HÀ NỘI (VNS) –– Some 9,800 trucks exceeding load limits and more than 740 trucks with oversized containers have been fined until March of this year, the Việt Nam Road Administration has said.

Vũ Đỗ Anh Dũng, deputy head of the administration, said that police at the scale stations and traffic inspectors of the transport departments have inspected more than 155,040 trucks running on the highways nationwide from the beginning of this year.

Nearly 9,800 trucks were found to be overloaded and other 740 were found to increase their container weights to carry more cargo than they were meant to.

However, the number of trucks that had committed violations had reduced compared to the same period of last year. As many as 12,140 out of 138,110 trucks were found to be overloaded. 

The police have collected VNĐ73 billion (US$3.2 million) in penalties and revoked the driving licences of 3,290 drivers.

Dũng said through the hotline of the administration, some localities were reportedly not inspecting and cracking down strictly on trucks.

Overloaded trucks carrying sugarcane were reported in northern Sơn La Province, while others were reported to be carrying building material in northern Cao Bằng Province and Hà Nội at night, and some were reported on the highways in southern Quy Nhơn and Bình Định provinces.

He also said that shoddy management was reported at some ports such as Hải Phòng and Sài Gòn. Three semi-trailers, which departed from Hải Phòng Port and managed to avoid the scale station there, were found by the traffic inspectors in northern Nam Định Province to be carrying excessive amounts of cargo.

Dũng said the administration would continue working with the traffic police to inspect and fine trucks violating laws.

With regard to overloaded trucks, the Transport Department of northern Hải Dương Province has decided to restrict the operation of semi-trailer trucks on the main road No 391.

Lê Đình Long, director of the department, said that the number of semi-trailer trucks and container trucks have increased remarkably, and it was three times higher than the designated capacity of the road, especially in the mornings and afternoons.

This has increased the potential risk of accidents and also damaged the roads.

These kinds of vehicles would not be allowed on the road between 6am and 8am and between 4pm and 8pm, he said. Local police would be on duty and fine the trucks found violating the rule. –– VNS