Increase in overloaded trucks on city roads

The driver of the overloaded truck has been fined.
The Traffic Services’ Road Haulage Unit has expressed concern over an increase in the number of trucks that are overloaded.

On Saturday January 12, a truck was found to be overloaded by at least 25 000 kilograms in Paarden Eiland.

An officer attached to the Road Haulage Unit stopped the container truck after noticing that it appeared to be heavily overloaded. 

The driver was ordered to drive to the N7 weighbridge for testing.

En route to the weighbridge, two tyres burst but the officer insisted that the vehicle owner repair the tyres so they could proceed to the weighbridge.

When the truck was eventually weighed, it was found to be at least 25 tons over the permissible mass. The incident resulted in the issuing of 11 fines for various transgressions, totaling R42 000.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said: “Our staff are reporting more of these incidents and so we’d like to remind companies to ensure that they are sticking to the prescribed regulations, not only because it is the law but also because overloaded vehicles are a danger to other road users.”

In the past six months, the Road Haulage Unit has stopped 5 509 heavy motor vehicles. Of these, 1 054 were weighed and 321 were found to be overloaded. Officers have issued fines for overloaded vehicles amounting to R1 064 650.

Mr Smith said, “The City appeals to fleet managers and truck owners to ensure that they abide by legislative requirements and that their drivers are properly trained. The enforcement statistics, along with the number of trucks that continue to get stuck under the Muizenberg bridge, show that there are problems that need addressing now and not when tragedy strikes.”