NCPass

Any trucker based in or passing through North Carolina is as eager as those in the rest of the country to avoid costly delays on the job. Since the institution of NCPass in 2007, commercial vehicles have had the opportunity to do just that.

What is NCPass?

NCPass is a voluntary weigh station pre-clearance program that permits enrolled truckers to bypass fixed weigh stations across the state. Any carrier receiving a satisfactory rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can be authorized by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to participate in the program.

How does it work?

In a manner mirroring that of other modern intelligent transportation systems, NCPass permits any truck equipped with a compatible transponder to bypass fixed weigh stations.

As the truck moves toward the weigh station, information about that vehicle is transmitted from the transponder to a receiver in the station. After the data has been evaluated electronically, a response is sent back to tell the trucker whether or not he may proceed.

While NCPass does provide its own transponders, the program has been specifically designed for compatibility with other intelligent transportation systems. It works equally well with transponders issued by NORPASS and BESTPASS. However, although the NCPass transponder can be used at PrePass weigh stations, the reverse is not currently the case.

Where can it be used?

At the present time, NCPass is available at eight weigh stations across the state of North Carolina.

Why does it exist?

As is true of all weigh station pre-clearance programs, NCPass is designed not only to save time, but also to conserve fuel while reducing toxic emissions and vehicular wear and tear.

Traffic safety is another consideration. Permitting commercial vehicles to bypass fixed weigh stations at or close to highway speeds reduces the number of potentially dangerous slowdowns and merges.