The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has warned again that it will take action without exception against all overloaded vehicles by seizing and impounding for one year any vehicles found to be carrying over 20 per cent of their maximum limit.
In a statement issued on December 27, the ministry said although the Committee for Inspection of Overloaded Trucks has been educating and instructing the transport sector on the laws and regulations for many years, as well as issuing a series of notices, there are still a few truck companies, owners or drivers who are ignoring the law and have not complied with the laws and regulations in force.
The statement added that, to date, there are still many overloaded trucks on the roads carrying 20 per cent over their maximum limit and officials at the weigh stations and mobile scales had recently seized 75 vehicles for violating the regulations.
“Companies that let their drivers load more than the vehicle’s weight limit, especially with loads of more than 20 per cent over limit, and then travel on the roads, the official will stop the vehicles and impound them for one year in accordance with Article 60 of the road traffic law, without further exemptions and no exceptions.”
The ministry has again reminded businesses transporting materials like sand and rocks, among others, to be actively involved in strengthening measures to comply with the provisions of the law on the roads.
“The Committee for Inspection of Overloaded Trucks hopes, trusts and appeals to the Road Freight Association, Cambodian Freight Forwarders Association, transport company owners, heavy truck owners, masonry or quarry business owners, sand and gravel supply business owners, landfill owners and all other heavy transport operators: Please follow the rules in the strictest, most efficient and responsible manner possible,” the letter reads.
Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) director Kim Pagna said that these measures were not new, but that recently due to the economic troubles caused by Covid-19 the government had eased up on enforcement of the regulations and declared an amnesty for all vehicles seized, returning them to their owners earlier than expected.
He said now it is time for the ministry to take crack down on overloaded vehicles that violate the law in order to protect the common interest.
“The ministry has to use strict enforcement of the law because they’ve already done wide dissemination on knowledge of the laws. Only the threat of severe sanctions from law enforcement will convince some of these truckers to stop overloading,” he said.
On September 30, Hun Sen announced the release of 229 overloaded vehicles that were seized and would have been kept for one year. He said he was giving a second chance to those vehicles owners to obey and follow the provisions of the law strictly and correctly – and if not, they would end up losing their vehicles again.
