Weighbridge ticket
A weighbridge ticket is the record a weighbridge prints when a vehicle is weighed, giving the gross weight of the loaded vehicle, the tare weight of the empty one, and the net weight of the load itself. On a skip yard or transfer station it is the slip that settles what came in, what went out, and what the load actually weighed.
What a weighbridge ticket is
A weighbridge ticket is the record produced when a vehicle is driven onto a weighbridge and weighed, showing the gross weight of the loaded vehicle, the tare weight of the same vehicle empty, and the net weight of the load that changed hands. Most yards weigh in loaded and weigh out empty, so the ticket is printed at the second weighing once both figures exist.
The ticket is a weight record first and a commercial record second. It is what the yard invoices against, what the haulier checks before they leave, and what anyone later asks for when a tonnage is questioned. It is usually a small printed slip from the weighbridge terminal, sometimes a duplicate book, sometimes an email or PDF from a newer bridge.
An example from the gate
A tipper comes onto the bridge at 07:40 carrying mixed construction waste. Loaded, it reads 18,200 kg gross. It tips, comes back over the bridge empty and reads 7,900 kg tare. The ticket prints 10,300 kg net, with the ticket number, the date and time, the registration, the customer account and a description typed in by whoever was on the bridge.
What is usually printed on a ticket
| Field | What it shows | Why it matters later |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket number | A unique reference for that weighing | The reference someone quotes when a load is disputed |
| Date and time | When the vehicle crossed the bridge | Ties the load to the day it was received |
| Vehicle registration | Which vehicle was weighed | Links the weight to the carrier who brought it |
| Gross weight | Vehicle plus load | The first of the two readings |
| Tare weight | Vehicle empty | Subtracted to get the load |
| Net weight | Gross minus tare | The tonnage that belongs on the transfer note |
| Customer or account | Who the load is billed to | Connects the weighing to the job |
| Material description | What the driver or operator said it was | The starting point for the waste type and code |
What a ticket proves, and what it does not
A weighbridge ticket is evidence of weight. It is not a duty of care document, and on its own it does not describe the waste in the terms a regulator expects.
The description line on a ticket is usually free text typed at the bridge, so it might say "muck away" or "builders mix" rather than naming the waste properly and carrying a List of Waste code. A ticket also has no producer details, no carrier registration number, no destination site and no signatures. Those belong on the waste transfer note.
So the two documents sit side by side. The ticket carries the authoritative weight. The transfer note carries the description, the code, the parties and the destination. How that weight gets from the slip onto the note without being typed twice is a separate question, and the use case page on going from weighbridge ticket to transfer note deals with it.
Related terms
- Gross weight. The vehicle and its load together, read on the way in.
- Tare weight. The empty vehicle, read on the way out. Some yards hold a stored tare for a known vehicle rather than weighing it every trip.
- Net weight. Gross minus tare, the weight of the waste itself, and the number that should appear as the quantity on the transfer note.
- Waste transfer note. The duty of care record describing the waste, the parties and where it went. The ticket supplies its weight, nothing more.
- EWC code. The List of Waste code that classifies the material. A ticket's free text description is not a substitute for it.
- Duty of care. The obligation on everyone who produces, carries or receives waste to describe it accurately and pass it to someone authorised to take it.
- Consignment note. The separate record used for hazardous waste, which sits alongside, not instead of, the weighing.
- Weighbridge operator. Whoever is on the bridge at the time, often the same person running the gate, which is why the description line is typed quickly and checked later.
Questions
Is a weighbridge ticket the same as a waste transfer note?
No. A weighbridge ticket records the weight of a load. A waste transfer note describes the waste, its code, the parties involved and where it is going. The ticket is where the weight on the note usually comes from, but it does not replace the note.
How is the net weight worked out?
Gross weight minus tare weight. The loaded vehicle is weighed in, the empty vehicle is weighed out, and the difference is the weight of the waste.
Do I need a weighbridge to run a transfer station?
Whether a weighbridge is required depends on your permit and the conditions attached to it, so check the permit rather than assuming. In practice most sites that receive mixed loads weigh them, because the tonnage has to be reported and invoiced.
Can a weighbridge ticket be digital?
Yes. Newer weighbridge terminals produce a PDF or an emailed ticket rather than a printed slip. The content is the same, and it still needs to reach the transfer note and the tonnage records.
Who keeps the weighbridge ticket?
Usually both sides. The driver takes a copy for the haulier or the customer, and the receiving site keeps one against the load it accepted and the invoice it raises.
Why does the weight on the ticket matter for compliance?
Because the quantity on the transfer note and the tonnage in a quarterly return are only as accurate as the weight they were copied from. A wrong figure in the yard becomes a wrong figure in the record.