Cos'è una pesa pubblica?

È un servizio di pesatura accessibile a utenti esterni secondo regole, orari e modalità stabilite dal gestore. Può essere organizzato in self-service.

Una pesa pubblica serve anche per camion e bilici?

Sì, quando la pesa a ponte è dimensionata per questi veicoli. Le pese I Bilanciai vengono realizzate su misura.

Come funziona una pesa pubblica self-service?

Il conducente posiziona il mezzo, utilizza la postazione, effettua il pagamento o l'identificazione prevista, viene acquisito il peso e riceve il ticket.

Con la postazione POS si paga con carta; con la gettoniera si utilizzano monete, gettoni o badge RFID.

Esistono pese pubbliche con pagamento con carta?

Sì. La postazione I Bilanciai con POS integra touchscreen, lettore per carte e stampante termica.

Serve sempre un operatore?

No. Le postazioni self-service permettono all'utente di eseguire autonomamente la normale procedura. Rimangono comunque gestione, manutenzione e assistenza.

La pesa pubblica riconosce automaticamente la targa?

Non nelle funzioni descritte qui. Il badge RFID non equivale alla lettura automatica della targa.

Una pesa pubblica può essere aperta 24 ore?

Il self-service lo rende tecnicamente più semplice, ma l'orario effettivo dipende dall'organizzazione e dall'accessibilità del sito.

Una pesa pubblica deve essere omologata?

Dipende dall'uso che viene fatto della misura. Quando il peso rientra in una funzione soggetta alla metrologia legale, devono essere rispettati gli obblighi applicabili.

Quanto costa una pesa pubblica per autocarri?

Dipende da struttura, dimensioni, portata, posa, opere, piazzale e configurazione self-service.

Posso realizzarla in un piazzale che possiedo già?

Sì, se l'area è compatibile con l'impianto. Accessi, manovre, spazio per la pesa, posizione del terminale e tipo di posa devono essere valutati sul sito.

Technical weighbridge portal

Self-service public weighbridge: weighing, payment and ticket

A self-service public weighbridge provides external users with a weighing service that can be used without a member of staff being constantly present at the terminal. The driver brings the vehicle onto the weighbridge, follows the defined procedure, completes any required payment or identification and receives a ticket showing the weighing result.

Compared with a weighbridge installed solely for a company's internal requirements, the main difference is the context. A public weighbridge may be used by hauliers, companies, farmers and other users who do not necessarily know the site and therefore need to understand easily where to position the vehicle and how to complete the operation.

I Bilanciai offers two self-service solutions: a station with a 7-inch touchscreen, thermal printer and POS reader, and a station with a coin/token unit that can be used with coins, tokens or RFID badges.

Because all I Bilanciai weighbridges are made to measure, a public weighbridge can also be designed around the vehicles, capacity, yard and operating method of the service.

In this guide

What is a public weighbridge?

The expression public weighbridge does not describe a different technology from that used for a normal weighbridge. It mainly describes the function of the service: allowing external users to access weighing under conditions set by the operator.

The vehicle may be a truck, lorry, articulated lorry or another vehicle compatible with the weighbridge. What changes is that the user does not necessarily belong to the organisation operating the installation.

This creates specific requirements for signage, instructions, payment, printing and assistance.

Public weighbridge and company weighbridge

At a private facility, drivers may already know the route and procedures. A public weighbridge must also take into account users arriving for the first time.

The weighing structure may be similar, but everything around the platform changes: who can use the service, at what times, with which payment or identification method, and which document is issued.

Self-service makes it possible to manage this relationship without manually attending every normal weighing operation.

The user journey begins before the platform

The driver must identify the weighing point, reach it with the vehicle, position correctly, use the terminal and leave the installation.

Depending on the configuration, the operation may include payment by card, coins or tokens, or use of an RFID badge. Once the weight has been acquired, the system produces the ticket.

A public weighbridge used by articulated lorries and articulated vehicles must be designed around the real manoeuvres and dimensions of heavy vehicles.

A public weighbridge should be intuitive on first use

Anyone who uses a scale every day quickly learns even imperfect procedures. An occasional user should not have to.

The driver needs to understand where to stop, when to use the terminal, how to pay and when the operation is complete.

The touchscreen on the I Bilanciai POS station becomes the interface through which the user follows the procedure, while the thermal printer provides the ticket at the end.

Public weighbridge with POS

The POS station combines weighing and electronic payment by credit or debit card within the same procedure.

For a service open to occasional users, this is particularly practical because no tokens or pre-existing credentials are required. The user arrives, pays by card and receives the ticket.

