THE SMARTWEIGH SYSTEM EXPLAINED
Overload protection,
engineered for one job.
SmartWeigh is an on-board Overload Protection Monitor. It tells you, accurately and before you turn a wheel, whether you are at or over your legal limit.
Most accurate between 90% and 100% of your vehicle GVW. Built for one job. Does it properly.
THE ONE-LINE ANSWER
What SmartWeigh actually is.
An on-board sensor system that reads how much your axles flex under load, and translates that into a live weight readout in your cab. Built to do one job: tell you when you are at or near your legal limit.
±5%
Guide Accuracy
Often better than this in practice on a calibrated fit.
90-100%
Most Accurate At
Calibrated to be sharpest near your full GVW.
1 Job
Built To Do
Detect overload before you leave the yard. Nothing else.
BUILT FOR FULL LOAD. BY DESIGN.
A simple analogy.
Every measurement tool is built for a range. Step outside that range and you lose precision. Not because the tool is broken, but because that is how physics works. SmartWeigh is no different.
Bathroom Scales
Built to weigh a person, accurately, in the 50-120kg range.
SmartWeigh
Built to detect overload near your full GVW, accurately, every time.
You would not weigh a lorry on bathroom scales. And you would not use SmartWeigh to weigh out the post. Right tool, right job.
NO TWO VEHICLES THE SAME
Every axle bends its own way.
SmartWeigh works by reading how much your axles flex under load. Sounds simple. But here is the bit most people miss: no two vehicles flex the same way.
A brand-new Transit straight from the factory will read differently to one with 180,000 miles on the clock. Two identical vans, built on the same day, will read differently a few years on. There is no factory default, and we do not pretend there is.
Factor 01
Age & wear
Springs, bushes, and the chassis itself settle over time. A 10-year-old vehicle flexes differently to a 2-year-old, even on the same model.
Factor 02
How it has been used
A vehicle that has hauled heavy loads daily has axles that work differently to one used for light delivery work.
Factor 03
Workload pattern
Front-loaded, rear-loaded, evenly spread. Every vehicle has its own pattern of wear depending on how it has been driven.
Why we calibrate on your vehicle, on the day it is fitted.
Because the factory default does not exist. SmartWeigh is set up against your axles, with your vehicle loaded to its actual full GVW. That is the only way a system reads accurately for the vehicle you actually run.
WHERE ACCURACY LIVES
Light loads will not read precisely.
Your axles only flex meaningfully under significant weight. A single pallet, a half-empty load, a driver climbing in. None of these produce enough flex to give a precise reading. The accuracy you need only happens as you approach full load.
A single pallet, a half-empty load, a driver climbing in. Not enough axle flex to read precisely, and not enough weight to put you over the limit either.
Reading precision improves as you approach full load. Useful as a guide on the way up, but it is not where the system is calibrated to be sharpest.
±5% guide accuracy. Where the axles tell us exactly what you are carrying. Where DVSA decide whether you get a fine. Where it matters.
Here is what matters. SmartWeigh is dialled in where the fines happen: the last 10% of your GVW. That is where your axles tell us, accurately, what you are carrying. And that is where DVSA decide whether you get a fine.
THE BIT NOBODY TELLS YOU
Even DVSA's own weighbridges have tolerances.
You have probably heard it: “a weighbridge gives you the exact weight, your system does not.” It is simply not true.
Every weighing device on the planet has a documented tolerance for error. Including the ones DVSA themselves use for enforcement. They published the numbers. Take a look.
SINGLE PLATE WEIGHBRIDGE
±50kg
On a 5-axle artic: ±250kg tolerance on GVW.
MULTI-PLATE WEIGHBRIDGE
±50kg
Per plate. On 4 plates: ±200kg on gross.
AXLE WEIGHER (DYNAMIC)
±150kg
On a 5-axle artic: ±750kg tolerance on GVW.
PORTABLE WEIGH PADS
±100kg
DVSA’s own portable kit: ±500kg on a 5-axle.
“The accuracy limit for an axle weigher in dynamic mode is ±150kg per axle, with a consequent accuracy limit on gross vehicle weight or gross train weight of ±150kg, multiplied by the number of axles.”
– Source: DVSA Consolidated Code of Practice, Section 3.4.1 (gov.uk, 2024)
PICK THE RIGHT TOOL
Three jobs. Three different tools.
Different problems need different equipment. Here is how to know which one you actually need.
· The fine-prevention tool
Overload protection
When you need it
You just need to stop running over your legal limit. You do not need a billable weight. You need the right side of the law.
