I encourage everyone to take their rig across a weighbridge. i reckon there will be few nasty surprises...
Unfortunately there are only a few free 24/7 ones I know about. The Broadford one is very easy to use and is on the northbound lanes just north of the Broadford exit. It has a large overhead LED sign indicating when it is available for self checking - which is by most of the time. It has a series of pads - enough to weigh a B-double - so you can weigh individual axle loads - mine were 1340 kg front, 1180 kg rear.
There is also a pair, one on each side, on Port Road in Townsville. They are at the southern end of the road, just after you turn off the Pacific Highway. Just look for the large gravel areas, the northbound side has a small shed from memory. Just drive on to the pad and the weight on that axle is shown on an LED panel on the pole in front of you.
It just makes sense to me that the various authorities should leave all the Vicroads equivalent weighbridges on 24/7 for "self checking". If they are available, there would be no excuse for not knowing what your rig weighs. There are also thousands of weighbridges at grain silos scattered around the country. All it takes is to leave the power on and provide a window so you can see the readout.
From my observations, a huge proportion of 4WD's on outback roads are overloaded. Many would be pushing the limit just with their load of accessories, let alone their contents.
Remember, insurance companies will scrape up all the bits they can find and take them to a weighbridge after an accident, just so they can deny a claim.
Cheers
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