Commercial Weighing Business Models¶

TruLoad supports two distinct commercial weighing business models. Understanding which model applies to your organisation determines how billing, fees, and transaction workflows are configured.

Model 1 — Third-Party Weighbridge (Fee-per-Transaction)¶

In this model, the weighbridge operator provides weighing services to external transporters and charges a fee for each transaction.

How it works¶

flowchart LR
    A[Transporter arrives] --> B[Operator captures weight]
    B --> C[Net weight calculated]
    C --> D[Weighing fee invoiced to transporter]
    D --> E[Payment collected via gateway]
    E --> F[Final ticket printed]

Characteristics¶

Attribute	Value
Weighing fee	Charged per completed transaction
Invoice	Generated automatically on second-weight capture
Payment gateway	Treasury or direct payment at weighbridge
Transporter portal	Fully applicable — transporters access their own records
Platform subscription	Charged to the weighbridge operator

Configuration¶

Navigate to Setup > Settings > Commercial.
Set Weighing Business Model to Third-Party Weighbridge.
Enter the Weighing Fee (KES) — this is charged to the transporter per completed weighing.
The Payment Gateway is configured by the platform administrator.

Who uses this model¶

Commercial public weighbridges
Port authority weighbridges
Highway weighbridges operated by private concessionaires
Third-party logistics hubs

Model 2 — Facility-Owned Scale (In-House Weighing)¶

In this model, the organisation owns or operates the weighbridge exclusively for its own fleet — no external transporters pay a per-transaction fee.

How it works¶

flowchart LR
    A[Truck arrives at factory/quarry gate] --> B[Operator captures weight]
    B --> C[Net weight calculated]
    C --> D[No per-transaction fee]
    D --> E[Final ticket printed for inventory/dispatch records]

Characteristics¶

Attribute	Value
Weighing fee	None — no per-transaction charge
Invoice	Not generated for weighing transactions
Payment gateway	Not applicable
Transporter portal	Optional — only needed if external haulers deliver to the site
Platform subscription	Charged to the facility owner (same as Model 1)

Configuration¶

Navigate to Setup > Settings > Commercial.
Set Weighing Business Model to Facility-Owned Scale.
Leave the Weighing Fee at zero or unset — the system will skip invoice generation.

Who uses this model¶

Factories weighing inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods
Quarry and mining operations tracking truck payload per shift
Grain depots receiving and dispatching bulk commodities
Waste management facilities calculating tipping fees internally

Choosing the Right Model¶

Question	Model 1	Model 2
Do you charge external transporters per weighing?	Yes	No
Do trucks belong to your own fleet?	Sometimes	Usually
Do you need payment collection at the weighbridge?	Yes	No
Do you issue payment invoices to transporters?	Yes	No
Is your weighbridge your core business?	Yes	No (it supports your core business)

Platform Subscription (Both Models)¶

Regardless of business model, TruLoad charges the organisation a platform subscription fee. This covers:

Access to the weighing module
Reporting and analytics
Transporter portal (if enabled)
API access (if enabled)

See the Billing & Plans section for available plans and feature entitlements.

Switching models

Changing the business model setting only affects new transactions. Previously invoiced weighings are not retroactively changed.