MVD to continue crackdown on overloaded vehicles

‘Most accidents due to tyre burst, leading to driver losing control of vehicle, caused by overloading’

The stand-off between tipper lorry operators and Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) personnel has shed light on the manifold safety issues posed by overloaded goods carriers. The stalemate intensified following a recent social media campaign against the department and an official who imposed a hefty fine on a tipper lorry in Pathanapuram in Kollam district for overloading. Additional Transport Commissioner Pramoj Shankar said there would be no let-up in the drive against overloaded tipper lorries and other goods carriers, considering the grave safety hazards and damage to roads, when the gross vehicle weight (GVW) exceeded the safe axle weight prescribed for each vehicle. “Often, lorry operators add leaf springs to the suspension to carry a few tonnes more than the permissible load. This is a violation of body-code norms and motor vehicle rules,” he said. Such illegal and unsafe alterations also substantially affect the service life of vehicles and of roads which may not be designed to bear such weight. Many lorry operators do not seem to be aware of this, he added.