Buy a transponder

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Commercial vehicle drivers or carriers with a gross vehicle weight of 16,000 lbs or more can buy a transponder to be electronically screened as the commercial vehicle approaches a weigh station. E-screening allows safe and legal carriers to bypass weigh stations after checking criteria such as the legal weight/height, safety rating and registration information.

Requirements

Transponders are registered to a VIN and the e-screening system uses the commercial vehicle information from the registration/cab card.

• The commercial vehicle registration/cab card must be current.
• An active USDOT number must be provided (Carrier Responsible for Safety).
• All required taxes and fees must be paid.

Buy a transponder

Step one: Get a transponder application

To get a transponder application, you can either:

• Download a transponder application (PDF 128KB).
• Email TransponderAdmin@wsdot.wa.gov or call Transponder Administration at 888-877-8567 to ask for a faxed, mailed, or emailed application.

Step two: Mail in your application with a check

• Complete the application.
• You can use one application to purchase multiple transponders mailed to the same address.
• Send a check or money order to WSDOT for the total cost of the transponder(s) purchased.
• (Optional) Register the transponder(s) by including a copy of the registration/cab card for each commercial vehicle.
• We are unable to accept credit cards or any form of electronic payment.

Send checks or money order to:

Washington State Department of Transportation
Attn: Cashier
310 Maple Park Avenue SE
PO Box 47305
Olympia WA 98504-7305

After your application and payment are processed, we mail out transponders and you should typically receive your order in the mail within 7-10 business days of the check clearing. The transponder is registered if it has a license plate sticker attached or you’ve received a list of assigned transponders and plates with your order. Applications without registration/cab cards will have transponders mailed unassigned.

Price

We charge a one-time $35 fee per transponder.

• When you receive the transponder, it belongs to you. You own the transponder.
• There are no additional fees for using a transponder in Washington.

Battery life

• Transponders have a 3 to 5-year average battery life (depending on use).
• Transponders do not have replaceable batteries.
• Once the transponder stops working, you will need to purchase a new transponder.
• Do not return non-working WSDOT issued transponders to us.
• Follow your regional guidelines for lithium ion batteries when disposing a transponder.