HCM CITY – The HCM City Department of Transport has caught 433 overloaded trucks so far this year, nearly double the number in the same period last year, and collected fines of over VNĐ4.7 billion (nearly US$210,000).

At weigh bridge No 2 Near Ông Lớn Bridge in Bình Chánh District, 94 trucks were checked by department inspectors, and 50 were found violating regulations related to truck design and overloading.

At weigh bridge No 3, 125 trucks were inspected and 11 of them were found flouting rules.

At weigh bridge No 4 at Kỳ Hà Bridge in District 2, all 19 trucks that passed through were guilty of violations.

Transport inspectors also imposed administrative penalties in four cases of overloading at Nhà Rồng – Khánh Hội Port in District 4.

The HCM City Port Authority has co-ordinated with the Việt Nam Maritime Department and the city Department of Transport to inspect 22 port-related companies, slapping fines of over VNĐ350 million on 160 trucks for overloading.

Most of the violations were committed by trucks transporting cement. Eighteen cement trucks were found overloaded at Thăng Long Cement Port, 106 at Nghi Sơn Cement Port and 33 at Fico Cement Port.

The HCM City Port Authority blamed most of the violations on the pressure owners of these facilities apply to increase output/productivity.

Cargo transport management

Ngô Quang Hưng, deputy head of the HCM City Port Authority, admitted that the operations of ports are not 100 per cent under control because HCM City has a large number of them and many vessels dock in them every day, but they suffer from a manpower shortage.

The Port Authority plans to carry out surprise checks of companies related to port operations, including those transporting fuel, in 2017, he added.

To keep a closer eye on trucks, especially those operating at ports, on national highways and near HCM City’s entrances, transport inspectors have petitioned the relevant city authorities to build six more weigh stations.

These would help monitor the loads carried by trucks at the city’s entry and exit points, Lê Hồng Việt, deputy chief inspector at the city transport department, said.

The city also plans to build 10 weigh stations on the city’s beltways this year.

Thạch Như Sỹ, a deputy chief inspector at the transport ministry, said inspectors from the ministry urged ports and railway stations not to allow overloaded trucks to enter.

They were told to inform relevant agencies about such violations.VNS