In March, 282 overloaded trucks were caught – and would be impounded for one year – with fines totalling 499 million riel ($120,000), a five per cent decrease from February’s figures, according to a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
The ministry reported that the 282 impounded trucks represented a decrease of 17 vehicles or equivalent to five per cent compared to February’s 299 seized vehicles.
It called on truck owners to stop overloading because it leads to financial losses for them and damage to public property.
“All truck owners should be aware that the impact caused by overloaded transport is the destruction of our national roads, damage to public property and the endangering of human lives,” the ministry said.
Taing Pov, director of the ministry’s secretariat, told The Post on April 18 that the trucks seized would be held for one year and that the truck owners are fined 300,000 riel ($75) per tonne of weight over the legal limit.
He said most of the overloaded trucks were caught in Kandal province and were trucks transporting sand, rocks and related goods such as construction materials and cement.
“Most of the sand transport that we encounter today is in Kandal and it has the most overloaded trucks seized because the national roads from Phnom Penh go through that province,” Pov said.
He said officials are continuing to educate the owners of trucks, transport businesses, stone quarries, construction sites, sand mines and earth pits on the legal standards related to overloaded transport, particularly the Law on Roads, articles 60 and 26, which stipulate the fines for overloading.
According to Article 60 of the road law, users of heavy vehicles transporting goods not weighed at the weighing station will be fined 500,000 riel ($125). Owners of vehicles overloading by less than five per cent of the weight limit will be given written warnings.
When trucks are found overloaded from 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the weight limit the goods they are carrying must be removed and the vehicle shall be seized for 10 days with a fine of 100,000 riel ($25) per tonne.
Trucks overloaded from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the weight limit will have their goods removed and their vehicles shall be seized for one month with a fine of 200,000 riel ($50) per tonne.
And overloading 20 per cent of the weight limit or more means that the goods must be removed and the vehicle shall be seized for one year with a fine of 300,000 riel ($75) per tonne.
In extreme cases of overloading the fines are then increased and the driver’s license will be revoked and their ability to obtain a new licence suspended for two years.
According to the report by the ministry, in the first 11 months of 2021 a total of 2,334,371 vehicles were inspected and 739,538 vehicles were found to be overloaded, which is the equivalent of 31 per cent of all vehicles examined.
