Pay a hefty fine for overloading

The menace of overloading trucks was expected to end with the revised axle load norms rolled out in July 2018. It had led to an increase in the rated loading capacity of trucks. Over three years since the new norms came into force, overloading is known to continue. To tackle this afresh, the Maharashtra state government has imposed fines under the category of traffic offences under the Motorvehicle (amendment) Act. As per the notification, a fine of Rs.40,000 split between the driver and the truck will be levied. An additional amount of Rs.2,000 per tonne will have to be shelled out on any excess load accounting for the liability of expenditure. A Regional Transport Office (RTO) official will monitor the off-load in person to assess the violation. The ramifications of such an imposition will be interesting to watch out for.