Is it normal for the tare weight of my own vehicle or trailer to be estimated instead of actually measured?
Short answer: Estimating rather than actually weighing your empty vehicle or trailer introduces unnecessary inaccuracy into the calculation, since your net scrap weight depends directly on subtracting an accurate tare weight from the loaded weight — a reputable buyer should weigh your vehicle empty either before or after loading rather than relying on an estimate, and it's reasonable to insist on this for any transaction where the weight meaningfully affects your payout.
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List Free →Why tare weight accuracy matters directly
Your net scrap weight is calculated as the loaded weight minus the empty vehicle weight — an inaccurate tare weight, whether estimated too high or too low, directly and proportionally affects the final scrap weight figure you’re paid on.
Why estimation introduces unnecessary error
Vehicles and trailers vary enough in actual weight that a generic estimate is unlikely to be precisely accurate for your specific vehicle — an actual empty weighing removes this guesswork entirely and takes only a few extra minutes as part of the process.
What to insist on
Ask for your vehicle to be weighed empty, either as a step before loading or by weighing it again after unloading, rather than accepting an estimated tare figure — this is a reasonable, standard request that any properly equipped buyer should be able to accommodate.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Confirming with a ScrapTrade buyer that they weigh vehicles empty rather than estimating tare weight, before you commit to a large delivery, protects the accuracy of your net weight calculation.
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