The Highway Patrol wants to close five of North Dakota's eight truck weighing stations, and replace them with roving teams that would use portable scales to weigh and inspect trucks at various locations.

The idea is part of Gov. John Hoeven's two-year recommended budget to the Legislature. Of the 33 people who work in the stations, 12 will lose their jobs under the proposal. Jim Hughes, the Highway Patrol commander, said some may be able to take early retirement.
The changes make sense because overweight trucks are likely to avoid routes where weigh stations are located, Hughes said. Using mobile stations might provide more effective enforcement, he said.
North Dakota now has weigh stations in Beach, Bowman, Ellendale, Joliette, Minot, Mooreton, West Fargo and Williston.
Hoeven had asked agencies to draft spending plans that would reduce their operating expenses by 5%.
The Minot station has not operated since September. Its three employees are now part of a mobile inspection team. Hughes said no decisions have been made on which stations would close.
In recent years, the patrol has closed weigh stations in Hague and Buxton, along with a Fargo scale that weighed trucks that were eastbound on Interstate 94.