Employment : Quick Tour : Commercial Trucking
Have you ever wondered why the commercial trucking industry is regulated? Weight restrictions on commercial trucks protect Montana's highways and help ensure the safety of the traveling public. Trucks put additional stress on Montana's roads, which is why truckers pay extra fees to use them.
Motor Carrier Services (MCS)
MCS regulates commercial trucking by operating weigh stations and sites across Montana. MCS officers check commercial vehicles for proper licenses, size and weight permits, and they inspect vehicles to ensure they meet all safety regulations.
MCS officers weigh more than 600,000 trucks and inspect more than 35,000 commercial vehicles each year.
Proceeds from truck permits and fuel taxes provide up to 20% of the funding used to construct and maintain Montana's highway system.
Dyed Diesel Enforcement
MCS officers also regulate the use of dyed diesel, which is utilized primarily by farmers in off-road equipment (tractors, combines, etc.). Since farmers do not use the road, their dyed diesel fuel is not taxed to pay for road maintenance and improvements.
It is illegal to use dyed diesel on public roads. MCS officers may stop noncommercial, diesel-powered vehicles on the open road and sample their fuel tanks for dyed diesel fuel. Noncompliance may result in civil or criminal penalties.
Online Permitting
MCS employees use online permitting to register over 30,000 commercial vehicles and issue over 60,000 permits each year. Licensing and permit technicians provide "one-stop" service to the motor carrier industry for:
- commercial vehicle licensing
- registration
- dyed diesel fuel credentials
- single-state registration insurance
- over-dimension/overweight permits
Weigh-in-Motion PrePass
MCS also uses PrePass, an automatic vehicle identification (AVI) system that allows participating transponder-equipped commercial vehicles to bypass designated weigh stations and port-of-entry facilities. PrePass weigh stations employ weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales to electronically weigh the vehicles while AVI antennas verify the truck's identity and compliance.
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