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River Terminal Enjoys Automated Truck Processing

  • Weighing News
  • 4 minutes ago
  • 2 min read

Trucks have been flowing smoothly through Cargill’s Illinois River grain terminal near Meredosia since installing CompuWeigh’s SmartTruck automated truck processing system in May 2025.


According to Regional Manager Ben Miller, who manages Meredosia and seven other facilities in Cargill’s Area 3, “We wanted to add a CompuWeigh system here to improve efficiency and customer service.”


Miller tells Grain Journal he’s enjoyed that employees have been freed up to do other tasks because fewer people are needed for check-ins. “Automatic weighing eliminates a task,” he says. “And employees don’t have to manually identify trucks coming in, which reduces costly errors.”


Additionally, the automated nature of the system means the probe attendant is free to focus solely on grading, reducing the likelihood of mistakes. “They don’t have to juggle grading and communicating with the driver.”


Another benefit has been significantly reduced wait times for trucks making corn and soybean deliveries to the terminal.


“Customers love [the new system],” Miller notes. “It’s very user friendly.”

1. While inbound weights are recorded, drivers check in using a touchscreen SmartTouch III driver terminal rated for outdoor use.
2. The SmartChoice features tells the approaching truck to use the left lane for probing. After grading, the system tells the driver to proceed to the receiving pit.
3. After dumping, trucks continue to one of two outbound scales. While being weighed automatically by SmartTruck, an outdoor printer provides the driver a scale ticket. Photos by Veteran Photography by Randall Artis, Rushville, IL.

System Layout


Part of the project included the installation of a dedicated inbound truck scale. While on the scale, drivers check themselves in on a touchscreen SmartTouch III driver terminal. Drivers can communicate with the office attendant via a SmartTalk intercom system with noise cancellation. At this point, a camera captures a picture of the driver that is tied to the transaction record.


Each truck is given a unique RFID card linked to the hauler’s account. It provides automatic identification of the truck while on the property.


After weighing in, the driver proceeds to the probe station, where the lane splits in two.


After the sample is weighed, moisture tested, and graded, SmartTruck’s SmartChoice feature determines where to send the load, and its SmartView digital display board directs the driver to one of two receiving pits, which helps prevent accidentally cross contaminating grain in storage.


Trucks proceed to the assigned receiving pit. After dumping, drivers move to one of the terminal’s two pitless outbound scales where SmartTruck automatically records the tare weight. An OTP-4800 outdoor ticket printer adjacent to the scale provides a scale ticket.


During the entire process, the driver does not need to leave the truck, ensuring safety while on-site and allowing them to return to the field as quickly as possible.


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