Controlling Vehicle Overloading in BOT Projects

AbstractCommercial Vehicle overloading on highways – a menace; a bane to the exchequer having the onus of maintaining the road infrastructure - it not only increases his expenses but, is also one of the major causes of road accidents. And, over 50% of the commercial vehicles plying on our National/State Highways are overloaded. Although there are legal axle load limit and gross vehicle weight limit of the vehicles plying on roads, they are violated wickedly by the transporters. The damage by over-loaded vehicles to pavements is exponential. It is believed that the damage caused to a pavement by an axle load twice the standard axle is 16 times the damage incurred by the latter.There are standard legal axle load limit and gross vehicle weight limit but neither are followed by transporters nor enforced stringently by the enforcement authority. Overloading vehicles reduce the design pavement life. Controlling overloading not only prevents premature failure of the pavement but, also brings in monetary benefit to the Concessionaire. This paper presents the benefits in term of toll revenue for controlling overloading in a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) Project with a real case study. From the case study, it is found that maximum revenue has been achieved by allowing vehicle to ply on the road carrying maximum permitted legal load. Other than the beneficial aspects indicated above, controlling overloading reduces accidents, increases speed of vehicles, requires lesser pavement maintenance costs and operating cost. In the end, plausible ways of controlling overloading with strict enforcement are highlighted