Public weighbridge with coin/token unit

The coin/token unit can work with coins, tokens or RFID badges.

Coins and tokens can be used for occasional access; the badge can be incorporated into procedures for repeat users.

The RFID badge is not the same as an automatic number-plate reading system. It is a credential used in the self-service procedure.

POS, coins, tokens or RFID

The choice should start from the actual users.

A service used mainly by occasional hauliers may benefit from the simplicity of card payment. An installation used predominantly by companies or repeat drivers may find tokens or badges useful.

There is therefore no universally better terminal: the service access model is what changes.

The ticket is part of the service

The I Bilanciai self-service solutions provide printing as part of the procedure. The POS station has an integrated thermal printer.

The ticket allows the user to complete the weighing without going to an office. Its contents and any legal status must be consistent with the metrological configuration of the installation and the intended use of the measurement.

A public weighbridge is not necessarily council-owned

In everyday language, public weighbridge can suggest an installation owned by a local authority. The central characteristic is instead that the service is accessible to external users under conditions set by the operator.

Self-service technology can therefore also be used by a private organisation offering weighing services to third parties.

The weighbridge must be sized for the service's trucks

A public weighbridge may receive many different vehicles. The operator may need to weigh lorries, articulated lorries and articulated vehicles belonging to numerous hauliers.

All I Bilanciai weighbridges are made to measure, so length, capacity and configuration can be defined for the range of vehicles that the service will realistically need to accommodate.

The yard is also part of the service

The weighbridge should be easy to reach and leave. Position, approaches, waiting areas and the route after ticket issue should be assessed before installation.

When several vehicles arrive together, those waiting should not interfere with the truck already on the platform.

The position of the terminal should be equally natural, because users must be able to reach it under the conditions defined by the procedure.

If the yard already exists, a site plan and photographs make it possible to assess these elements on the actual site.

Can a public weighbridge operate without dedicated staff?

Yes. The self-service function allows normal weighing to be carried out without a member of staff permanently present at the terminal.

This does not mean there is no management at all. Maintenance, installation monitoring, user assistance and exception handling still remain.

Can a public weighbridge be automated?

Self-service stations automate the interaction required to carry out the weighing operation, but they do not automatically imply number-plate reading, traffic lights, barriers or cameras.

If the project requires wider automatic traffic management, these functions must be assessed separately.

Opening hours

Self-service makes it possible to organise the service without tying it to the presence of an operator, but actual opening hours remain a decision for the operator.

Accessibility, safety and site organisation determine when the weighbridge can be used. Self-service does not automatically mean a 24-hour service.

Legal metrology

When the weighing result is used for a legal metrology function, the instrument and its management must comply with the applicable obligations.

D.M. 21 April 2017, No. 93 governs controls on measuring instruments in service. Self-service operation does not in itself change the metrological nature of the measurement.

First and second weighing

Some services may require two readings of the same truck, before and after loading or unloading.

In this case, the two weighings must be correctly linked to the same operation. I Bilanciai Weighbridge software manages single and double weighings; any use within a self-service public weighbridge must be defined for the specific project.

How much it costs to create a self-service public weighbridge

The cost includes the made-to-measure weighbridge, installation type, civil works, electronics and self-service configuration.

The choice between POS and coin/token unit also changes the project. If additional weighing-management functions are required, they must be considered separately.

For a useful quotation, it is advisable to specify the vehicles, yard, approximate number of users, payment method and type of service to be offered.

POS / coin-token unit comparison

Feature	POS	Coin/token terminal
Self-service use	Yes	Yes
Card payment	Yes	No
Coins	No	Yes
Tokens	No	Yes
RFID badge	Not specified	Yes
Touchscreen	7 inches	Dedicated station
Ticket printing	Integrated thermal printer	Available
Use with weighbridge	Yes	Yes

Designing a public weighbridge means designing a service

When a weighbridge is opened to external users, the quality of the structure remains fundamental but is not enough on its own.

The driver must be able to reach the weighbridge, understand how to use it, pay, receive the result and clear the platform without difficulty. Self-service stations manage the defined operating stages; the rest of the project must make this independence genuinely usable.

QUICK ANSWERS

Technical sources

Self-service Weight Indicator with POS Reader — I Bilanciai
Self-service Weight Indicator with Coin/Token Unit — I Bilanciai
Weighbridges — I Bilanciai
D.M. 21 April 2017, No. 93

Last technical review: 1 September 2026. Published by I BILANCIAI S.r.l.