

ANPR Cameras situated at either end of the weighbridge take pictures of the front and back of the vehicle, using number plate recognition software to identify the vehicle in question and integrate this information with your database to provide extra security for your site.

4. Scan Barcode

Alongside the number plate recognition software, you may also have a system whereby each vehicle has a barcode placed in the front windscreen that can be automatically scanned to match the vehicle and recorded weight.

5. Driver Operated Terminal

A driver operated terminal enables the driver to provide any further required information via a touchscreen and card reader without the driver having to leave the vehicle.

6. Weight Taken

Once the weighbridge has detected that the vehicle is completely stable and all relevant information has been collected, the weight will be recorded against the vehicle details taken by the number plate recognition system and/or the barcode. This information is then stored in the linked software ready to be retrieved at a moment’s notice as necessary.

7. Vehicle Allowed to Leave

Once all the information has been recorded, a barrier will be raised so that the vehicle can exit the weighbridge. The whole process from start to finish may take no more time than it has taken you to read this article!

Weightron has been at the forefront of the development of unmanned weighbridges for 20 years. We have developed a fully integrated system that encompasses everything you’ll need to ensure complete control over what’s going in and out of your entry and exit gates. To find out more about weighbridge automation from Weightron, simply contact our expert team a call today.