Public Works and Transport Minister Sun Chanthol has threatened to shut down 1,923 truck-repair garages if they fail to register with the ministry.

Chanthol went to inspect garages along National Road 1 on Monday, finding during the inspection that the garages were modifying trucks to enable them to be overloaded.

He maintained that the ministry spends about $100 million a year to repair roads damaged by overloaded trucks.

To reduce the problem, he said the ministry would develop an awareness campaign on refurbishing techniques to ensure that trucks were within regulations, and would encourage repair garages that haven’t registered to do so.

“If they don’t come to register, we will close them, because some of them [instal] cages on trucks for overloading,” he said, adding that the shops are not up to standards.

“Now, the officials will come to explain to them techniques for truck safety and not to overload,” he said. So far, 710 garages have registered.

Chan Van, an owner of a garage in Kampong Cham, said his customers demanded the modifications in order to carry more goods, but acknowledged that “sometimes we do not care about [standards] so much”.

“We will come to register at the ministry to clarify this and learn more about [standards] of safety for trucks,” he said.