Pakistan tightens axle load enforcement after 30,000 violations

Pakistan’s Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has ordered authorities to strengthen enforcement of the axle-load control regime, automate weigh stations and take action against factories that overload trucks, according to an official briefing Friday.

Khan chaired a meeting attended by the heads of the National Highway Authority, National Highways and Motorway Police, National Logistics Cell and Frontier Works Organization to review implementation of the axle-load control regime.
He directed officials to provide transporters with clear guidance on vehicle body construction and ensure that necessary amendments to the NHA’s legal framework are completed within a week.

The proposed amendments are aimed at removing legal and operational obstacles to enforcing axle-load limits, Khan said.
Authorities should also instruct transporters not to install heavy decorative equipment on vehicles that unnecessarily increases their weight, he said.

Factories found producing or modifying trucks in ways that increase their carrying weight beyond permissible limits should be identified and fined, Khan directed.

Full automation ordered

Khan said all freight vehicles should be required to pass through weigh stations and ordered the complete automation of the system.

Automation would help prevent long queues and reduce delays at weigh stations, he said.
He also directed authorities to establish weigh stations on major highways, including the Grand Trunk Road, similar to those operating on motorways.

The minister ordered the installation of modern camera-based monitoring systems on motorways. Vehicles violating axle-load regulations would be tracked with the help of artificial intelligence, he said.

30,000 violations reported

Officials briefed the meeting that about 30,000 axle-load violations had been recorded over the past six months.
The excessive weight carried by freight vehicles is causing significant damage to road infrastructure, according to the briefing.
Khan directed the NHA, NLC and FWO to adopt a joint strategy for managing axle-load enforcement at Karachi Port.

Officials also briefed the meeting on the planned completion of a modern, international-standard model weigh station at Sangjani.
Khan directed authorities to base infrastructure planning not only on current requirements but also on projected needs for the next 20 years.

He also decided to personally visit 10 locations to review implementation of the axle-load regime on motorways.
The meeting was attended by the federal secretary for communications, chairman of the NHA and inspector general of the National Highways and Motorway Police. The directors general of the NLC and FWO also briefed the meeting.