How accurate
±5% guide accuracy at 90-100% GVW. Sharpest where the fines happen.
→ SmartWeigh On-Board Systems
· The trading tool
Per-pickup billing
When you need it
You charge customers per kilogram on every pickup or drop, and need a legal-for-trade record.
How accurate
Calibration-certified portable weighing for accurate per-load figures.
→ SmartWeigh Wireless Weigh Pads
· The paper-trail tool
One-off certified weight
When you need it
You need a one-off certified weight for a specific load, perhaps to settle a dispute.
How accurate
Public weighbridge ticket. Still subject to tolerance (see above) but legally certified.
→ Local public weighbridge
Not sure which one you need?
Call us on +44 (0)1603 485 153. Two minutes on the phone and we will tell you straight, even if it is not us you need.
WHAT AN OVERLOAD ACTUALLY COSTS
One stop. Three ways to lose money.
The fine is just the start. By the time DVSA have finished with you at the roadside, an overload offence costs a sole trader far more than the £100-£300 fixed penalty most operators quote. Straight from the official guidance:
£100
<10% over
Fixed penalty. Immediate prohibition. Operator notified.
£200
10-15% over
Fixed penalty. Immediate prohibition. Operator notified.
£300
15%+ over
Fixed penalty. Immediate prohibition. Operator notified.
Court
30%+ over
Court summons. Unlimited fines. O-licence review.
But here is what most operators miss.
The fixed penalty is just one piece. The real cost of a single overload offence stacks up like this:
The fixed penalty
£100 to £300 depending on how far over you were.
£100-£300
Immediate prohibition
Vehicle stopped until load is removed or redistributed. Late delivery. Customer relations damaged.
£££
Operator notification
O-licence holders are reported to the Traffic Commissioner. Repeated offences trigger a public inquiry.
O-LICENCE RISK
Multiple offences per stop
DVSA can issue up to 5 fixed penalty notices per stop. With two examiners, up to 10.
Up to £1,500
Don’t pay in 28 days?
If unpaid in 28 days and no court hearing requested, the penalty is registered with the courts as an unpaid fine, and increases by 50%.
+50%
Court (30%+ overload)
Court fines for serious overload offences are uncapped. Cases run into thousands plus legal costs plus O-licence impact.
£1,000s
The numbers do not lie. Every day you run without overload protection is a day you are rolling the dice, and the house is the DVSA. SmartWeigh removes the gamble.
HOW YOU GET ONE FITTED
Three steps. We come to you.
No workshop visit. No vehicle off the road for days. Our engineer comes to your site, fits the unit, calibrates it to your vehicle, and has you driving by the end of the day.
Enquire
Tell us your vehicle and where you are based. We will come back with a price and a fitting slot, usually within the same working day.
On-site fit & calibrate
Our engineer brings the kit and weigh pads. We fit the sensors, mount the in-cab display, pair the app, and calibrate the system to your vehicle, empty and fully loaded. One trip, one day.
Drive
Live readings every time you load. You will know your weight before you leave the yard, every time.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ
Your vehicle must be loaded to full GVW on the day of fitting.
The calibration process is the most critical part of the fit. It is what makes your SmartWeigh accurate. We cannot shortcut it.
These two readings are what tell the system how your vehicle behaves under load, from zero to full. Without both, the system cannot be calibrated to read accurately. There is no factory default that works for every vehicle.
Product to load the vehicle to its full GVW must be available on the day of fitting. If the load is not available when our engineer arrives, the calibration cannot be completed, and a return-visit fee will be charged to complete the fit on a second date.
Before our engineer arrives, please make sure:
- ✓ The vehicle is on-site and accessible
- ✓ The vehicle is empty for the first calibration reading
- ✓ Product or material to load the vehicle to full GVW is available and ready
- ✓ Someone is on-site who can authorise the fit and sign-off
Not sure how to load to GVW, or unsure what your vehicle’s full GVW is? Just ask when you enquire. We will talk it through and make sure you are set up properly before the engineer turns up. It is much cheaper to ask than to pay for a return visit.
Now you know how it works.
Let us get you fitted.
You have seen what SmartWeigh is. You have seen how it works. You have seen the DVSA evidence that no weighing system is “100% accurate”, including theirs. The only thing standing between you and an overweight fine is whether you can see your weight before you leave the yard.
Tell us your vehicle and your postcode. We will come back the same working day with the right system for the job. No pressure. No hard sell. Just an honest answer.
Or call us direct: 01603 485 153