An Exploratory Analysis of Axle Load Management System in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan China Economic Corridor will open doors to huge investments as well as development in the country. The corridor will cater for the major trade volumes of the region. The current transport sector is ill equipped to cope up with the increasing demands of the trade route. The primitive practices of overloading continue to destruct the road infrastructure. Overloading not only causes considerable damage to pavements, but also contributes to the serious problem of maintaining road safety on our roads. For the purpose of preserving the deteriorating road infrastructure, it is need of the hour to deliberately analyze the causes associated with it. It is an established fact that heavy vehicle overloading is the leading cause of pavement damage. The National Highway Authority has introduced several reforms including fine, penalties, license / permit suspension etc. to eliminate this menace. All these efforts are so far fruitless. On the other hand the old, ill organized and conformist transportation industry has its own limitations. Old truck fleet, fluctuating fuel prices, uncertainties and risk associated with the business are the motives which leads truckers to overload.